Olympic ice hockey has a rich history. From 1920 to 1952, teams from Canada dominated the men’s tournament. Then the Soviet Union took over, winning nine of the next 11 gold medals. The United States finally broke the stranglehold in 1980, when they stunned the Soviets in the iconic “Miracle on Ice” game.
Today, the game of Olympic ice hockey is played under the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) rules. Games have three 20-minute periods with 15-minute intermissions, and the teams consist of six players (five skaters and a goalie). Players wear helmets, and face masks are mandatory for the goalies.
Games that end in a tie are usually decided by a five-minute sudden-death overtime period, but if no winner emerges, it moves to a penalty shootout. In the shootout, each team has five players — four of whom must be on the ice at the same time — rush the puck toward the net. The first team to score wins the match.
The 2018 Olympics were especially intriguing for hockey fans, because NHL players were not allowed to compete in the event after the league opted out of allowing its players to take part in the last five Olympic tournaments. However, players from the KHL and SHL were eligible to play, and Russia — competing as “Olympic Athletes from Russia” due to a doping scandal — won gold.