Medal Standings   Gold Silver Bronze Total USSR 10 6 6 22 East Germany 9 7 7 23 U.S.A. 6 4 2 12 Austria 3 2 2 7 Sweden 3 0 1 4 Liechtenstein 2 2 0 4 Finland 1 5 3 9 Norway 1 3 6 10 Netherlands 1 2 1 4 Switzerland 1 1 3 5   Canada 0 1 1 2 CANADIAN MEDAL WINNERS   Medal Event Gaetan Boucher Silver 1,000m Speedskating Steve Podborski Bronze Downhill Skiing

Vancouver-Garibaldi bid once again for the 1980 Winter Olympics, and was once again frustrated. On Aug. 2, 1974, British Columbia's New Democratic government refused to support the bid, citing financial and environmental concerns and questioning figures provided by the bid committee. Without provincial support, the Games would have to be held on private lands. The Vancouver-Garibaldi bid for the 1980 Winter Games was withdrawn before the final IOC vote, leaving Lake Placid, United States, the sole contender and winner by acclamation. Vancouver would not make a bid again until 2003 when it won the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Having been denied the Winter Olympics four years ago, the United States were determined to make a go of it in 1980. Organizational problems dogged the Games and the political environment was poisoned by U.S. President Jimmy Carter's call for a boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.

The Soviets and their allies, led by the East Germans, stopped short of their own boycott and came to Lake Placid to compete.

Speed skater Eric Heiden won gold medals in all five men's speed skating events, setting two world records and five Olympic records. Heiden became the first Olympic athlete, winter or summer, to win five gold medals in individual events. Despite shattering the Olympic record in the 1,000 metre race, Canadian Gaetan Boucher could only manage a silver medal. But Boucher would go on to greater Olympic glory in four years time.

The Canadian men's ski team, which was nicknamed the Crazy Canucks, was led by Steve Podborski who captured bronze in the downhill competition.

Canada returned to the ice hockey competition in 1980 with a national team that included future NHL'ers Glenn Anderson, Randy Gregg, Kevin Primeau and Paul MacLean. Unfortunately, the best the Canadians could manage was a 3-2 record in the preliminary round with losses to Finland and the Soviet Union denying them a trip to the medal round. Canada would lose 6-1 to Czechoslovakia in the fifth place game to finish sixth in its Olympic return.

The story of the 1980 games was the U.S. ice hockey team coached by little known Herb Brooks. The Soviets had expected to win the tournament with the same ease with which they had dispatched all comers at the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. Further buoying their confidence was the 10-3 licking they had applied to the Americans in an exhibition at Madison Square Garden just one week before the world arrived at Lake Placid.

In their opener, defenseman Bill Baker scored with 27 seconds left to give the USA a 2-2 tie with Sweden - a team they hadn't beaten since 1960. The Americans then dominated the Czechoslovakians, winning 7-3 with seven different goal scorers. Then Norway was taken, followed by Romania and West Germany. Ironically, at that point in the tournament, the Americans were trying to avoid facing the Soviets. The U.S. was tied with Sweden for the first place in the Blue Pool, and the loser of the tiebreaker system would play the Soviets first in the medal round. The Americans wanted to win the Blue Pool to assure they would play the Finns first and then play the Soviets for the gold medal. Therefore, the U.S. hoped the Czechs would defeat the Swedes in the final Blue Pool game, assuring the United States would win the Blue Pool and face the Finns first. However, the Swedes beat the Czechs, so the United States hoped to beat Germany by seven goals so they would have a better goal differential against the Swedes and win the first tiebreaker and the Blue Pool. But the United States only beat the Germans by a two-goal margin. They would have to play the Soviets first.

In the semifinals, the Americans led by goaltender Jim Craig managed to pull off one of the greatest upsets, winning 4-3 in an emotional game which has become known as the "Miracle On Ice".

Seeded seventh in the tournament, the United States won all seven of its games despite falling behind in six of the contests, including the gold medal game, which they won 4-2 over Finland.