Slovenia was relegated to Division I following its 3-3 draw with Italy on May 15. Michele Strazzabosco scored the vital equalizer for the Italians with just 99 seconds left on the clock. Kazakhstan will join Slovenia in Division I next year after losing 3-2 to Denmark at the Skonto Arena.
Frans Nielsen capped a solid World Championships by signing a two-year contract with the New York Islanders. Nielsen becomes the first Dane to play in the NHL.
Sweden and Russia tied 3-3 on May 15 in what many are calling the match of the tournament. Russia's star man Aleksandr Ovechkin opened the scoring and team mate Alexei Mikhonov leveled the tie four minutes before the end.
Rank outsiders Belarus continued to surprise almost everybody with a string of excellent performances. On May 13 they tore Ukraine to pieces in a 9-1 victory. Three days earlier they put seven past Kazakhstan.
Latvia's matches have been the best attended in the championships to date. An average of 9,659 fans have packed in Riga Arena to cheer on the host nation. Sweden's games have been the least popular with an average attendance of just 3,197 for the three crowns.
