The stakes are high in Olympic ice hockey, where every shot has the potential to change history. That’s why when a game goes into overtime, it can be a spectacle of epic proportions. And when it happens at the Olympics, it’s even more intense because of the different rules that apply.
The sport has been an Olympic event since 1920, but the modern rules were introduced in 1998 when NHL players were allowed to compete. Before that, teams played a round-robin series, with medals awarded based on the team’s record in the competition.
After losing the first two games of their semifinal, the U.S. men were in danger of failing to make the medal round. Sweden was ahead by a point, and the Americans needed at least one win or two ties to advance. With the game tied 3-3 in the third period, U.S. captain Mike Eruzione took advantage of a defensive miscue and scored the game-winning goal in what would become known as the Miracle on Ice.
The Soviet Union’s dominance of the men’s game ended at the 1992 Albertville Olympics when athletes from the former USSR competed as the Unified Team. But a few years later, the leagues that formed the NHL negotiated an agreement to allow their players to compete for their home nations at the Olympics. That led to the 1998 Nagano tournament, the first to feature NHL players. Since then, the field has expanded and opened up new storylines – like Sweden winning its first gold in 1994 and the Czech Republic’s Dominik Hasek leading them to victory in 1998. On the women’s side, Canadians Jayna Hefford and Hayley Wickenheiser hold the most medals with five each, while American teammates Becky Kellar and Caroline Ouellette have also won four each.