1980 Lake Placid, U.S.A.

Winter Games amidst a Cold War

Last Updated: Friday, December 18, 2009 | 3:34 PM ET

CBC Sports

The USA hockey team celebrates winning the gold medal after defeating Finland 4-2 in the gold medal match during the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York. (Steve Powell/Getty Images)

American-Soviet relations were as chilly as ever at the start of the 1980s when the Winter Olympics returned to this small New York town nestled in the Adirondacks. The Cold War raged on, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979 to American disapproval, and United States President Jimmy Carter would eventually make good on his threat to boycott the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow.

These were the Winter Games that featured the "Miracle on Ice," when the United States won the gold medal in hockey, defeating the highly favoured Soviets, then cruising to the gold by defeating Finland in the final.

Seeded seventh in the eight-team tournament, the young gang of U.S. college hockey players captured their nation’s imagination with a 4-3 win in the tournament semifinals. Mike Eruzione’s goal with 10 minutes left and Jim Craig's spectacular goaltending clinched the shocking win and ended the Soviets’ reign of four consecutive Olympic hockey championships.

The Americans’ gold medal victory over Finland in the final round remains almost a footnote in hockey history, but it managed to further obscure the historic five-gold performance of U.S. speed skater Eric Heiden.

Other standout performances

Insufficient amounts of snow in upstate New York forced organizers to use artificial snow for the first time in Olympic history. The phony white stuff, which came at a price tag of $5 million US, had its greatest impact on alpine skiing. Skiers had to adjust to the artificial surface, altering everything from game plans to ski wax.

Alpine legend Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden had little trouble adapting. He won gold in the slalom and giant slalom even though a horrific crash had put him out of action for five months before the Olympics. Hanni Wenzel nearly swept the women's alpine events, winning gold in the slalom and giant slalom and a silver in the downhill for the tiny European nation of Liechtenstein, which has not produced an Olympic champion before or since.

East Germany’s Ulrich Wehling won his third straight Olympic Nordic combined title. Switzerland and East Germany swept all six bobsleigh medals. And Irina Rodina won her third straight Olympic pairs title, a year after becoming a mother. She won her second straight gold with partner Alexander Zaitsev in 1980 after winning a gold with Alexey Ulanov in 1972.

The Lake Placid Games didn’t go off without a hitch. Transporting thousands of athletes, coaches, spectators and media members between a small town of 3,000 people and the surrounding area proved to be a nightmare. There were complaints of long shuttle bus delays. Some athletes also complained that the Olympic Village felt too confining. As it turned out, when the Games ended the village became a prison for young offenders.

Canada's performance

Skiing was the marquee sport for Canada in Lake Placid, and hopes were high for a number of podium finishes. The Canadian men’s team, lovingly labeled the "Crazy Canucks," had gained enormous popularity thanks to skiers like Ken Read, Steve Podborski, Jim Hunter, Dave Irwin and Dave Murray.

Read was the Canadian favourite heading into the 1980 Games. The Calgary native stood second in World Cup downhill standings. But Read’s downhill experience in Lake Placid was brief. A prematurely released binding 15 seconds into the race sent Canada’s best medal hope tumbling down Whiteface Mountain.

Canada’s disappointment was mitigated by Torontonian Steve Podborski's race to a bronze medal. The 23-year-old Podborski was the first North American male to win an Olympic downhill medal. Leonhard Stock, originally a reserve on the Austrian team, came from out of nowhere to win gold in the event.

Speed skating carried a silver lining for Canadians. Gaetan Boucher of St. Foy, Que., skated a strong race in the 1,000-metre event to finish second and win one of Canada’s two medals in Lake Placid. Boucher would move on to greater Olympic heights four years later in Sarajevo, winning two gold medals and a bronze.

Boucher and Podborksi were the only two Canadians to reach the podium, but other Canadian athletes performed well in Lake Placid. Bruce Smith of Mississauga, Ont., made an impression by finishing 11th overall in men’s singles luge – the best ever Olympic result by a North American at the time. Carol Keyes of Woodstock, Ont. also posted another Canadian luge benchmark by placing 18th in women’s singles.

Canada’s return to Olympic hockey competition attracted relatively little notice next to the historic battle between world superpowers. After boycotting the 1972 and 1976 Games due to differences with the International Olympic Committee and International Ice Hockey Federation, Canada skated to a sixth-place finish in Lake Placid.