This was the second title for Finland, and the most lopsided final since the knockout playoff format was introduced in 1992.

In the event of a tie in points at the conclusion of the preliminary, qualification or relegation rounds, the following tie-breaker format will be used: [1] Each team's roster for the 2011 IIHF World Championship consists of at least 15 skaters (forwards, and defencemen) and 2 goaltenders, and at most 20 skaters and 3 goaltenders.

[3] It was the first win for the German team over Russia in a World Championship and the first one since the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.

The picture was the same on the second game day, though Finland needed a shootout against Latvia to win 3–2.

Alongside them, Germany, Russia and Finland qualified for the quarterfinals and the Czech team was set to win the group with one more game to play.

Switzerland won 5–3 against the United States but they were still eliminated[18] because Norway defeated France 5–2 to advance to the quarterfinals.

After a scoreless opening period, Norway took the lead after Ken André Olimb scored on a penalty shot.

The third and last period went scoreless again and so Finland won 4–1, Mikael Granlund scored two points in the game alongside Immonen.

Sweden struck back twice with goals from Patrik Berglund and Mikael Backlund to take a one-goal lead into the last intermission.

Mikael Granlund scored an airhook goal to take the Finnish team into a 1–0 lead in the second period.

The first period was a wild one ending in a 3–2 advantage for the Russian team while Ilya Kovalchuk scored two goals.

Sweden took a time-out before the last period's half but did not manage to regroup, and the tournament was decided by a clear 6–1 victory to Finland by Janne Pesonen's, Mika Pyörälä's and Pihlström goals.

[31] Four nations, all located in Europe placed formal bids to host the 2011 IIHF World Championship.

Those nations were: Finland withdrew from bidding before voting began in order to apply for the 2012 World Championship.

[32] After one round of voting, the winning bid was announced by IIHF president René Fasel on 19 May 2006, at the delegates congress of the International Ice Hockey Federation in Riga, Latvia.

Gašparovič is himself an avid hockey fan and past vice-president of the Slovak Extraliga team, HC Slovan Bratislava.

[34] Song Life is a Game by Slovak singer Kristina was officially released on 18 March.

Goooly is a Gray wolf, and Igor Nemeček, the 2011 IIHF World Championship general director, said he was chosen because: "Wolves are animals which are typically Slovak, evoking our forests and countryside".

[36] Over 14,000 entries were submitted for a national contest to name the mascot organized in association with Radio Expres and the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation.

[38] Goooly, the mascot, was subjected to considerable ridicule in the English-speaking world because "gooly" is a well known slang term for a testicle.

The official ambassadors of the 2011 IIHF World Championship Slovakia are Slovak hockey players Peter Bondra, Zdeno Chára, Marián Gáborík, Ľubomír Višňovský, Pavol Demitra, Jozef Stümpel, Marián Hossa, Miroslav Šatan and Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič.

[42][43] The Steel Aréna, also known as the Ladislav Troják Arena, which was newly constructed in 2006, had a new €11 million practice rink built adjacent, between April 2009 and February 2010 for the World Championship legacy of future hockey development in Slovakia.

[45] Both arenas were known by their Slovak honorific titles during the 2011 World Championship to correspond with IIHF neutral non-inclusive sponsorship rules.

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

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalties in minutes; POS = PositionSource: IIHF.com Only the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played 40% of their team's minutes, are included in this list.

TOI = Time On Ice (minutes:seconds); SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; Sv% = Save percentage; SO = ShutoutsSource: IIHF.com The IIHF selected 16 referees and 16 linesmen to work the 2011 IIHF World Championship.

[52] The player who shoots has the number 38 on his hockey jersey, the same as the Slovak legend Pavol Demitra.

The trailer took a 70-man film crew, more than 100 extras, several 3D animators, and the support of the Slovak Tourist Board.

[53] For the first time in an IIHF World Championship, a YouTube channel was created to promote the Slovakia 2011 tournament.

[54] A video campaign was launched on this YouTube website which featured the christening of the mascot Goooly,[55] updates on the construction work of the arena's,[56] and the status of general preparations.