Romania, and West Germany, the United States ad-
vanced to the medal round undefeated, with a rec-
ord of 4 wins, 0 losses, and 1 tie.
The Americans’ first game in the medal round
was against the Soviet Union. The Soviets had won
their division with a perfect 5-0 record. Despite fall-
ing behind early, the United States quickly tied the
game. Indeed, each time the Soviet Union scored,
the United States responded with a goal, always
keeping the game close. With ten minutes remain-
ing, the United States took the lead, 4 to 3, with a
goal by team captain Mike Eruzione. The score held,
and the United States achieved perhaps the biggest
upset victory in the history of the Olympics, leading
to the game being called the “Miracle on Ice.”
One game remained to be played. As it had in ev-
ery previous game but one in the Olympics, the
United States surrendered the first goal to its oppo-
nent, Finland. The Americans trailed 2 to 1 entering
the final period. During the final twenty minutes,
however, the United States dominated. The result
was a 4-2 victory and a U.S. gold medal. Many Ameri-
cans viewed the U.S. hockey team as heroes. Their
shockingly impressive performance was considered
a welcome escape from reality, as the country was ex-
periencing economic problems and tension abroad.
Thus, the U.S. hockey team’s achievements pro-
vided some Americans with a source of national
pride.
Decade of Dynasties Professional hockey also pro-
vided the sport with notable attention in the 1980’s.
The top professional league in North America enter-
ing the decade was the NHL. The NHL became even
more significant at the beginning of the 1980’s, as it
expanded by annexing four teams from the World
Hockey Association: the Edmonton Oilers, the Hart-
ford Whalers, the Quebec Nordiques, and the Win-
nipeg Jets.
The NHL began the decade with the end of one
dynasty and the beginning of another. After winning
four consecutive Stanley Cups to end the 1970’s, the
Montreal Canadiens failed to win a fifth straight
championship in 1980. Instead, the New York Is-
landers won the championship. Featuring such stars
as Mike Bossy, Denis Potvin, Billy Smith, and Bryan
Trottier, the team could play a variety of styles of
hockey quite well. It had a great combination of
speed, quickness, power, and defensive skill, and
the Islanders’ talents led them to four consecutive
Stanley Cup victories from 1980 to 1983.
The Islanders’ dynasty ended in 1984, and a new
one began. The Edmonton Oilers won their first
Stanley Cup that season. They were led by Wayne
Gretzky, who many experts consider the greatest
hockey player of all time. By the end of his career,
Gretzky had won several Hart Trophies (awarded to
the league’s most valuable player), and he led the
league in points in many seasons. The Oilers won the
Stanley Cup three more times during the decade, in
1985, 1987, and 1988. When Gretzky was traded to
the Los Angeles Kings following the 1988 season, he
brought a new level of excitement to U.S. West Coast
hockey fandom.
Impact Hockey affected people in multiple ways
during the decade. The U.S. gold medal at the 1980
Olympics provided a patriotic moment for a country
whose national mood was generally somber. It also
led to a sharp increase in the popularity of the sport
in the United States, as colleges experienced more
interest in their hockey programs and the quality of
the game at the university level improved. Profes-
sionally, the sport attracted more spectators, who ap-
peared interested in seeing great teams featuring
many individual stars.
Further Reading
Boyd, Bill.All Roads Lead to Hockey: Reports from North-
ern Canada to the Mexican Border.Lincoln: Univer-
sity of Nebraska Press, 2006. Includes case studies
of the popularity of hockey in selected towns in
the United States and Canada.
Coffey, Wayne.The Boys of Winter: The Untold Stor y of a
Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey
Team.New York: Three Rivers Press, 2005. Fo-
cuses on the United States’ upset of the Soviet
Union and looks at the lives of the U.S. players
and coach Herb Brooks after the 1980 Winter
Olympics.
Fischler, Stan, and Shirley Walton Fischler.The
Hockey Encyclopedia.New York: Macmillan, 1983.
Thorough coverage of the history of hockey, in-
cluding the evolution of the game’s rules, the his-
tory of the NHL, and a list of champions and indi-
vidual award-winners in the sport.
Morrow, Don, et al.A Concise Histor y of Sport in Can-
ada.Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1989.
Covers the evolution of various sports in Canada,
including professional leagues. Describes great
teams and individual stars.The Eighties in America Hockey 473