• Under a very dark cloud, the second edition of the World Cup of Hockey was staged. Once again, it featured eight teams playing in two pools: North America and Europe. In the end, it was Canada who atoned for their meltdown eight years earlier to win the World Cup, beating Finland 3-2 in the one-game final.

• The aforementioned dark cloud hanging over the tournament was the impending expiration of the NHL's collective bargaining agreement. Sure enough, the day after the World Cup ended, Commissioner Gary Bettman announced that the players would be locked out until a new collective bargaining agreement is ratified.

• With the two sides galaxies apart, with a salary cap being the main sticking point, it wouldn't be for another 310 days before a new deal was finalized. As such, the 2004-05 NHL season was cancelled.