U.S. Olympic hockey team beats Soviet Union

History.com Editors

Published: January 22, 2025

Last Updated: January 31, 2025

Two decades before the famed "Miracle on Ice," another underdog U.S. Olympic hockey team defeats the Soviet Union team in the semifinals at the Winter Games in Squaw Valley, California on February 27, 1960. The next day, the U.S. beats Czechoslovakia to win its first-ever Olympic gold medal in hockey.

Flashback: The 1960 Winter Olympics

Revisit the feats of athleticism at the VIII Olympic Winter Games, held in California's Squaw Valley in February, 1960.

The 1960 U.S. team was led by Jack Riley, the head hockey coach at West Point and himself a member of the 1948 U.S. Olympic hockey squad. His players were college students and amateurs and included two pairs of brothers, Bill and Bob Cleary and Bill and Roger Christian. Interestingly, Bill Christian’s son David was a member of the “Miracle on Ice” Olympic squad in 1980 that defeated the heavily favored Soviet Union in the semifinals and two days later beat Finland to capture the gold medal. The last player cut from the 1960 U.S. squad was Herb Brooks, who went on to coach the “Miracle on Ice” team two decades later.

The Americans had taken home silver medals in hockey at the Winter Games in 1952 and 1956, but going into the 1960 Olympics they were considered a long shot. The team managed to win its first four games against Czechoslovakia, Australia, Sweden and Germany, however, and then scored an upset victory over Canada and went on to meet the Soviets in the semi-final round on February 27. A packed crowd was on hand at Blythe Arena in Squaw Valley to witness the U.S. defeat the Soviets, 3-2, in a tightly fought game. It was the first time an American hockey squad had ever defeated the long-dominant Soviets in Olympic competition. The next day, the U.S. met the Czechs in the finals. After two periods, the U.S. was behind, 4-3; however, they scored six goals in the third period and went on to win the game, 9-4. It was America’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in hockey. Canada won the silver medal while the Soviets received the bronze.

Twenty years later, on February 22, 1980, history repeated itself when the U.S. hockey team beat the Soviet Union in the semifinals of the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. It was a major upset for the Soviets, who were considered the world’s best team at the time, even better than any professional team in North America. The victory was particularly charged because the U.S. and Soviet Union were still Cold War enemies. On February 24, the Americans defeated Finland, 4-2, for the gold. The Soviets won the silver and Sweden took the bronze.

1827

New Orleanians take to the streets for Mardi Gras

On February 27, 1827, a group of masked and costumed students dance through the streets of New Orleans, Louisiana, marking the beginning of the city’s famous Mardi Gras celebrations.

1844

Dominican Republic declares independence as a sovereign state

On February 27, 1844, revolutionary fervor boils over on the eastern side of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. Finally coming into the open after years of covert planning, a group known as La Trinitaria seizes the fortress of Puerta del Conde in the city of Santo Domingo, beginning the Dominican War of Independence.

1860

Mathew Brady photographs presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln

On February 27, 1860, President Abraham Lincoln poses for the first of several portraits by noted Civil War-era photographer Mathew Brady. Days later, the photograph is published on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar with the caption, "Hon. Abram [sic] Lincoln, of Illinois, Republican Candidate for President."

1922

Supreme Court defends women’s voting rights

In deciding the case Leser v. Garnett, the U.S. Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of the 19th Amendment—which, when ratified two years earlier, provided American women with the right to vote. The justices were unanimous in their decision to dismiss the challenge.

1935

6-year-old Shirley Temple receives special miniature Oscar

At the seventh Academy Awards ceremony, on February 27, 1935, 6-year-old ascendant Hollywood star Shirley Temple receives the first-ever kid-sized, "juvenile" Oscar. The trophy measured roughly half the height of a full-sized Oscar.

1942

U.S. aircraft carrier Langley is sunk

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1960

U.S. Olympic hockey team beats Soviet Union

1964

Italian government seeks aid for fixing Leaning Tower of Pisa

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1973

AIM occupation of Wounded Knee begins

On the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, some 200 members of the Oglala Lakota tribe, led by members of the American Indian Movement (AIM), occupy Wounded Knee, the site of the infamous 1890 massacre of 300 Sioux by the U.S. Seventh Cavalry. The AIM members, some of them armed, took 11 residents of the historic Oglala Sioux settlement hostage as local authorities and federal agents descended on the reservation.

View of several members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) as they stand next to a sweat lodge erected on a hill below the Sacred Heart Church during the occupation of the town of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota, 1973. AIM occupied the town, exchanging gunfire with local and federal troops, from February 27 through May 8, 1973, following internal reservation disputes as well as disatisfaction with the US government's treatment of Native American peoples in general. (Photo by Peter Davis/Getty Images)

1980

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1980

Buddy Holly’s glasses, lost since his death in 1959, are found in Mason City, Iowa

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2006

Effa Manley becomes first woman elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

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