The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway, was the seventh Olympic Championship, also serving as the 19th World Championships and the 30th European Championships. The tournament was mainly played at the Jordal Amfi Arena, as well as the stadiums at Dælenenga (in Oslo), Kadettangen (Sandvika), Marienlyst (Drammen) and Lillestrøm (Lillestrøm). Canada, represented by the Edmonton Mercurys, won its sixth Olympic gold medal and 15th World Championship. Highest finishing European team Sweden won the bronze medal and its sixth European Championship. The tournament was nearly not played at all. Discussions began in 1950, whether or not ice hockey would be included in the 1952 Winter Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) sought assurance that participating teams would adhere to its amateur code rather than the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) code, and also wanted to exclude IIHF president Fritz Kraatz from negotiations. IIHF past-president W. G. Hardy, and secretary George Dudley agreed there would be no negotiations on those terms, nor would they repudiate Kraatz. Dudley expected the IIHF to discuss having its own 1952 Ice Hockey World Championships instead, and stated that the Olympics would be a financial failure without the inclusion of hockey. In 1951 it was decided to drop hockey from the Olympic programme because of the controversies surrounding the 1948 Games. However, at the IOC congress in Romania the same year, it was reinstated. W. G. Hardy advocated for the inclusion of the Soviet Union national ice hockey team, provided there is no political interference. Despite his advocacy the Soviet authorities did not apply in time to be included in the tournament. Teams from Germany and Czechoslovakia rejoined the top level of international hockey this year. Nine nations played a round-robin with the top three nations receiving medals at the end. Swiss newspapers criticized the rough play by Canada and the United States team, and questioned whether hockey should be part of the Olympics. Canadian Amateur Hockey Association president Doug Grimston felt the games were tame compared to North American standards and that the Olympics would suffer without hockey which was its biggest attraction. After Canada and the United States played to a draw in the final game of the round-robin, which placed the teams first and second respectively in the standings for the gold and silver medals. Had Canada won, the United States would have placed fourth. A newspaper in