Friday marks the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. Thousands of athletes from around the world will gather in France to compete in 45 different sports and disciplines. It's one of the biggest sporting events in human history. The Olympics is a true showcase for sports and nations, and athletes have the opportunity to show off their nationality while showcasing their greatness.
Of course, this is not the year to watch ice hockey. That is left for the Winter Olympics, which will be held again in 2026. That year they will head to Milan, Italy. Hopefully the NHL can come to an agreement with the IOC and add NHL players to the Olympics. It would be great to see Jack and Luke Hughes in a Team USA jersey. It would also be fun to see the Swiss pair of Timo Meier and Nico Hisscher and the Swedish pair of Jesper Bratt.
Did you know there was a year in Olympic history when ice hockey was actually included in the Summer Olympics?
This was the first time that ice hockey was recognized in the Olympic Games. In 1920, the Olympics were held in Antwerp, Belgium. Athletes from all over the world found themselves travelling to Europe to take part in this showcase.
And they didn't have much time to prepare: today, decisions about which sports to add to the Olympics are made eight years in advance, but ice hockey only became an official Olympic sport in January 1920, just three months before that year's games began. Because the runway was short, not all teams could compete, but some were very excited to play.
Five European teams committed to competing in the tournament, and the rink owners refused to host ice skating if hockey couldn't also be included. While it may have seemed like they held the organizers hostage to make the tournament a success, it actually worked.
There were two dominant teams. Really dominant. Canada and the U.S. had a hockey rivalry early on. The U.S. dominated teams, beating Switzerland 29-0 in the opening game of the tournament. They ultimately lost to Canada 2-0, but it was the closest game the U.S. had ever played.
The rules were different at the time: instead of a true best-of-one tournament, the silver and bronze medals were decided in a repechage. The United States dominated the repechage and ultimately defeated Czechoslovakia, 16-0, in the silver medal game. The country now known as the Czech Republic then beat Sweden, 1-0, to win the bronze medal.
Four years later, the Winter Olympics were held for the first time. Before 1924, there were no Winter Olympics, so competitions on ice or snow had to take place in the summer. The sport, along with ice skating, was held in April as a pseudo-kickoff to the Olympics. This was a special moment for the sport, an official invitation to prove that it was an international sport.
