The first time the Olympic ice hockey tournament was held, the U.S. sent two teams. That was a result of a dispute over who would be the governing body for amateur ice hockey in the country. The Amateur Athletic Union rebuffed the American Hockey Association’s application, and two teams showed up at the 1948 Games in St. Moritz.
That team, led by Mike Eruzione, is now immortalized in the “Miracle on Ice” story. It won the medal round game over the Soviets, whose reign of dominance had stretched back decades.
Despite all the buildup, few expected the Americans to win that game. But halfway through the first period, winger Bill Cleary took a pass from his brother Bob and darted down the right side of the ice. His slap shot was successful, and the United States tied the game 2-2.
The Soviets went ahead 3-2 in the second period, but U.S. forward Buzz Schneider tied it up with a dagger of a slapshot. Then, in the final seconds of the game, Mark Johnson snagged a deflection from the Soviet goalie Tretiak and scored what was the winning goal.
Since then, the sport has grown to include men’s and women’s competitions. The tournament is structured with a preliminary round to determine seeding, followed by the medal rounds that feature the top eight teams. For the past four Olympics, teams have included NHL players. If a game in the medal round is still tied after a 10-minute overtime period, a shootout is used to decide the winner.