 The 1976 World Ice Hockey Championships in Katowice were the first to feature professionals although in the end only the United States made use of the new rule , recalling eight pros from the Minnesota North Stars and Minnesota Fighting Saints . The first fully open World Championship was held in 1977 in Vienna , Austria , and saw the first participation of active Canadian NHL players , including two @-@ time NHL MVP Phil Esposito . Sweden and Finland also augmented their rosters with a few NHL and WHA players . Many of the players on the Canadian team were not prepared for the tournament and were unfamiliar with the international game . The team finished fourth , losing both games to the Soviet Union by a combined score of 19 – 2 . Czechoslovakia won gold , becoming the third team ( after Canada and the Soviet Union ) to win consecutive championships . 
