List Of Olympic Medalists In Ice Hockey
Ice hockey is a sport that is contested at the Winter Olympic Games. A men's ice hockey tournament has been held every Winter Olympics (starting in 1924); an ice hockey tournament was also held at the 1920 Summer Olympics. From 1920 to 1968, the Olympics also acted as the Ice Hockey World Championships, and the two events occurred concurrently. From 1920 until 1984, only amateur athletes were allowed to compete in the tournament, and players from the National Hockey League (NHL) were not allowed to compete. In 1970, after a disagreement over the definition of amateur players, Canada withdrew from the tournament and did not send a team to the 1972 or 1976 Winter Olympics. In 1987, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to allow professional athletes to compete in the Olympics, and starting in 1998, the NHL allowed its players to participate. Women's ice hockey was added in 1992 and the first tournament was held at the 1998 Winter Olympics. Both events have been held at every Olympic Games since.
Three male athletes have won four medals: Vladislav Tretiak (three gold, one silver), Igor Kravchuk (two gold, one silver, one bronze) and Jiří Holík (two silver, two bronze). Six have won three gold medals: Tretiak, Anatoli Firsov, Victor Kuzkin, Andrei Khomutov, Alexander Ragulin and Vitaly Davydov. In women's hockey, six have won four medals. Four Canadians have won three gold and one silver—Jennifer Botterill, Jayna Hefford, Becky Kellar and Hayley Wickenheiser—and two Americans have won a gold, two silver and a bronze—Angela Ruggiero and Jenny Potter.
From 1920 to 1952, teams from Canada dominated the men's tournament, winning six gold and one silver medal. The Soviet Union began competing at the Olympics in 1956 and won nine straight Olympic medals, including seven gold. The Soviet Union broke up in 1991, and in 1992, a Unified Team composed mainly of former Soviet players won gold. Teams from Canada have won the most medals, with sixteen, including nine gold. As of the 2010 Winter Olympics, 78 medals (26 of each color) have been awarded to teams from 13 National Olympic Committees.
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