<P> As of 2016 , 81 tournaments have been staged . From 1920 to 1930 , the Winter Olympic Games Ice Hockey Tournaments held counted as the World Championships and no tournaments in between were held . No championships were held from 1940 to 1946 due to World War II , nor during the Olympic years 1980 , 1984 and 1988 . Ten nations have won a gold medal at the World Championships and a total of fourteen have won medals . Canada has won 48 medals , the most of any nation . The Soviet Union , which began competing in 1954 and last competed in 1991 , captured a medal in every tournament they entered . In winning the 2006 World Championships , Sweden became the first nation in sports history to win an Olympic gold as well as a separate World Championship in the same season . </P>
<P> As of 2016 , 81 tournaments have been staged . From 1920 to 1930 , the Winter Olympic Games Ice Hockey Tournaments held counted as the World Championships and no tournaments in between were held . No championships were held from 1940 to 1946 due to World War II , nor during the Olympic years 1980 , 1984 and 1988 . Ten nations have won a gold medal at the World Championships and a total of fourteen have won medals . Canada has won 48 medals , the most of any nation . The Soviet Union , which began competing in 1954 and last competed in 1991 , captured a medal in every tournament they entered . In winning the 2006 World Championships , Sweden became the first nation in sports history to win an Olympic gold as well as a separate World Championship in the same season . </P>
who has won the most ice hockey world championships
who has won the most ice hockey world championships
Canada
Canada