Ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics
 |
|
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country |
 USA
|
| Dates | February 12–24, 1980 |
| Teams | 12 |
| Venue(s) | Olympic Arena, Olympic Fieldhouse Lake Placid, New York |
| Final positions | |
Champions 
|
United States (2nd title)
|
Runner-up 
|
 Soviet Union
|
Third place 
|
 Sweden
|
| Fourth place |
 Finland
|
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 35 |
| Goals scored | 308 (8.8 per match) |
| Scoring leader(s) |
 Milan Nový 15 points
|
The men's ice hockey tournament (women's was added in 1998) at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, U.S.A., was the 14th Olympic Championship. Twelve teams competed in the tournament, which was held from February 12 to 24. The United States won its second gold medal, including a win over the heavily favored Soviet Union that became known as the "Miracle on Ice". Games were held at the Olympic Arena and the Olympic Fieldhouse.
The Olympics came at a difficult time for Soviet–U.S. relations, as they were deep in the Cold War. Only months before the games began, the USSR had invaded Afghanistan, and there was speculation that the Soviet Union might not be allowed to compete in these Olympics. The Soviet Union did compete in the Lake Placid games, but the United States and 65 other nations boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow later that year.
The Soviets had won every Winter Olympics ice hockey tournament since the United States took gold at the 1960 Olympics, were well-seasoned "amateurs" who were employed by industrial firms or military organizations for the sole purpose of playing hockey on their organization's team. In contrast, the Americans were a collection of amateur college students, most from the rival schools of University of Minnesota and Boston University. The U.S. team did however, feature several highly promising players who went on to successful careers in the National Hockey League in the 1980s.
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