 The 2004 – 05 NHL season was locked out , and eventually cancelled , because of a labour dispute between the league and the players . The 2005 World Championships , which featured more top players than normal , was won by the Czech Republic . At the 2006 Winter Olympics , Sweden won the gold medal over Finland . Three months later , Sweden defeated the Czech Republic and won the 2006 World Championships . They became the first team to win Olympic gold and a separate World Championship tournament in the same year . At the 2007 World Championship in Moscow , Canada defeated Finland to win the gold medal . The following year , the tournament was held in Canada for the first time . Russia defeated the home team to win their first gold medal since 1993 . The Russian team successfully defended their title with a 2 – 1 win over Canada in 2009 . In 2009 , NHL Players ' Association director Paul Kelly suggested that the World Championships be held every other year and that the NHL go on break to allow full player participation . IIHF president René Fasel responded that the tournament has television contracts and hosting commitments and that a large change would be difficult to put in place . 
