There is a long history of stick 
games on ice, going back at least 
to 12th century England.  But the 
game of ice hockey as we know it 
today was invented in Montreal in 
1875.  It was included in the 1920 
Summer Games in Antwerp and 
was played at the first Winter 
Games in 1924.

Ice hockey is the world's fastest 
team sport and the only team sport 
played at the Winter Olympics.  The 
boot of the ice hockey skate has a 
lower ankle support than figure 
skating boots, and a straight, 
narrow, pointed blade.  The sticks 
are made of wood and the puck is 
vulcanized rubber. 
   
In the first few Olympics, the 
Canadians dominated the event 
completely, even with their best 
players ineligible because they 
were professionals.  The British 
finally managed to win Gold in 
1936.  The Americans were also 
coming on strong and the Czechs 
were competitive.  But from the 
time the USSR entered their first 
Winter Olympics in 1956, they 
were pretty much unbeatable.     

The Soviets' complete domination 
of the sport at the Olympics was 
interrupted only twice, when the 
U.S. won Gold in 1960, at Squaw 
Valley, and in 1980, at Lake Placid.  
The 1980 USA/USSR hockey game 
was a classic case of the 
underdog winning.  The unheralded 
Americans were seeded seventh 
but somehow managed to upset 
the Soviets and then went on to 
defeat the Finns for the Gold.  The 
Soviets quickly regained their form 
and went on to win three more 
Golds.  Only the breakup of the 
Soviet Union has stopped them -- 
the Swedes won in 1994.  The 
U.S. hasn't finished in the medals 
since their stunning upset.