The U.S. captured gold medals at the 1960 and 1980 Olympics, and earned silver medals more recently at the 2002 and 2010 Olympics. At the best-on-best professional level outside of the Olympics, Team USA has won the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, defeating Canada in the finals. Most recently, the U.S. claimed a historic gold at the World Championships in 2025[5]—its first IIHF Worlds title since 1933 and its third recognized world title overall when including the 1960 Olympic gold that the IIHF also recognizes as a World Championship.[6][7]
Unlike other nations, the U.S. did not typically use its best NHL players in the World Championships. Instead, it provided the younger players with an opportunity to gain international experience, although they changed the approach by the 2020s.[8] Overall, the team has collected eleven Olympic medals (two of them gold), 21 World Championship medals (three of them gold, including 1960), and it reached the semi-final round of the Canada Cup/World Cup five times, twice advancing to the finals and winning gold once.[9] Before 2025, the U.S. had never reached a World Championship gold medal game, having lost in the semi-final round twelve times since the IIHF introduced a playoff system in 1992; this includes six semi-finals appearances in ten tournaments from 2013 through 2023, and three consecutive in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
The U.S. is one of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world and a member of the so-called "Big Six", the unofficial group of the six strongest men's ice hockey nations, along with Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, and Sweden.[10][11][12]
History
The United States first entered international ice hockey competition at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, where the sport made its Olympic debut, earning a silver medal behind Canada. American teams continued to be competitive throughout the 1920s and early 1930s, claiming silver medals at the 1924 and 1932 Winter Olympics, as well as at the 1931 IIHF World Championships. In this era, the U.S. national squads were typically composed of players drawn from amateur or collegiate programs, often representing leading American clubs rather than a permanent national team.[13][14][15][16]
The 1936 U.S. Olympic Ice Hockey Team
In 1933, the United States won its first IIHF World Championship title when the Massachusetts Rangers (aka Boston Olympics) defeated Canada in Prague. Sherman Forbes scored early, but the game remained deadlocked after regulation until John Garrison netted the winning goal in a mandatory 10-minute overtime. The U.S. squad, coached by Walter A. Brown and backed by goaltender Gerry Cosby, edged Canada—a perennial powerhouse—to claim gold in front of some 12,000 spectators.[17][18]
Following their breakthrough gold in 1933, the United States remained a consistent contender on the international stage but often fell just short of the top prize. The Americans earned silver medals at the 1934, 1939, and 1950 IIHF World Championships, as well as at the 1952 and 1956 Winter Olympics.[19][20] Many of these squads were built around standout amateur and collegiate players—such as University of Minnesota star John Mayasich, who led the U.S. in scoring at the 1956 Cortina Games.[21] The United States eventually would reclaim gold at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California. At those Games, the Americans captured gold by defeating a gauntlet of hockey powers, including the Soviet Union, Canada, Czechoslovakia, and Sweden. Yet, because this achievement was later overshadowed by the more famous 1980 victory in Lake Placid, the 1960 championship has fittingly come to be known as the “Forgotten Miracle.”[22][23][24]
The 1963 U.S. Ice Hockey Team, captained by Herb Brooks (pictured in the middle of the bottom row wearing the “C”), who would become the future coach of the legendary 1980 “Miracle on Ice” squad that went on to capture Olympic gold.Mike Ramsey handling the puck in the Miracle on Ice game
The American ice hockey team's greatest success was the "Miracle on Ice" at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, when American college players defeated the heavily favored seasoned professionals from the Soviet Union on the way to a gold medal. Though ice hockey is not a major sport in most areas of the United States, the "Miracle" is often listed as one of the all-time greatest American sporting achievements.[25][26] The U.S. clinched the gold medal by defeating Finland in the final game.[27] Under the leadership of coach Herb Brooks, forward Mark Johnson led the team in scoring, while goaltender Jim Craig led all netminders in both saves and save percentage.[28][29] The team’s improbable triumph later inspired the critically acclaimed 2004 film Miracle, which brought the story of the “Miracle on Ice” to a new generation of fans.[30]
The United States ice hockey team experienced a spike in talent in the 1980s and 1990s, with future NHL stars (many who would later be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame) including Tony Amonte, Chris Chelios, Derian Hatcher, Brett Hull, Pat LaFontaine, John LeClair, Brian Leetch, Mike Modano, Mike Richter, Jeremy Roenick, Kevin Stevens, Keith Tkachuk, and Doug Weight. Although the U.S. finished no higher than fourth in any World or Olympic event from 1981 through 1994 (unlike other teams that used professionals, the U.S. team was limited to amateurs at these tournaments), that long drought set the stage for a breakthrough on hockey’s biggest professional stage. After a runner-up finish in the 1991 Canada Cup, the Americans finally broke through with a landmark victory at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, the first edition of the tournament that replaced the Canada Cup. Coached by Ron Wilson, Team USA stunned the hockey world by defeating a powerhouse Canadian squad in a best-of-three final. After dropping Game 1, the Americans stormed back with two straight wins on Canadian ice, including a dramatic 5–2 clincher in Montreal. Goaltender Mike Richter delivered a legendary performance, turning aside a barrage of shots and earning tournament MVP honors, while Brett Hull paced the offense with seven goals and Tony Amonte netted the series-winning goal late in Game 3.[31] Captain Chris Chelios anchored a formidable blue line that also featured Brian Leetch, while a deep forward corps led by Keith Tkachuk, John LeClair, and Mike Modano overwhelmed opponents with speed and scoring depth. The victory marked the United States’ first senior men’s title in a best-on-best professional tournament, signifying a coming of age for American hockey and proving that the U.S. could defeat Canada and the world’s elite on the international stage.[32][33][34]
The 2010 U.S. Olympic team was composed of much younger and faster players than teams of previous years, including David Backes, Dustin Brown, Jack Johnson, Patrick Kane, Phil Kessel, Zach Parise, Joe Pavelski, Bobby Ryan, Paul Stastny, and Ryan Suter. The team also had a solid group of veterans that included such stars as goalie Ryan Miller, defenseman Brian Rafalski, and team captain Jamie Langenbrunner. The U.S. team upset team Canada 5–3 in the round-robin phase of the tournament and went into the single elimination phase of the tournament as the number-one seeded team. After beating Finland 6–1, the U.S. advanced to the gold medal game, where they lost in overtime 3–2 to Canada to claim the silver medal. The gold medal game between Canada and the U.S. was watched by an estimated 27.6 million U.S. households. This was the most watched hockey game in America since the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" game, including any Stanley Cup Finals or NHL Winter Classic broadcast.[37]
The United States finished fourth at the 2014 Winter Olympics, falling to Finland in the bronze medal game.[38] In a preliminary-round game against Russia, T. J. Oshie became the centerpiece of one of the most memorable shootouts in Olympic history. With the game tied 2–2 after regulation and overtime, Team USA coach Dan Bylsma repeatedly turned to Oshie against Russian goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Oshie opened the shootout as the first of three initial shooters, followed by James van Riemsdyk and Joe Pavelski. When the score remained deadlocked after the first three rounds, international rules allowed coaches to reuse shooters — and Bylsma kept sending Oshie. The American forward took five consecutive attempts, converting four of his six total shots, including the dramatic eighth-round winner that sealed a thrilling 3–2 U.S. victory.[39][40][41]
The NHL pulled out of the Olympics for the 2018 competition in a dispute over insurance and the IOC's ambush marketing restrictions, prohibiting the national teams from inviting any player it held under contract. The American team was put at a particular disadvantage, as more than 31% of NHL players are Americans (in comparison, only 4.1% are Russians). As a result, the U.S. had to enter the tournament with a hastily assembled team of free agents, players from European leagues, AHLers on one-way contracts, and college players.[42] The team proved unsuccessful, losing to Slovenia and the Olympic Athletes from Russia in the preliminary round, and being eliminated by the Czechs in the quarterfinals.[43] The OAR team benefited most from NHL's absence and ultimately won the tournament with a team that was composed primarily of SKA Saint Petersburg and HC CSKA Moscow players from the Russia-based KHL and featured ex-NHL all-stars Pavel Datsyuk, Ilya Kovalchuk and Vyacheslav Voynov (all SKA).[44][45]
On March 31, 2021, Stan Bowman was appointed the general manager of the U.S. Olympic men's hockey team for the 2022 Beijing Games.[46] On October 26, 2021, Bowman resigned in response to the results of an independent investigation into allegations of sexual assault committed by a member of the Blackhawks' video coaching staff.[47] The lead investigator stated that Bowman's failure to report the alleged assault had eventually led to the perpetrator committing further acts of sexual abuse.[48] The United States finished fifth at the 2022 Winter Olympics, after a stunning shootout loss to Slovakia, marking their third consecutive Olympic Games without a medal. Despite fielding a team of mostly NCAA players, the team went undefeated in the preliminary round, highlighted by a victory over rival Canada, before falling in the quarterfinals.[49]
In February 2024, Bill Guerin was announced as general manager of Team USA for the Four Nations Face-Off and 2026 Winter Olympics.[50] In May, Mike Sullivan was named head coach of the team for both competitions.[51] The Four Nations Face-Off marked the first best-on-best international ice hockey competition since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, ending a almost decade-long drought brought on by the NHL’s failure to stage any international tournament since 2016, the NHL's decision to bar players from the Olympic Games, and the regular absence of top stars from the IIHF World Championships due to NHL playoff obligations or personal choice.[52][53] The tournament was an NHL-exclusive event, meaning only NHL players were eligible to compete, and notably, Russia was excluded because of its ongoing IIHF ban.[54] The opening game against Canada set an intense tone immediately, as three fights erupted within the first nine seconds, sparked by brothers Matthew and Brady Tkachuk.[55] Team USA captured a spirited 3–1 victory in that contest, but ultimately fell to Canada 3–2 in overtime in the championship game.[56] Despite the narrow defeat, the United States demonstrated that it remains a top contender heading into the next Winter Olympics, which will once again feature NHL players.[57]
In 2025, the United States captured its first IIHF World Championship title since 1933, defeating Switzerland in the gold-medal game to end a remarkable 92-year drought. Although the Americans’ 1960 Olympic gold is also recognized by the IIHF as a world championship, the 2025 victory marked the nation’s first official IIHF World Championship triumph since 1933.[58]Tage Thompson sealed the historic win by scoring the overtime game-winner against Switzerland at 2025 IIHF World Championship.[59]
The IIHF has given awards for each year's championship tournament to the top goalie, defenseman, and forward (all since 1954), and most valuable player (since 2004). The following American team members have won awards.
↑ O'Connor, Gavin (February 6, 2004), Miracle (Biography, Drama, History), Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, Nathan West, Pop Pop Productions, Walt Disney Pictures, Determination Productions, retrieved September 25, 2025{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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4 (May 26, 2025) [1] 
29–0 
Switzerland 
Italy 
17–2 
United States 
17–2 
Gold: (1960, 1980)
Silver: (1920, 1924, 1932, 1952, 1956, 1972, 2002, 2010)
Bronze: (1936)
Gold: (1933, 1960, 2025)
Winner: (1996)
