At the amateur level, the surprisingly strong perfor-
mance of the United States in the 1980 Winter Olym-
pics led many Americans to watch hockey matches
who would not have done so otherwise. Profes-
sionally, the sport became known for dominating
teams with great individual players, as two National
Hockey League (NHL) teams built dominant dynas-
ties during the decade. The New York Islanders
formed the first such dynasty in the early 1980’s,
while the Edmonton Oilers superseded them as the
reigning team during the remainder of the decade.
Miracle on Ice Internationally, the Soviet Union
had dominated hockey for decades, especially at the
Winter Olympics. Entering the 1980 Winter Olym-
pics in Lake Placid, New York, the Soviets were pre-
dicted to win another gold medal. Just prior to the
Olympics, the Soviet Union defeated the NHL All-
Stars and followed that victory by crushing the U.S.
national team 10 to 3 in an exhibition game. The
U.S. team was composed of amateurs from various
colleges and coached by Herb Brooks. The average
age of the players was twenty-two. The team was
seeded seventh out of twelve teams competing in the
Olympics. Thus, they were not expected to do well.
The United States began the Olympics by playing
successive games against the two teams favored to ad-
vance to the medal round from their division. In its
first game, the United States tied Sweden 2 to 2, scor-
ing a goal in the last minute of the game. The U.S.
team followed that performance by easily defeating
Czechoslovakia 7 to 3. With victories over Norway,472 Hockey The Eighties in America
Edmonton Oiler Wayne Gretzky (left) passes Pittsburg Penquin Gregg Sheppard during the first period of a 1981 game. The Edmonton
Oilers dominated the National Hockey League during the late 1980’s.(AP/Wide World Photos)