Ice hockey is a team sport that is played on an ice rink. The rink is divided into three zones: the attacking zone, the defending zone and the neutral zone. Each zone has two end zones, faceoff circles and spots and a goal crease.
The game was added to the Olympic program in 1920. At that time, players played with a puck made of rock salt, but today’s tournaments use synthetic ice and a hard-rubber ball. Players wear helmets with faceshields and can only compete on one team. The game is regulated by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
During the early years of Olympic ice hockey, the U.S. dominated. But then the Soviet Union entered the tournament, and it was a whole new ballgame. The Soviets could outscore teams, and they were very good. It wasn’t until the late 1960s that the IIHF allowed professional players to participate in the Olympics.
Mike Eruzione’s game-winning goal in the “Miracle on Ice” semifinal against the Soviets in 1980 won America a gold medal and was voted the greatest sports moment of all time by ESPN viewers.
The 1992 Albertville games brought an end to the Red Army’s reign over Olympic ice hockey. The former Soviet Union disbanded, but athletes from the country now called Russia still competed as the Unified Team, and they won a gold medal. A few years later, the NHL began to allow its players to play in the Olympics, and the U.S. won its first gold since 1988 in Nagano.
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