The game of ice hockey has been featured in the Olympics since 1920. At the 1980 Lake Placid Games, amateur American college players defeated the heavily favored Soviet team—the so-called Miracle on Ice. The event is considered one of the most significant moments in Olympic history and has become a symbol for the triumph of sportsmanship over oppressive political ideology.
Following the 1980 Lake Placid Games, restrictions on professional athletes playing in the Olympics were dropped. Eventually, NHL players began to participate in the tournament, and they have done so ever since.
Unlike most other international hockey competitions, Olympic ice hockey uses NHL-sized rinks that are 197 feet long and 98.5 feet wide. Moreover, the ice is divided into three zones by blue lines that extend from the goal line to the corner of each side. Players may not cross the blue lines to enter an attacking zone, and if a puck crosses into that area, the attacking team must immediately clear it to remain legal.
In addition to the normal rules of international hockey, there is a special penalty for hooking, a type of contact that involves intentionally touching another player’s body or stick. A player can also be penalized for “unsportsmanlike conduct,” which carries with it a two-minute penalty. There is no overtime period in Olympic ice hockey, but a game can be decided by a 10-minute sudden-death period followed by a shootout. Since 1994, all of the Olympic men’s and women’s ice hockey competitions have been played on a sudden-death format.