Feb. 28, 1960 – Squaw Valley, CA – It was tough to get up for this game, literally. Only 1,000 fans made it to their seats for the Sunday, 8am puck drop between the US and Czechoslovakia. And the Americans, still working out the kinks from a Saturday night game against the USSR, gave up a goal 8 seconds into the game and still trailed with 20 minutes to play.

But, as Bill Cleary would say years later, the Americans “were not to be denied.” Behind 4-3 after two periods, the Americans poured it on the third stanza. Taking 28 shots and scoring 6 goals to meet their destiny, an Olympic gold medal, the first for the United States.

The third period onslaught actualy began in the American locker room between periods. The US got a surprise visit from  Soviet captain Nikolai Sologubov, who used pantomime to suggest the Americans take Oxygen to rejuvenate themselves in the high mountain air. Though Sologubov was a friend from years of international play, the unusual visit owed more to the Soviet’s desire for a medal which required a loss from their border rivals the Czechs.

Some players took the oxygen, but some didn’t. As fate would have it, the three Americans who found the back of the net in the third Roger Christian (3 goals), Bob Cleary (2 goals) and Bill Cleary (1 goal) didn’t take the oxygen, and they obviously didn’t need it.

It was a fitting end to the USA’s remarkable running of the tables at the 1960 Squaw Valley games. This was a deep and talented team, and even on the only night that goalie Jack McCartan wasn’t the best player on the ice, the deep American team found a timely hero in Roger Christian (4 goals total), got solid contributions from their controversial late additions the Cleary brothers (3 goals between them) and even got a lift from the unlikeliest of players when third-liner Dick Rodenheiser took one for the team int he third period, leading to a three-goal power play for the USA.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Americans and their fans hugged at center ice, they were Olympic champions. It had never happened in 40 years of Olympic play and it wouldn’t happen again for another 20 years: an American holding the gold medal at the top of the Olympic hockey podium.

Box Score
USA vs Czechoslovakia | February 28, 1960

Scoring

Goalie Saves

Feb. 27, 1960 – Squaw Valley, CA – Before a national television audience and a crowd of 10,000 spectators filling the 8,500-seat Blyth Arena, the United States shocked the favored USSR hockey team 3-2. Continuing a tradition of a different game, a different hero, US forward Bill Christian netted his only two goals of the medal round to lead the US back from a 2-1 deficit. It was the first time in 10 international games that the United States had beaten the USSR.

Early in the first period, Bill Cleary put the US ahead 1-0, bringing the crowd to its feet. But, the Soviets answered less than a minute later, and added a second goal in the first period to take a 2-1 advantage. It was in the second period that Bill Christian took a pass from his brother Roger and beat Soviet goalie Nikolai Puchkov on a one-on-one. With half of the game yet to play, both goalies kept the puck out of the net until 5 minutes remained in the game. That’s when Bill Christian found a loose puck in front of Puchkov and batted it between his legs. The goal gave the Americans a 3-2 lead with only minutes to play.

The USSR pressed hard in the last few minutes, but goalie Jack McCartan was stellar, as he had been all tournament. The raucous crowd counted down the final 10 seconds as the United States players killed the final 6 on 5 Soviet attack. The team rushed to center ice to celebrate their second improbable win in three days. The victory gave the US a 4-0 record in the medal round, with one game the following morning against Czechoslovakia to decide the gold medal.

Box Score
USA vs USSR | February 27, 1960

Scoring

Goalie Saves

Feb. 25, 1960 – Squaw Valley, CA – Before the game, the Canadians anticipated a dominant win. The Americans had beaten them for the first time 4 years earlier, and Canada had revenge on its mind. But it wasn’t to be. A first period rebound goal by Bob Cleary and a second period slapshot by Paulie Johnson were all the scoring that the Americans needed to edge Canada 2-1.

Off a slapshot from John Mayasich, Cleary netted the first goal on a rebound, sneaking the puck past Canada’s Don Head as he was being checked from behind. Johnson’s goal would become the stuff of legend as he stole the puck from the Canadians leading to a breakaway. Instead of taking it in on goal, Johnson unloaded from just past the blueline, shocking an unprepared Head and making the tally 2-0.

Of course, holding Canada to one goal was no small feat, and of Jack McCartan’s performance in the net, his coach, Jack Riley, said “no goalie ever played as well as McCartan played that night.” The outstanding performance included 39 saves, most of which came in defense of the lead, as the Canadians controlled the game in every way but the score over the final two periods, outshooting the Americans 31-10 to close the game.

The victory put the US in control of their own medal destiny, with games against the USSR and Czechoslovakia standing between them and the USA’s first gold medal in ice hockey.

Box Score
USA vs Canada | February 25, 1960

Scoring

Goalie Saves

Feb. 24, 1960 – Squaw Valley, CA – Team USA runs their Olympic record to 4-0 with a 9-1 win over Germany. In the victory, Bill Cleary netted 4 goals and an assist and John Mayasich added two tallies. The US scored their first two goals on a Power Play after an interference penalty on Germany. The rules in international competition in 1960 required the player to serve the full two minutes of a minor penalty, even if a goal was scored. This allowed the US to capitalize twice on the same power play.

The win also kept the US in a first place medal round tie with a 2-0 record. Still, the US now faced their toughest competition with three games in four days against the best remaining teams in the tournament, Canada, the USSR and Czechoslovakia. The real competition would begin the following day, Feb. 25 when the US faced Canada.

Box Score
USA vs Germany | February 24, 1960

Scoring

Goalie Saves

Feb. 22, 1960 – Squaw Valley, CA – The USA starts medal round play with a 6-3 win over Sweden. Roger Christian nets a hat trick and goalie Jack McCartan continues his stellar play with 36 saves. Christian’s first goal came 3:26 into the game and the US added three more first period goals to take a 4-0 lead into the intermission. They would be outshot 28-19 in the final two periods, but thanks to McCartan the lead was never in jeopardy. The win puts the US at 1-0 in the championship round robin, with games yet to play against Germany, Canada, USSR and Czechoslovakia.

Box Score
USA vs Sweden | February 22, 1960

Scoring

Goalie Saves

Feb. 21, 1960 – Squaw Valley, CA – In a game that probably could’ve been even more lopsided, the US defeats Australia 12-1 to win Pool A and secure a spot in the championship round. They join Pool B winner Canada, Pool C winner USSR and second place finishers, Sweden, Germany and Czechoslovakia in the championship round. Australia’s team was comprised mainly of former Canadians. It would be their only Olympic ice hockey appearance after being eliminated in two games. For the USA, nine players would score a goal, and goalie Jack McCartan would only need 9 saves to seal their advancement.

Box Score
USA vs Australia | February 21 1960

Scoring

Goalie Saves

Feb. 16, 1960 – Squaw Valley, CA – Skating again on the outdoor rink, the US hockey team wins 10-0 over an overmatched Japanese hockey team. The scrimmage was also a chance for coach Jack Riley to have some more fun with the press and the opponents.

In the book, Squaw Valley Gold Bill Christian recalls “at the end, he wanted us to stage a donnybrook. Riley’s big thing was playing games with the press.” The Americans fought amongst themselves, trying to play up their internal strife. “We just put our sticks up and kind of bumped around. They (the Japanese) didn’t know what was going on. Riley thought he was going to fool the press, but it didn’t work out.”

Feb. 15, 1960 – Squaw Valley, CA – Team USA’s hockey squad, unable to get on the ice a day earlier, finally gets ice time again on the outdoor practice rink. At Blythe Arena, crews drape the open side of the stadium in heavy rope to block the sun and eliminate problems with melting ice.

Meanwhile, CBS television crews prepare for the upcoming Olympic broadcast. It will be the first time that the games are broadcast in the United States, with CBS paying a reported $50,000 for the rights to air the Olympics. Walter Cronkite will host, and the black-and-white footage will be broadcast to the growing number of Americans with a living room television set.

Feb. 14, 1960 – Squaw Valley, CA – The warm morning sun is wreaking havoc on the ice of Blythe Arena. One side of the skating arena is open-air, allowing the sun to stream in and melt the ice along the opposite boards, preventing teams from practicing on the rink. The US Olympic hockey team is forced to fight for ice time with the other 8 teams and dozens of figure skaters on the one remaining outdoor sheet of ice. The New York Times also reports that the ice-making equipment is also causing problems and the arena maintenance crews had been unable to fix the problem. Four days until the opening ceremonies.

Feb. 13, 1960 – Squaw Valley, CA – Coach Jack Riley predicts the American hockey team will go undefeated in 1960. In a meeting to determine the schedule of the games, each coach is asked for input on the schedule. None of the teams want to play the two favorites, the Canadians and the Soviets, back-to-back. But, when asked for his opinion, Riley stated that he didn’t care who they played, “we’re gonna go undefeated anyway.” It was more a bit of bluster than a real prediction. Riley would later admit that even he didn’t believe what he said. It wouldn’t be the last time Riley played head games with his opponents and the press.