Current season, competition or edition: 2023 World Ringette Championships | |
| Sport | Ringette |
|---|---|
| First season | 1990; 35 years ago (1990) |
| No. of teams | Differing: Senior Pool Junior Pool President's Pool(Differing): U18 International Development Festival(Differing): Other |
| Countries | World |
| Most recent champions |  Senior: FinlandJuniorFinland |
| Most titles | Senior:Finland (9 titles since1996) Junior: Canada(3 titles since2013) |
| Official website | www |
| Notes | |
| |
TheWorld Ringette Championships (WRC) is the premier international competition inringette and is governed by theInternational Ringette Federation (IRF). Unlike most international competitions, all of the WRC's elite athletes are female rather than male, one of the sport's distinctive features. Competing nations include: Canada, Finland, United States, Sweden,Slovakia and theCzech Republic, withTeam Canada andTeam Finland having emerged as the sport'stop two competing nations. The2023 World Ringette Championships were held inCalgary, Alberta, Canada and was the sport's 60th anniversary.[1]
Competition consists of teams competing in one of four pools: theSenior Pool (Sam Jacks Series), the Under–21,U21 Pool (formerly called the Junior Pool) thePresident's Pool, and the newU18 International Development Festival which began in 2023.
The "Sam Jacks Series" is the name of the Senior Pool which is the tournament's elite competition betweenTeam Canada Senior andTeam Finland Senior with theSam Jacks Trophy awarded to the team who wins the world senior title. The U21 Pool is now the tournament's elite competition betweenTeam Canada U21 andTeam Finland U21 with theJuuso Wahlsten Trophy awarded to the team who wins the world U21 title. The President's Pool is the tournament's competition between developing ringette nations with a smaller presence in the sport.Team Sweden Senior,Team USA Senior, andTeam Czech Republic Senior compete in this pool and thePresident's Trophy is awarded to the winning team. National teams including Team Slovakia, Team Russia, and Team France, have also competed in the WRC past.
The nations of Canada and Finland form the most significantinternational rivalry at the world level which means the rivalry does not exist exclusively between North American teams. Nations like the United States, Sweden, and the Czech Republic have yet to produce top tier talent and these three countries form the international rivalry at a lower tier. One of the three countries are expected to eventually produce the first team to break the top two-team international barrier between Canada and Finland, thoughSlovakia,Russia andFrance have also competed. Neither Team Russia nor Team France have competed in the senior division at the World Ringette Championships sinceWRC 1996, and neither country has sent a junior, U21, or U19 national ringette team to compete since the2012 World Junior Ringette Championships. Team Slovakia has not competed sinceWRC 2016 and has not created a junior, U19,or U21 national team.
The inaugural year for the WRC was in1990 and theWorld Ringette Summit Series took place in Europe in 1998. The2021 WRC was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. Several WRC competitions have been recorded and beenmade available for viewing online for free.
Unlike most international team sports tournaments, the World Ringette Championship competition consists entirely of elite female athletes due to the sport's dedication to providing girls and women with a sport of their own which has also allowed it to be free from the administrative responsibilities necessary to govern both a male and female category of the sport. This approach has also resulted in the ability to avoid male-to-female comparisons and has given the spotlight to elite female athletes.
Between1990–1996 and2000–2004 the World Ringette Championships were arranged every other year. In1998 no official World Championships were held butFinland andCanada played several exhibition games touring across Europe in what was called the"Summit Series". The WRC's have been held every two or three years since the2004 World Ringette Championships were hosted in Sweden.
The competition is organized by the international governing body for the sport, theInternational Ringette Federation (IRF), which was initially called the World Ringette Council. The council is believed to have eventually changed its name to the IRF to avoid confusion due to the fact that the acronym for the organization (WRC) was identical to the World Ringette Championship.
While the first World Ringette Championship began in1990, the competition between individual nations technically began in1996. Initially the tournament was exclusively contested between adult national ringette teams until2013 when the junior division was added, having merged from a separate junior tournament, theWorld Junior Ringette Championships. For a time, a separate world ringette club competition also existed, theRingette World Club Championship, but it too has since been discontinued.
In 2013 the IRF created a new and separate competition for the World Championship, naming the division the "President's Pool", which allows athletes and teams from countries with less ringette experience and a smaller presence in the sport new opportunities to compete. The Presidents' Pool occasionally involves junior teams from Canada and Finland competing with the developing ringette countries.
With the exception of the2022 World Ringette Championships, today both the senior and junior competitions for the world title typically involve a best of three playoff series between nationalCanadian and Finnish ringette teams in their respective age groups, with the senior competition now having been dubbed the "Sam Jacks Series". The WRC 2022 tournament scheduled a two-game series instead of a three-game series.
Thefirst World Ringette Championship was held inGloucester, Ontario in 1990 where the first everSam Jacks Trophy was awarded to arepresentative Canadian team from Alberta, the sport's first World Ringette champions. Participating teams includedsix regional teams from Canada, national teams fromFinland, and theUnited States.Team Alberta,a.k.a. the "Calgary Debs" won the inaugural championship, marking Canada's reputation as the leading country in the sport.
The competitive structure is divided into four separate competitions: the Senior Pool (called the"Sam Jacks Series"), the Junior Pool, and the President's Pool, and the U18 International Development Festival, which was newly introduced by theInternational Ringette Federation for the2023 World Ringette Championships.
TheSenior Pool is typically played in abest-of-three playoff format betweenCanada's Senior national team, andFinland's Senior national team, but the2022 World Ringette Championships scheduled a two-game series instead. The winning Senior team is awarded with the world title, gold medals, and the championship trophy called theSam Jacks Trophy, named afterSam Jacks.[2]
Each Senior Pool game is played in a 4 x 15 minute quarter format. The Senior Pool did not exist until2013 and was created when the junior program was added to the world program that same year. Prior to that point there was only a single event for adults and young adults.
TheJunior Pool competition is now called the U21 Pool (includes players under 21 years of age). At times it involved teams with players who were under 19 years of age (U19). The winning team in this pool is awarded with the world title for this age division, gold medals, and theJuuso Wahlsten Trophy, named afterJuhani Wahlsten.
The pool is typically played in abest-of-three playoff format betweenCanada's U21 national team, andFinland's U21 national team, however, the2022 World Ringette Championships scheduled a two-game series instead. Each game in this pool is played in a 4 x 15 minute quarter format.
Prior to the 2013 World Ringette Championships the junior program was held as a separate event in2009 and2012. It has since changed to include either players who were exclusively under 19 years of age or exclusively under 21.
ThePresident's Pool is a competition between developing ringette nations. Each President's Pool game is played in a 4 x 15 minute quarter format. The winning team is awarded with the President's Pool world title, gold medals, and thePresident's Trophy. Occasionally, teams in this pool have competed against the junior teams from Canada and Finland.
The International Ringette Federation (IRF) unveiled a new feature for the2023 World Ringette Championships: the U18 International Development Festival, where young players from around the world can showcase their skills and passion for the sport.
The Sam Jacks Trophy is awarded to the winning national senior level ringette team. The trophy was named after Canada'sSam Jacks in his honour since Jacks is considered the main inventor of the sport. The trophy was donated by the family of Sam Jacks.[3]
The first Sam Jacks Trophy was awarded in Gloucester, Ontario during the1990 World Ringette Championships. The trophy was designed by a woman fromGloucester, Ontario,[who?] and was made of oak and bronze and was roughly 3 feet tall, but had to be rolled out onto the ice on a table because it was too heavy for the winning team from Canada to lift. In 1996 the trophy was replaced with a new design which has been awarded during every World Ringette Championship year since, while the initial trophy now resides in theRingette Canada office.
The Juuso Wahlsten Trophy was introduced during the2019 World Ringette Championships inBurnaby,Alberta, Canada. It was the first time the World Ringette Junior Champions were with presented with the new trophy. The trophy is named afterJuhani "Juuso" Wahlsten, the "Father of Ringette" in Finland. The trophy was donated by Finland's Sini Forsblom, a formerTeam Finland athlete and also former President of theInternational Ringette Federation.
Wahlsten is the only member of theInternational Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in history to have had an internationalringette trophy named in his honour.
The winner of the President's Pool Division is awarded the President's Trophy which was first introduced during the2013 World Ringette Championships. The Presidents' Pool involves a competition between developing ringette countries. Occasionally junior teams from Canada and Finland have competed against the nations who compete in this pool.
The first time the World Ringette Championships involved Senior teams representing individual nations exclusively was during the1996 World Ringette Championships. The first time the World Ringette Championships involved Junior teams representing individual nations exclusively was during the2013 World Ringette Championships.
The junior age division is now called the U21 division (players under 21 years of age).
The first World Junior Ringette Championships took place in2009 and was exclusively created for national junior ringette teams and operated as a separate tournament from the main event, the World Ringette Championships, which was exclusively for senior teams. In2013 the junior program merged with the larger senior competition and the junior program ceased to exist as a separate tournament as a result.
Today the World competition includes both senior and U21 pools. As of2017, the junior pool (now U21) was split and a third pool was added, the"President's Pool", created for developing ringette nations; Team Canada Junior and Team Finland Junior used to compete in theJunior Pool, but now compete in theU21 Pool.
| Year | Location | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 Details |  Prague | Finland White Stars | Canada East | Finland Blue Stars |
| 2012 Details | London | Canada East | Finland U19/U21 | Canada West |
| 2013 Details | North Bay | Finland U19 | Canada U19 | |
| 2016 Details | Helsinki | Canada U19/U21 | Finland U19/U21 |  Sweden Senior |
| 2017 Details | Mississauga | Canada U19/U21 | Finland U19/U21 | |
| 2019 Details | Burnaby | Canada U19/U21 | Finland U19/U21 | |
| 2021 Details | | cancelled due toCOVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2022 Details | Espoo | Finland U21 | Canada U21 | |
| 2023 Details | Calgary | Finland U21 | Canada U21 | |
| Year | Location | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 Details | North Bay | Finland U19 | Canada U19 |  USA Seniors |
| 2017 Details | Mississauga | Sweden | USA | Czech Republic |
| 2019 Details | Burnaby | Sweden | USA | Czech Republic |
| 2021 Details | | cancelled due toCOVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2022 Details | Espoo | USA | Sweden | Czech Republic |
| 2023 Details | Calgary | USA | Sweden | Czech Republic |
| 2025 Details | Lahti | Sweden | USA | Czech Republic |
The Sam Jacks Series is the elite competition between the senior national ringette teams of Canada and Finland. TheWorld Junior Ringette Championships and theRingette World Club Championship were both initially organized as a separate events but the junior competition has since been merged with the World Ringette Championship while the club competition is no longer contested. The Junior division (U19) was added to the larger program in 2013. The President's Pool division was added in 2016. National teams participating have included: Canada, Finland, United States, Sweden, Russia, France,Slovakia, and theCzech Republic. Russia and France have not sent national teams from their respective countries to compete in the senior division in the world championships since 1996, and neither has sent a junior national ringette team to compete since 2012.
| Team | 1990 | 1992 | 1994 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada East | 2nd | 2nd | |
| Canada West | 1st | 3rd | |
| Finland | 7th | 3rd | 1st |
| United States | 8th | 4th | 4th |
| Sweden | 6th | 6th | |
 Russia | 5th | 5th | |
| Alberta | 1st | ||
| Saskatchewan | 6th | ||
| Manitoba | 5th | ||
| Ontario | 2nd | ||
| Quebec | 3rd | ||
| Gloucester,Ontario | 4th |
The1996 World Ringette Championships marked the first time the event had only one representative team from each participating nation.
| Team | 1996 | 2000 | 2002 | 2004 | 2007 | 2010 | 2013 | 2016 | 2017 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd |
| Finland | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st |
| United States | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | 4th | 3rd | 3rd | 4th | ||
| Sweden | 4th | 4th | 4th | 4th | 3rd | 4th | 4th | 3rd | ||
| Czech Republic | 5th | |||||||||
 Slovakia | 6th |
| Team | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | COVID-19 | 2nd |
| Finland | COVID-19 | 1st |
| Team | 2009 | 2012 | 2013 | 2016 | 2017 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada U19/U21 | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | ||
| Finland U19/U21 | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | |
| United States | 5th | |||||
| Sweden Senior | 3rd | |||||
| Sweden U19 | 5th | |||||
| Canada East | 2nd | 1st | ||||
| Canada West | 4th | 3rd | ||||
| Finland White Stars | 1st | |||||
| Finland Blue Stars | 3rd | |||||
| Russia | 4th | |||||
 France | 6th |
| Team | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada U21 | COVID-19 | 2nd | 2nd |
| Finland U21 | COVID-19 | 1st | 1st |
| Team | 2013 | 2017 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2nd | 2nd | |
| Sweden | 1st | 1st | |
| Russia | |||
| Czech Republic | 3rd | 3rd | |
| Finland Junior | 1st |
| Team | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| United States | COVID-19 | 1st |
| Sweden | COVID-19 | 2nd |
| Czech Republic | COVID-19 | 3rd |
| Slovakia | COVID-19 |
The 1990 World Ringette Championship (WRC) was the first World Ringette Championship and was held in the Canadian city ofGloucester, Ontario. Three countries participated: Canada, Finland and United States. The international competition involved a total of 8 competing teams.[4][5] Finland finished seventh and the United States eighth while Canadian teams monopolized the podium.[6]Team Alberta, which consisted of ringette players from the province's "Calgary Debs", won the first world ringette title in international competition and the WRC's newSam Jacks Trophy after defeatingTeam Ontario 6 – 5 in the final.[7]
The 1992 World Ringette Championship was the second World Ringette Championship and took place in Helsinki, Finland, from March 4 to 8, 1992. This event marked the 2nd World Ringette Championships. There weretwo Canadian teams, Canada East and Canada West, and representative teams from Finland, United States, France, Sweden and Russia.[8][9][10]Canada West (Team Alberta "AAA") won gold. Twelve members of Team Alberta were members of the Calgary Deb AA team.[citation needed]
The 1994 World Ringette Championship was the third World Ringette Championship and was played in the city ofSaint Paul, Minnesota, in the United States. This event marked the 3rd World Ringette Championships. As in the previous World Championship, there were two teams representing Canada, and representative teams from Finland, the United States, Sweden and Russia.[11][12] Finland won the World Cup, its very first world championship.[13] This would turn out to be the last time Russia would send a senior national team to the international competition.
The 1996 World Ringette Championship was the fourth World Ringette Championship and took place inStockholm, Sweden, from April 15 to 20, 1996. This event marked the 4th World Ringette Championships.Team Canada won the gold medal beating Team Finland 6–5 in extra time.[14][15][16] It was the first time all teams represented individual nations. Canada took home theSam Jacks Trophy, the first year the updated design of the trophy was awarded.
While the 1998 World Ringette Championship was initially meant to be held inMoncton, New Brunswick, Canada, the event did not take place. Instead a promotional five game ringette"Summit Series" tour of Europe was organized with a series of games between anational team from Canada, and a national team from Finland from between February 27 to March 7, 1998.[17][18] Both teams made stops in four different countries and cities:Turku (Finland),Gothenburg (Sweden),Osnabruck (Germany), andColmar (France). The fifth and final game took place inColmar, France, where Team Finland beatTeam Canada 10–8. Finland won the Summit Series against Canada 3–2.
The 2000 World Ringette Championships followed the1998 Summit Series and preceded the2002 World Ringette Championships. It was an internationalringette tournament which was contested inEspoo andLahti in Finland, from November 15–18, 2000.[19] This event marked the 5th World Ringette Championships.Team Finland andTeam Canada first met in the two-game world championship final on November 15 in Lahti, and then again on November 18 in Espoo. Finland won the first game 5–4. The Finnish national team then secured the World Ringette Championship title in the second game by playing a 5–5 tie game. Finland became the world champion with a total of 3-1 points. In the bronze medal match, the USA defeated Sweden 9–0.[20]
The 2002 World Ringette Championship was contested inEdmonton, Alberta from November 25–30, 2002 at theNorthlands AgriCom Arena, now called theEdmonton Expo Centre.[21] This event marked the 6th World Ringette Championships.Alberta Sports Hall of Fame inductee,Phyllis Sadoway, was the assistant coach ofTeam Canada in 2002.[22] The victory by Team Canada[23] in 2002 was considered particularly notable.[24] After having been defeated by a score of 4–3 in extra time against Finland in 2000, Canada took its revenge by defeating their arch-rival by a score of 3–1[25] in front of a sell-out crowd of 3850 supporters. The final match was broadcast in Canada by theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and followed by 144,000 Canadian televiewers. It is the last time Team Canada has won theSam Jacks Trophy to date.
The 2004 World Ringette Championship was the seventh world championship and was contested inStockholm, Sweden from November 23 to 27, 2004. This event marked the 7th World Ringette Championships. The game for the world title final between Canada and Finland took place at the Visättra SportCenter inHuddinge, Stockholm, Sweden. Finland took the world championship by crushing Canada 9–3 in the final.[26] Since the 2004 World Championships, Finland has dominated the international senior level of ringette.[27]Anna Vanhatalo was elected the best goaltender of the tournament.[28]
The 2007 World Ringette Championship was contested inOttawa, Canada, between October 30 and November 3, 2007.[29][30][31][32] This event marked the 8th World Ringette Championships. The competition took place at theOttawa Civic Centre which has since been renamed, "TD Place Arena" and was broadcast in Canada byRogers TV. The final game between Canada and Finland required an added period of overtime. Finnish playerMarjukka Virta tied the game 4–4. Finnish playerAnne Pohjola scored the winning overtime goal ending the game 5–4.[33][34] Finland won the world championship series. It was the first time that Finland beat Canada in a World Ringette Championship final hosted in Canada and was the first time Team Sweden won a World Ringette Championship medal (bronze) by beating the United States 10–9 in overtime.[35]
The 2010 World Ringette Championships was contested inTampere, Finland between November 1 and November 6, 2010. This event marked the 9th World Ringette Championships. Finland won its fifth world title in front of 10,000 spectators and televiewers, beatingTeam Canada again.[36][37][38] The United States[39] had their revenge on Sweden[40] defeating them 19–1.[41]
The 2013 World Ringette Championship marked the 50th anniversary of the sport and took place inNorth Bay, Ontario, Canada between December 31, 2013, and January 4, 2014. This event marked the 10th World Ringette Championships. It was the first time the World Junior Ringette Championships, known as theU19 World Ringette Championship, was added to the program. Some of the games werelive-streamed online and made available for public viewing. The United States won the bronze. Finland U19 won the President's Trophy and Finland won the Junior U19 World Championship title.
The 2016 World Ringette Championships was contested inHelsinki, Finland between December 27, 2015 – January 3, 2016. This event marked the 11th World Ringette Championships. This was the first time Slovakia and the Czech Republic appeared at the international tournament. 18 of the games werelive-streamed online and made available for public viewing. The event marked the 11th international competition of the sport of ringette. In addition to the international competition, a tournament, known as the "Ringette Festival", was held for U14 teams.
The 2017 World Ringette Championship was contested inMississauga, Ontario from November 27 to December 3, 2017, at theHershey Centre Arena now renamed the Paramount Fine Foods Centre.[42] This event marked the 12th World Ringette Championships. Eight of the gameswere live-streamed online and made available for public viewing.
The 2019 World Ringette Championships were hosted inBurnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Main competition took place at theBill Copeland Sports Centre. This event marked the 13th World Ringette Championships. The games were recorded and live streamed bySports Canada TV and have since been made available for public viewing on the video sharing site,YouTube, byRingette Canada. 15 of the games werelive-streamed online and made available for public viewing.
The 2021 World Ringette Championships were cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. The event was meant to be hosted by Finland inHelsinki following the2019 World Ringette Championships and was meant to be the 14th World Ringette Championships. The 14th WRC was rescheduled for the2022 World Ringette Championships instead.
The 2022 World Ringette Championships took place inEspoo, Finland, at theEspoo Metro Areena, October 31-November 6, 2022. The event marked the 14th (XIV) World Ringette Championships. A youth tournament was played at the Espoo Tapiola Arena and Matinkylä ice rinks.
The 2023 World Ringette Championships took place inCalgary, Canada, at RTK Arena, October 31 – November 4, 2023. The event marked the 15th (XV) World Ringette Championships and the 60th anniversary of the sport of ringette which was created in 1963.
The 2025 World Ringette Championships took place inLahti, Finland, at RTK Arena, November 3 – November 9, 2025. The event marked the 16th (XVI) World Ringette Championships.
Five countries and seven teams participated, competing in three different series; Sam Jacks, Juuso Wahlsten and President’s Pool. In addition, an international U18 development camp was organized in Pajulahti from November 1st to 8th, 2025.
TheWorld Junior Ringette Championships (WJRC), alternatively known as the "U19 World Ringette Championship", was an internationalringette tournament organized by theInternational Ringette Federation (IRF) in 2009 and 2012 for elite international junior ringette athletes. It was run as a separate tournament from the World Ringette Championships, an international ringette tournament which was initially restricted to elite senior ringette athletes.[43] The World Junior Ringette Championships no longer functions as an event, having since merged in2013 with the main World Ringette Championships program where both Senior and Junior divisions now exist.
The2009 World Junior Ringette Championships were hosted in the city ofPrague in theCzech Republic while the2012 World Junior Ringette Championships were hosted inLondon, Ontario,Canada. Competing nations includedTeam Canada Junior,[44]Team Finland Junior,[45] Team USA junior, Team France Junior, and Team Russia Junior, though only the Canadians and Finns competed in the first tournament in WJRC 2009.
During the2013 World Ringette Championships theU19 World Ringette Championship became known as the "Junior Pool" competition where the winning team is now awarded theJuuso Wahlsten Trophy, first introduced in2019.
The first World Junior Ringette Championships took place in August, 2009 inPrague,Czech Republic.[46] Two Canadian teams, Canada West Under-19[47] and Canada-East Under-19[48] faced two Finnish teams, the Finland White Stars and the Finland Blue Stars.[49] Canada East suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Finland White Stars at the gold medal final.[50][45]
The 2012 World Junior Ringette Championships was the second World Junior Ringette Championships and was held in December, 2012 inLondon, Ontario, Canada. This was the last year the event was held separately from the World Ringette Championships after which a new U19 division was created. It was also the first and last time France and Russia would send national teams to compete at the international level with neither country having sent a national team to compete in either the senior or junior level since.
The Ringette World Club Championship[51] was an international ringette competition organized by theInternational Ringette Federation featuring the top teams of the CanadianNational Ringette League (NRL), the Finnish Ringeten SM-Sarja and Swedish Ringette Dam-SM. Held in2008 and2011, the planned2014 event was cancelled and the tournament was discontinued because of financial difficulties facing the competing teams.[52][53]
Since the early establishment of the international competition,Team Canada andTeam Finland have battled for the world title. Both countries have since emerged as the sport's major international rivals at both the senior and junior levels. Initially only one international competition existed and was contested between national ringette teams for adults. Today both a senior and junior age group exists. Historically, Finland's senior national ringette team has dominated the competition. Canada's junior ringette team now records the most victories in the newer junior age level which has consisted of teams with players in either U19 (under 19) or U21 (under 21).
The two countries developed their ringette system on different continents which has resulted in two different playing styles.
[Keely] Brown said the sport has a massive community in the Scandinavian country.
"When you go over to Finland, ringette is just a totally different national sport over there...The stands are full, and it's very loud, and there's smoke and fireworks, and it's broadcast nationally on TV, and the players there have been playing for quite some time together and have a different style of play."
— Steve Seto, "'A really amazing experience': Sask. ringette player returns from tournament in Finland",Saskatoon / 650 CKOM (November 18, 2022)
Cultural differences in sport have emerged as well as observed by one Calgary based player:
"As compared to ringette in Canada, the league over there is a big deal...When they broadcast the games, 160,000 people in Finland watch...The arenas are packed." The finals rival the productions of professional sports in Canada she says. "It is really incredible...Some small towns have teams and that’s what you do. That is their Saturday night. You go there and there is a huge crowd."
— P. Youldon, "Can you spell "Finland?"",The Youldon Group (January 28, 2012)[54]
The senior competition exhibits the highest level of elite ringette competition internationally. Team Canada and Team Finland typically compete in a best-of-three-game series known as the "Sam Jacks Series" with the winning nation awarded theSam Jacks Trophy, though in2022 a two-game series format was used instead. The senior competition was postponed for the2023 World Ringette Championships until the 2025 World Ringette Championships.
Team Finland (senior) has competed at every World Ringette Championship since its beginning in1990. To date Finland is the most successful ringette playing nation worldwide winning its first world title victory in1996, the first year all nations had individual representation.
Team Canada (senior) has competed at every World Ringette Championship since its beginning in1990. Canada won its first world title victory in1996, the first year all nations had individual representation.
| Gold | Gold | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Team Finland | Senior Team Canada | |||||||
| Year | *1994 | Location | Saint Paul | Year | *1990 | Location | Gloucester | |
| Year | 2000 | Location | Espoo andLahti | Year | *1992 | Location | Helsinki | |
| Year | 2004 | Location | Stockholm | Year | 1996 | Location | Stockholm | |
| Year | 2007 | Location | Ottawa | Year | 2002[55] | Location | Edmonton | |
| Year | 2010 | Location | Tampere | |||||
| Year | 2013 | Location | North Bay | |||||
| Year | 2016 | Location | Helsinki | |||||
| Year | 2017 | Location | Mississauga | |||||
| Year | 2019 | Location | Burnaby | |||||
| Year | 2022 | Location | Espoo | |||||
The junior competition exhibits the elite ringette competition internationally for the junior age group. The junior competition uses either the Under-19 age group (U19) or Under-21 age group (U21). Like the senior event, the junior competition typically takes place in a best-of-three-game series between international ringette arch-rivals, Canada and Finland, though in2022 a two-game series format was used instead. The winning nation is awarded theJuuso Wahlsten Trophy.
In the junior competition,Team Canada (junior) has recorded the most victories to date. However it wasn't until2013 that the competition had nations with one team exclusively representing their respective countries and the best-of-three series between junior teams from Canada and Finland began.
Thefirst official world junior ringette competition began in2009. The junior tournament was initially held separately from its senior counterpart but the junior tournament ceased after2012 and merged with the senior competition in2013 becoming a part of the larger World Ringette Championship program.
| Gold | Gold | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior Team Canada | Junior Team Finland | |||||||
| Year | 2012 | Location | London, Ontario | Year | 2009 | Location | Prague | |
| Year | 2013 | Location | North Bay, Ontario | Year | 2022 | Location | Espoo | |
| Year | 2016 | Location | Helsinki | Year | 2023 | Location | Calgary | |
| Year | 2017 | Location | Mississauga, Ontario | |||||
| Year | 2019 | Location | Burnaby | |||||
 |
 | |||
| Nickname | Team Czech | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Czech Ringette Association[1] (Czech:Česky Svaz Ringetu) | ||
| Team colors | |||
| |||
| First international | |||
| Czech Republic (Sr.)2016 (Helsinki,Finland;2016) | |||
| World Ringette Championships | |||
| Appearances | 4 (first in2016) | ||
| Best result | |||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| World Ringette Championships | ||
| Seniors | ||
| 2016 Helsinki | Team | |
 | President's Pool 2017 Mississauga | Team |
| President's Pool 2019 Burnaby | Team |
| 2021 Helsinki | Cancelled | |
| President's Pool 2022 Espoo | Team |
TheCzech Republic national ringette team, (Czech:Česky Svaz Ringetu), more commonly known as "Team Czech", is theringette team representingCzech Republic internationally. The country has a senior national team but does not have a junior national representative. The Czech senior national team competes in the World Ringette Championships (WRC) in thePresident's Pool againstTeam USA andTeam Sweden, and is overseen by the Czech Ringette Association, (Czech:Česky Svas Ringetu) which is a member of theInternational Ringette Federation (IRF).
The Czech Republic's first appearance in international ringette took place at the World Ringette Championships in2016 with the national team (Seniors) competing in both theSenior Pool and the Junior pool. Veronika Hulková, a goaltender, is considered to be one of the most influential members of the national team to date.[56]
While the national team consists of native players from the Czech Republic, Canadians have also been allowed to compete for the Czech team provided they have anEU passport and European ties.[57]
| (Seniors) World Ringette Championships | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Location | Result |
| 2016 | Helsinki | Senior Pool 5th Junior Pool 7th |
| 2017 | Mississauga | President's Bronze |
| 2019 | Burnaby | President's Bronze |
| 2021 | Helsinki | cancelled |
| 2022 | Espoo | President's Bronze |
Due to improvements in digital technology, broadcasts from the World Ringette Championships began to be uploaded andlivestreamed to the web for online viewing by various organizations and individuals.
The first webcast via the internet was made for the2013 World Ringette Championships. The highlight event, the"Sam Jacks Series" is theSenior Pool, which is typically a three-game series between Team Canada Senior and Team Finland Senior. The second feature event is theJunior Pool, which is typically a three-game series between Team Canada Junior and Team Finland Junior, though both teams also initially also competed in thePresident's Pool. Historically, Team Finland has dominated the Senior Pool while Team Canada has dominated the Junior Pool.
SENIORS
| Year | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | World Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WRC 2023 | ||||
| WRC 2022 | CAN vsFIN YouTube 2022 Sam Jacks Series Game 1
| CAN vsFIN YouTube 2022 Sam Jacks Series Game 2
| Not contested in 2022 | Finland |
| WRC 2019 | CAN vsFIN 2019 Sam Jacks Series Game 1 | CAN vsFIN 2019 Sam Jacks Series Game 2 | NO GAME | Finland |
| WRC 2017 | CAN vsFIN 2017 Sam Jacks Series Game 1 | CAN vsFIN 2017 Sam Jacks Series Game 2 | NO GAME | Finland |
| WRC 2016 | CAN vsFIN 2016 Sam Jacks Series Game 1 | CAN vsFIN 2016 Sam Jacks Series Game 2 | NO GAME | Finland |
| WRC 2013 | CAN vsFIN 2013 Sam Jacks Series Game 1 | CAN vsFIN 2013 Sam Jacks Series Game 2 | NO GAME | Finland |
JUNIORS
| Year | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | World Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WRC 2023 | ||||
| WRC 2022 | CAN Jr. vsFIN Jr. YouTube 2022 Junior Pool Game 1 | CAN Jr. vsFIN Jr. YouTube 2022 Junior Pool Game 2 | Not contested in 2022 | Finland |
| WRC 2019 | CAN vsFIN 2019 Junior Pool Game 1 | CAN vsFIN 2019 Junior Pool Game 2 | NO GAME | Canada |
| WRC 2017 | CAN vsFIN 2017 Junior Pool Game 1 | CAN vsFIN 2017 Junior Pool Game 2 | NO GAME | Canada |
| WRC 2016 | CAN vsFIN 2016 President's Pool Game 1 | CAN vsFIN 2016 President's Pool Game 2 | NO GAME | Canada |
| WRC 2013 | CAN vsFIN 2013 Junior Pool Game 1 | CAN vsFIN 2013 Junior Pool Game 2 | NO GAME | Finland |
The first World Ringette Championship took place in Gloucester, Ontario, Canada in 1990. The1998 World Ringette Championship was initially meant to be held in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, but instead, a promotional 5 game ringette "Summit Series" tour of Europe was organized with competitions between teams from Canada and Finland.
TheWorld Junior Ringette Championships and theRingette World Club Championship were both initially organized by theInternational Ringette Federation separately from the World Ringette Championship. The international club competition has ceased to exist since the last event in 2011; the World Junior event is now a part of the World Ringette Championship itself in a division called "U19".
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The first World Ringette Championships to have full Senior national teams exclusively was in 1996. The first World Ringette Championships to have full Junior national teams exclusively was in 2013.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finland | 8 | 6 | 1 | 15 |
| 2 | Canada | 5 | 10 | 0 | 15 |
| Totals (2 entries) | 13 | 16 | 1 | 30 | |
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sweden | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| 2 |  United States | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| 3 | Czech Republic | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | Slovakia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals (4 entries) | 2 | 2 | 11 | 15 | |
Teams initalics no longer compete at the World Championships as of 2021.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada East 1992 1994 2009 U19 2012 U19 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 2 | Canada West 1992 1994 2009 U19 2012 U19 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | Finland White Stars | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Team Alberta | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 5 |  Team Ontario | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Finland Blue Stars | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Team Quebec | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 8 | France | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Russia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals (9 entries) | 4 | 5 | 4 | 13 | |
Ringette Canada(in Finnish)Ringette FinlandTeam USA Ringette(in Swedish)Sweden Ringette AssociationArchived 2011-10-03 at theWayback MachineRingette SlovakiaCzech Ringette
