Hockey has been an Olympic sport since 1920. The men’s tournament was added permanently to the Winter Games program in 1924, and women’s ice hockey made its Olympic debut at the 1998 Nagano Games. The game continues to attract passionate fans and exciting players. The NHL has a long history of success in the Olympics, but the Games offer an opportunity to see athletes from around the world play hockey at its highest level.
The stakes are high when games at the Olympics go to overtime. And those moments are some of the most memorable in the sport’s history. For example, when Sidney Crosby scored his famous golden goal in Vancouver at 2010 to win Canada’s first gold medal in the event, he sent a shiver down the spine of every fan in the arena.
In the early years of the competition, it was the Soviet Union that was the team to beat. But its dominance was interrupted by improbable American victories at the 1960 Squaw Valley and 1980 Lake Placid Olympics, the latter known as “The Miracle on Ice.”
By the time the NHL players joined Olympic action in Nagano, the modern look of the game had taken shape. Wooden sticks were replaced with carbon fibre, and skates and pads became lighter and more sleek.
The 2018 games in Pyeongchang will be the third to use an NHL-sized rink. As in the past, players must wear full protective equipment, including a helmet and face mask, to compete in the event.