The official name for the tournament is the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship. But its real motive seems to be to cram 10,000 people into a covered a arena and then subject them to over two hours of Euro-rock crowd pleasers.

Imagine a soccer match being interrupted at every free kick, corner, throw-in and goal by a burst of music, usually of questionable taste, and you start to get the picture.

At the world ice-hockey championship, each of the three 20-minute periods will typically be halted between 20 and 30 times.

As Funky Town, La Bamba, Leader of the Gang or, heaven forbid, the Final Countdown blare out for the umpteenth time, the scoreboard will order the spectators to stamp their feet, clap or make some noise (fleeing outside apparently is not an option). Occasionally, the tournament mascot, a smiling Swiss cow call Coolly, will attempt to whip up the fans or entice them to do a Mexico wave.

Just as a sample, here’s the playlist for the second period of the Canada v Latvia quarter-final. Somewhere in the middle of all this, an ice hockey match tried to break out.

0:48 - Hound dog (Elvis Presley)

1:48 - Sounded suspiciously like Adam and the Ants but not sure

3:30 - Hooray, hooray it’s a holiday (Boney M)

3:36 - Unidentifiable song which goes “La lala lala, la lala”

4:36 - Scandinavian-sounding thing

4:53 - Minnie the Moocher (Cab Calloway)

5:39 - Here we go, here we go (Unidentified)

6:37 - I like to move it (Reel 2 Real)

7:00 - Kiss (Prince)

7:00 - The Heat is On (Glenn Frey)

7:08 - Funky town (Lipps Inc)

7:38 - Some dodgy-sounding thing with an organ

8:33 - YMCA (Village people)

11:00 - Rivers of Babylon (Boney M)

11:44 - I will survive ‘08 version

12:07 - Hot in the city (Billy Idol)

13:36 - La Bamba (Ritchie Valens)

15:06 - We will rock you (Queen)

15:16 - Are you ready (AC/DC)

15:35 - The Twist (Chubby Checker)

16:01 - Zombie (Fela Kuti)….no, only joking, it was Funky Town again

16:38 - The unidentifiable organ thing again

17:04 - Tequila (The Champs)

17:30 - Couldn’t make this one out at all. Some sort of guitar solo

17:47 - Meet the Flintsones (B52s)

18:06 - Upside down (Cover version)

19:16 - Might have been my imagination but it sounded vaguely sambaish.

19:16 - We’re not going to take it (Twisted sister)

MAMA MIA: Sweden’s supporters during a game against Czech Republic in Bern May 7, 2009. REUTERS/Michael Buholzer