Ice hockey at the 1960 Winter Olympics — 1960 edition of the ice hockey tournament during the Olympic Winter Games
The 1960 Winter Olympics ice hockey tournament marked the first Olympic gold medal for the United States men's team, won with a perfect seven-game record.
Key Facts
- US record
- Won all 7 games played
- Tournament edition
- 9th Olympic Championship; 27th World Championships
- Canada's medal streak
- 9th consecutive Olympic ice hockey medal
- Soviet Union achievement
- Won bronze and 6th European Championship
- Australia debut
- First and only Olympic men's ice hockey appearance
- Venue
- Blyth Arena, Squaw Valley, California
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Heading into the 1960 Winter Games, Canada, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, and Sweden were considered the dominant ice hockey nations. The United States team, coached by Jack Riley, was not regarded as a favorite despite competing on home ice at Squaw Valley, California.
The men's ice hockey tournament was held at Blyth Arena from February 1960. The American squad defeated all seven opponents, including the top-ranked nations, to claim the country's first Olympic gold medal in men's ice hockey. Canada took silver for a ninth consecutive Olympic medal, while the Soviet Union earned bronze.
The US victory, later dubbed the 'Forgotten Miracle,' preceded the more celebrated 1980 Miracle on Ice and remains one of only two Olympic gold medals won by the US men's team before 2026. Herb Brooks, cut from the 1960 roster by Riley, went on to coach the 1980 gold-medal team, directly connecting the two landmark achievements.
Result
at Blyth Arena, Squaw Valley, California