Ice hockey fans are eagerly anticipating the start of the IIHF World Ice Hockey Championship this week, with the first games set to take place in Rīga, Latvia and Tampere, Finland on Friday, May 12. Latvian Television (LTV) will once again offer viewers in-depth pre- and post-match discussions in the LTV7 Hockey studio, as well as live commentary during the games of the Latvian national team. All of the Latvian team’s games will be broadcast on LTV7, REplay.lv, and LSM.lv.
The Latvian team’s opening game promises to be a thrilling one against Canada, one of the strongest teams in the tournament. Latvia has consistently played in the elite group since 1997, with several quarter-final appearances but never making it to the semi-finals. This year, Latvia will compete in subgroup B in Rīga, alongside Canada, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland, Norway, Slovenia, and Kazakhstan.
In the group stage, teams must earn points in seven games to secure a spot among the top four teams and advance to the quarterfinals and, hopefully, the latter stages of the tournament. The Latvian national team’s group stage games are listed below.
May 12 – Latvia vs. Canada (LTV7 Hockey Studio at 19:30)
May 13 – Latvia vs. Slovakia (LTV7 Hockey Studio at 19:30)
May 15 – Latvia vs. Czech Republic (LTV7 Hockey Studio at 19:30)
May 17 – Latvia vs. Norway (LTV7 Hockey studio at 15:30)
May 19 – Latvia vs. Slovenia (LTV7 Hockey Studio at 15:30)
May 20 – Latvia vs. Kazakhstan (LTV7 Hockey Studio at 19:30)
May 23 – Latvia vs. Switzerland (LTV7 Hockey studio at 19:30)
