Teams representing 36 countries participated in several levels of competition, with Slovakia making their first appearance in the top Champions Group A, in their fourth tournament since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia and the formation of the separate Czech Republic and Slovakia men's national ice hockey teams.

The top Championship Group A tournament took place in Austria from 21 April to 5 May 1996, with all games played in Vienna.

The final game was tied at two apiece before Martin Procházka scored with nineteen seconds left, followed by an empty net goal to seal the victory.

In their final game, superb goaltending by Artūrs Irbe kept them in it, and a late tying goal by Oļegs Znaroks sealed the tournament victory.

The final standings of the tournament according to IIHF: List shows the top skaters sorted by points, then goals.

Source: [1] Only the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played 40% of their team's minutes are included in this list.