After the 1936 Winter Olympics, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association revised its definition of amateur when it failed to win the gold medal in hockey, and broke away from the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada despite the possibility that its players may no longer be eligible for Olympic hockey. In August 1937, Eastern Amateur Hockey League president Tommy Lockhart broke away from the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States over disagreements on Canadian-born players in his league, then reached a co-operative agreement directly with the CAHA. He then founded the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States as a rival governing body of ice hockey. The CAHA and the AHAUS joined to form the International Ice Hockey Association in 1940. Former CAHA president W. G. Hardy was elected its president, and sought for acceptance by the International Olympic Committee on terms acceptable to the CAHA. CAHA president George Dudley subsequently threatened to withdraw Canada from the Olympics over the definition of amateur. An IOC decision on the matter was postponed when the 1940 Winter Olympics and 1944 Winter Olympics were cancelled due to World War II. In 1946, the Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace held its first congress since 1939. The LIHG expelled Germany and Japan, and memberships of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia were consolidated into the Soviet Union. Austria was readmitted to the LIHG, and Denmark was welcomed as a new member. Paul Loicq stepped down as after 25 years as LIHG president, and was succeeded by Fritz Kraatz in 1947. The LIHG also agreed to a merger with the International Ice Hockey Association, and recognized AHAUS as the governing body of hockey in the United States instead of the AAU.
Rival American organizations
The LIHG met in September 1947 to decide on whether to have an ice hockey tournament at the Winter Olympics, or host a separate Ice Hockey World Championships elsewhere in Switzerland in 1948. Prior to the meeting, Avery Brundage of the United States Olympic Committee reportedly campaigned to delegates to vote against inclusion of the AHAUS in the upcoming Olympics. George Dudley and Bunny Ahearne felt that the Swiss Olympic organizing committee would agree to either definition of amateur as long as hockey would be included, since it would be the most profitable event at the Olympics. The LIHG passed a resolution that its teams would only play against teams approved by the CAHA and the AHAUS, which was accepted by the Swiss Olympic organizing committee. In November 1947, Ahearne reported that the AAU still planned on sending a team to the Olympics. Brundage threatened that the USOC would boycott the Olympics if the AHAUS team was recognized. The LIHG met again in December regarding United States participation in the Olympics. Ahearne suggested organizing Ice Hockey World Championships in Zürich and Basel instead of during the Olympics. He felt the Brundage threat was a bluff and an attempt to sabotage Olympic ice hockey. Ahearne reiterated that LIHG teams would not play against an AAU representative. The idea of hosting a separate Ice Hockey World Championships surfaced again in January, and Ahearne stated that such a tournament could be arranged on 48 hours' notice. The Swiss Olympic organizing committee insisted on the AHAUS team being recognized, despite persistent charges by Brundage that the AHAUS team was "tainted with professionalism". Brundage and the AAU supported a National Collegiate Athletic Association team instead. After bitter negotiations which were not resolved until the night before the Olympics, the AHAUS team was allowed to play in the tournament, but the IOC declared those games would not count in the standings. The winner of the hockey tournament would be recognized as an Olympic champion, except for the United States team.
Participating nations
Final tournament
The tournament was run in a round-robin format with nine teams participating. The Canadians had seven wins and one tie against the team from Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia also won seven games. The tournament was decided on goal average. Canada outscored their opponents 69:5. The Czechoslovakia team outscored their opponents 80:18. On the final day the Swiss watched the Czechoslovaks beat the Americans dashing their gold medal aspirations, and then lost their opportunity for silver in a loss to Canada, finishing with a bronze. Because this tournament was also the LIHG World Championship, the United States earned a fourth-place ranking in the LIHG standings. George Dudley stated that the 1948 Olympic hockey tournament was played in "ridiculous weather conditions" with poor refereeing.
Medal
Team
Gold
Silver
Bronze
* United States team was not eligible for a final ranking. Only eight teams are officially ranked.
Team Poland was the oldest team in the tournament, averaging 29 years and 10 months. Team USA was the youngest team in the tournament, averaging 23 years and 1 months. Gold medalists Canada averaged 25 years and 8 months. Tournament average was 27 years and 2 months.
