The sport of ice hockey has been a part of the Olympics since 1920. The men’s tournament was introduced in 1924 and the women’s event made its debut in 1998. Originally, Olympic hockey was played by amateurs until the NHL allowed its players to participate in the late 1960s. Before then, the competition was held only during the Winter Games in a single round-robin series of games. In 1992, the format was changed to allow teams to compete in playoff rounds.
The ice rink for Olympic ice hockey is typically 197 feet long and 98.5 feet wide, with the 2022 Olympics being the first time they’re hosted on an NHL-sized rink. The game is governed by the International Ice Hockey Federation, which has 59 full member nations and 22 associate members. The organization is also home to the World Championships, which are held in a different location every year.
On February 24, 1980, more than 10,000 people packed into Blyth Arena to watch the semifinal matchup between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, a team that no American team had ever defeated. In a period of 10 minutes, a team of unknowns stunned the Soviet masters to pull off what became known as the Miracle on Ice.
The United States won 4-3 and took a giant step toward its first Olympic gold medal in hockey. The Soviets finished with silver and Sweden won bronze. The American team, led by captain Bobby Orr, featured only seven regular season NHL players, and was coached by Don Cherry, who had just been fired from his coaching position with the Toronto Maple Leafs.