Every USA Olympic hockey team, ranked by miracles on ice

3. Sqaw Valley Olympics, 1960

While the 1980 team gets all the glory, it’s the 1960 team that proved America could win gold in hockey.

Team USA were pegged to finish fifth in the tournament behind Canada, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, and Sweden.

Fun fact: the 2018 team is pegged to finish fifth as well. Coincidence? Probably. It seems like Team USA is always ranked fifth. But what if it’s not?

The Americans paid no attention to those armchair rankings. Countries were coming into their house and if you’ve seen those Under Armor commercials, or any advertisement for a good security system, you know that the house must be protected.

This was not the first Olympics in the United States, but it was the first Olympics in California. Hockey in California? That will never work.
Team USA started off the tournament with a statement 7-5 victory over Czechoslovakia. That sent a message to the rest of the countries. “We’re here to win hockey games and get our suntan on. And the sun had gone down for the day.”

Team USA would go 7-0 in the tournament, defeating Sweden, 6-3, Canada, 2-1, Soviet Union 3-2, and Czechoslovakia once more in the final game, 9-4.

Bill Cleary led Team USA in scored with seven goals and seven assists. Bill Christian dished eleven assists. Their play in the 1960 Olympics led to an increase of children named Bill in the 1960s.
Herb Brooks was the last player cut from Team USA. He would return four years later to captain the 1964 team. Based on that team’s performance, Jack Riley made the right call.

There is no movie starring Kurt Russell based on the 1960 team. But without the 1960 team, there would be no movie starring Kurt Russell.