Hockey as a sport in the winter Olympics has not always been popular to American audiences. In this year’s winter Olympic games in Beijing, China, Americans will not see any of their favorite NHL players on the ice despite the NHL’s popularity in a majority of medium to large sports markets. This year’s team in Beijing will be made up of amateur athletes. Two previous USA Olympic hockey teams that made history were also made up of amateurs and were both famous for beating a seemingly undefeatable USSR team.

The phrase, “miracle on ice” to ice hockey fans immediately brings to mind the USA’s thrilling 4-3 defeat of the USSR at Lake Placid in 1980.

However, it was not the first American Olympic ice hockey miracle. The 1960 USA team that played in Squaw Valley, California is, arguably, the best amateur team presented to the Olym

In the past, but not always, the NHL has scheduled an Olympic break that would allow NHL players to participate under the flag of their home country, but this year, there won’t be any NHL players at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Due to game cancelations for to Covid, the NHL doesn’t want to take a chance of sending players who could come back and infect their teams which could lead to a shut down due to quarantines.

When ice hockey started at the Games, it was intended for amateur players and it remained that way for many years.

Nashville hockey fans a very familiar with the Nashville Predators who have been on a win streak lately which has in turn increased the visibility of hockey for Tennesseans.

Despite being an amateur sport, the United States Olympic hockey team has been highly competitive over the last 5 decades.

More recently than the ‘first miracle on ice”, in 1980, facing a much medaled “professional” hockey team who represented the USSR, the USA hockey team found a way dominated the Olympic games.

They practiced endlessly trying to claim their own victory. They took down the world’s best teams one by one, day by day to come out on top. After winning all seven of their matches they claimed the gold medal for the United States.

This USA win against the USSR and their Red Army will forever be known as The Miracle on Ice”.

On one side was the USSR and a team that was training year-round to be the best national hockey team in the world and who previously had won five of the past six gold medals. And on the other was a U.S. team full of mostly college kids and a handful of players with minor league experience. Despite being the youngest team in the tournament the USA team won goal beating USSR 4-2.

The last non-Covid related season that the USA did not send NHL players to the Olympics was 2018. This year’s team include college stars that have already been drafter but have not yet begun their professional career. The prediction is they will be as taught to face as the 1980 Miracle on Ice team.