 Following World War II , Czechoslovakia 's team was quickly improving . They won the 1947 World Championships , although a Canadian team had not participated in the event . In 1949 , they became the third nation to win a World Championship tournament that Canada participated in . During the run @-@ up to the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz , Switzerland , a conflict broke out between the two American hockey bodies : the American Hockey Association ( AHA ) and the Amateur Athletic Union ( AAU ) . The AAU refused to support the AHA 's team because they believed that AHA players were " openly paid salaries " and at the time , the Olympics were strictly for amateur players . A compromise was reached that the AHA team would be allowed to compete but would be considered unofficial and unable to win a medal . By the end of the tournament , the AHA team finished fourth in the standings but was disqualified . Both Czechoslovakia and the RCAF Flyers of Canada won seven games and tied when they played each other . The gold medal winner was determined by goal difference : Canada won the gold because they had an average of 13 @.@ 8 compared to Czechoslovakia 's average of 4 @.@ 3 . 
