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Since it was first played at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, ice hockey has truly caught the fascination of the world as reflected in the huge live audience generated when the sport is played in the Olympics or in the National Hockey League (NHL). Be a part of the live audience of ice hockey with your tickets from TriTickets.

Qualifying for the Winter Olympics

In the Olympics, 12 nations qualify for the games. The top 9 nations in the world are automatically qualified, while the rest have to go through the qualifying rounds in the regional competitions. The 12 qualifying nations represent a small number of the more than 60 ice hockey playing nations.

The Preliminaries

Before, the winner of ice hockey gold medal was decided not on the number of games won, but on the number of points earned throughout the competition as compared against the points earned by other teams. This scoring system lead the International Ice Hockey Federation to reevaluate its rules. This reevaluation was brought about by unusual cases wherein undefeated teams do not get the gold medal because they have lesser point total. Beginning with the 1992 Winter Olympics in France, the format called for the participating teams to play in a round-robin format in the preliminary round. The top eight teams will move on to the quarterfinals while the four teams who failed to make the cut will play for ranks 9 through 12.

Quarterfinals and the Medal Round

In the quarterfinals, the eight teams will play in a knockout format where all four winners will get to move on to the semifinal stage and the 4 losing teams play for rank 5-8. In the semifinals, the winning teams play for the gold medal while the losers play for the bronze medals. With a format like this in place, only the unscathed team gets to win the gold medal, unlike in the previous format where some teams that didn’t drop a single game are not even guaranteed of the gold. Similarly, every ice hockey game is exciting because every win counts.

Where to Get the Best Tickets Online

For the best deal on ice hockey event tickets, only TriTickets is your top choice. You can also enjoy packages and other perks from the leader in 2010 Vancouver Winter Games online event tickets.