Yugoslavia, not known as a powerhouse in ice hockey, built two rinks for the 1984 Olympics, one near the speed skating oval at Zetra, and one in Skenderija. Both had an equal capacity of 8,500. Prior to 1984, the IOC had somewhat loosened amateurism rules, but these still posed a problem for hockey players. Prior to the Games, a Finnish player who was left off his team for having played NHL matches in the past protested against several players from other countries. At the last minute, several teams – including Canada – swapped players with an NHL past for others.
The format was precisely the same as in 1980, with the 12 teams separated into two round-robin pools. The two leading teams from each pool advanced to the medal pool, which was also conducted as a round-robin except that results from the preliminary pools between any two teams were carried over to the medal pool.
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