One of the biggest sporting events in the world is set to begin as the Winter Olympics are upon us.
After the success of the Summer Olympics, which began in 1896, the International Olympic Committee decided to hold a winter version of the Olympics, with sports that were played on snow or ice.
The Winter Olympics were held the same year as the Summer Olympics until 1994, when the IOC decided to split the Winter and Summer Olympics and have some version of the Olympics every two years.
Anyway with the Winter Olympics coming up, I decided to comply a list of what I think are the 25 best American Winter Olympic moments of all time.
Before you start reading, here were the criteria for the list: It had to feature an American or American team winning and no scandals like the infamous 1994 figure skating competion between Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding were allowed.
Now that has been explained, here now are the 25 best USA Winter Olympic moments:
25. 1924-Charles Jewtraw(Speed Skating)Jewtraw not only wins the very first gold medal for the United States in a Winter Olympics, but the very first gold medal in a Winter Olympics as the New Yorker wins the 500 meter race in speed skating in Chamonix, France.
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| Charles Jewtraw made history by capturing the first gold medal at a Winter Olympics with his win in the 500 meter speedskating race in 1924. |
24. 1932-Eddie Eagan(Bobsled)
12 years after winning a gold medal in boxing at the 1920 Summer Olympics, Eagan adds a gold medal from the Winter Olympics as he gets a gold medal in the four-man bobsled event, joining Swedish figure skater Gillis Grafstrom as the only individuals to win gold medals at a Summer and Winter Olympics, though Eagan's feat is more impressive as he earned gold medals in different sports(Boxing and bobsled) while Graftstrom won his gold medals in the same sport, figure skating.
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| Eddie Eagan(second from right)is the only American to win gold medals at a Summer and Winter Olympics. |
Despite a severely bruised shin, Vonn becomes the first American to win the women's downhill race as she beats fellow American Julia Mancuso by 0.56 seconds.
22. 2010-Bode Miller(Alpine Skiing)
Four years after failing to win a single medal after he was hyped to be of the biggest stars in the 2006 games in Torino, Miller redeems himself by capturing three medals, one of each color, as he wins bronze in the downhill, silver in the Super G, and gold in the combined(one downhill run and one slalom run) to become the first American skier to win three medals at a single Winter Olympics.
21. 1976-Dorothy Hamill(Figure Skating)
The 19-year-old Hamill becomes "America's Sweetheart" as she wins the gold medal in ladies' figure skating, even though she does not attempt a triple jump during her programs, but debuts the "Hamill Camel" a camel spin that turns into a sit spin that is used frequently by skaters today.
Plus, her wedge haircut becomes a very popular fad amongst woman in 1976.
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| Dorothy Hamill waves to the crowd after accepting her gold medal at the 1976 Winter Olympics. |
20. 2018-Shaun White(Snowboarding)
Needing at least a 95.26 to win, two-time gold medalist Shaun White lands back-to-back 1440s(that's 8 rotations on one spin) to earn a 97.75 on his final run, giving White his third gold medal in the men's halfpipe and the 100th gold medal for the United States in Winter Olympics history.
19 1956-Tenley Albright(Figure Skating)
It looked the two-time world champion and 1952 silver medalist's chances of winning gold evaporated as Albright cut her right ankle to the bone with her left skate after falling because of a rut in the ice on the skating rink during a practice skate.
But Albright's father, who happened to be a surgeon, stiched up the wound and Tenley skated to the gold medal, becoming the first American woman to win gold in the figure skating competition.
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| Tenley Albright skated through the pain of right ankle injury to win the gold medal in women's figure skating in 1956. |
18.1994-Bonnie Blair(Speed Skating)
Blair finishes her Olympic career in style as she wins the women's 500 for the third straight Olympics + women's 1,000 for the second straight Olympics, easily winning the 500 by .36 seconds and the 1000 by 1.38 seconds, the largest margin of victory in the event.Blair becomes the first American woman to win at least five career Olympic gold medals and finishes her career as the most decorated U.S. Winter Olympian with six medals(five gold, one bronze)until....
17. 2010-Apolo Anton Ohno(Short Track Speed Skating)
Ohno breaks Blair's record of most Winter Olympics medals by an American with a bronze medal in the men's short track speedskating 1,000 meter race for his seventh career medal.
Ohno would add a bronze medal in the men's 5,000 meter relay to bring his career total to eight medals, to finish his Olympic career with two gold, two silver, and four bronze.
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| Apolo Anton Ohno holds up eight fingers in recognition of his eight career medals, the most by an U.S. Winter Olympian |
16. 2022-Lindsay Jacobellis(Snowboarding)
In 2006 Jacobellis was on her way to winning the gold medal in the first ever women's snowboard cross when she fell after she grabbed her board in premature celebration and ending up taking the silver medal.
16 years later, Jacobellis finally got her gold medal in snowboard cross as she takes the lead early and never gives it up to capture the first of two gold medals as she would team with Nick Baumgartner to win the gold in the first ever mixed team snowboard cross event a few days later.
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| In her fifth Olympics, Lindsey Jacobellis finally won the gold medal in women's snowboard cross. |
15. 1984-Phil + Steve Mahre(Alpine Skiing)
The Mahre Brothers, Phil + Steve, become the only pair of siblings to finish 1-2 in any Olympic event as the twins win the gold and silver medals in the men's slalom with older brother Phil(older by four minutes)finishing 1st while younger brother Steve finished 2nd.
Things get even better for Phil as he learned after the race that his wife had given birth to their second child, a son they named Alex.
14. 1984-Bill Johnson(Alpine Skiing)
After completing his training runs for the men's downhill, Bill Johnson guranteed victory when he said "I don't know why everyone else is here, everyone else is fighting for second place."
Johnson delivered on his gurantee as his time of 1:45:59(that's about 1 minute and 46 seconds) to become the first non-European skier to win gold in the men's downhill event.
13. 2006-Shani Davis(Speed Skating)
Davis makes history as he becomes the first African American to win an individual gold medal in a Winter Olympics as he wins the 1,000 meter race in speed skating at Torino, then adds a silver medal in the 1,500 meters.
Davis would duplicate the feat of winning gold in the 1,000 and silver in the 1,500 at the Vancouver Olympics four years later.
12. 2018-Women's Ice Hockey Team
Twenty years since thier only gold medal and four years after blowing a 2-0 lead in the final four minutes of the gold medal game to Canada, the United State women's ice hockey team exorcises thier demons as they beat Canada 3-2 in a shootout with the U.S.'s Jocelyne Lamourex scoring the winning goal in the sixth round of the shootout, followed by goaltender Maddie Rooney stopping Canada's Meghan Agosta's shot to end Canada's run as four-time Olympic champions.
11. Tara Lipinski(Figure Skating)
Heading into the long program in second place just behind fellow American Michelle Kwan, 15-year-old Lipinski lands seven triple jumps to win the gold medal and became the youngest individual gold medalist in Olympic history at 15 years, 8 months, and 10 days.
10. 1968-Peggy Fleming(Figure Skating)
Seven years after a plane crash had killed the entire United States figure skating team, Fleming become the first American skater to win gold since the tragedy as she received first place votes from all nine judges on the 1968 figure skating panel, beginning a new era of American figure skating dominance.
9. 1988-Brian Botiano(Figure Skating)
The 1988 men's figure skating competition was billed as the "Battle of the Brians" between US skater Brian Botiano and Canada's Brian Orser.
The battle lives up to the hype as Botiano lands eight triple jumps in his long program and is chosen by first by five of the nine judges while Orser got 1st from the other four, to win the United States' only gold medal of the 1988 Olympics.
8. 1998-Women's Ice Hockey Team
In the first year that women's ice hockey is competed at a Winter Olympics, the United States defeats arch rival Canada 3-1 in the gold medal game to win the first gold medal in women's ice hockey.
7. 1960-Forgotten Miracle(Hockey)
20 Years before the "Miracle on Ice", the United States men's hockey team captured an unlikely gold medal at the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley, California.
The United States qualifies for the medal round where they defeat the top four teams entering the Olympics: Canada, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, and Sweden as well as Germany by a combined score 29-11 to earn their first gold medal in hockey.
6. 2002-Vonetta Flowers(Bobsled)
Riding with driver Jill Bakken, Flowers becomes the first African-American to win a gold medal at a Winter Olympics as she and Bakken win gold in the women's bobsled competition.
5. 1948 + 1952-Dick Button(Figure Skating)
It's not that Button won back-to-back gold medals in the men's figure skating competition that land him on this list, but what he did to win those gold medals is earns him a spot on this list.
First in 1948, Button became the first skater to land a double axel jump in competition as he becomes the youngest man to win the gold medal in the figure skating competition(18 years and 202 days).
Button returned to defend his gold medal in the '52 Olympics and became the first skater to land a triple jump in competition with his triple loop, which won him his second straight gold medal, the last time a male figure skater won back-to-back gold medals in the men's singles competition at the Olympics.
4. 2002-Sarah Hughes(Figure Skating)
Entering the long program in 4th place, Hughes skates the program of her life as she lands seven triple jumps to jump from 4th to 1st as the three competitors in front of her(Michelle Kwan, Sasha Cohen, and Irina Slutskaya)all either fall or trip up during their long programs, allowing for Hughes to win the gold medal.
3. 1980-Eric Heiden(Speed Skating)
Heiden sets the record for most gold medals at a Winter Olympics as he wins all five events in speedskating competition, setting Olympic records in four of his wins(500, 1000, 1500, 5000) and a world record in the 10,000.
Heiden won more gold medals at the 1980 Games than all but two countries, the Soviet Union and East Germany.
2. 1994-Dan Jansen(Speed Skating)
Over the course of his Olympic career, Jansen earned the nickname as the "Heartbreak Kid" for his excuriating losses in the Olympics.
After finishing fourth in the 500 meters in the '84 Olympics, Jansen was a medal contender in the 500 + 1000 meter races in the '88 Olympics in Calgary.
But after learning of his sister's, Jane, death due to leukemia on the day of the 500 meter race, Jansen fell and failed to medal, then four days later fell again when it appeared he was on his way to a gold medal.
Jansen failed to medal again at the Albertville Games in 1992, and appeared he was going to finish his Olympic career without a medal as he finished 8th in the 500 at the '94 Olympics in Lillehammer.
With nothing left to lose, Jansen skated the race of his life in the 1,000 setting a world record time 1:12:43, which Jansen the coveted gold medal he had been seeking for so long.
1. 1980-Miracle on Ice(Hockey)
It is not only the greatest moment in USA Winter Olympic history, it is also probably the greatest moment in American sports history.
It is the "Miracle On Ice".
Coached by Herb Brooks, the last player to be cut from the gold-medal winning team in 1960, the U.S. hockey team entered the 1980 Olympics as the youngest team in the tournament and were not expected to medal.
But after getting a 2-2 draw against Sweden on defenseman Bill Baker's goal with 27 seconds left in their first game, the U.S. stunned Czechoslovakia, 7-3 who were favored to win the silver medal.
That got the young US team rolling as they won their next three games over Norway, Romania, and West Germany, respectively, to earn a spot in the medal round, where they had to face off with the Soviet Union, who had won the gold medal in five of the previous six Olympics and won all five of their games in the 80 tournament by a combined score of 45-11.
All this plus the fact the Soviets beat the Americans 10-3 in an exhibition game at Madison Square Garden five days before the opening cermonies, lead everybody to think it was a foregone conclusion that the USSR would easily defeat the USA.
However, the US hung with the Soviets as they only trailed 3-2 after two periods, then scored two goals in 81 seconds, with captain Mike Eruizone scoring the go-ahead goal with exactly 10 minutes left in the third period.
As the final seconds ticked away and the Soviets unable to mount an attack for the game-tying goal, ABC announcer Al Michaels yelled "Do you believe in miracles?YES!" as the US pulled off the stunning upset, 4-3.
But what many fans forget is that the US still had to play Finland two days later and had to beat the Finns to win the gold medal.
Down 2-1 after two periods, the Americans would score three straight goals to win the game 4-2 and capture the gold medal to complete the "Miracle on Ice".
If you want to read my article on the 25 Greatest USA Summer Olympic moments, click on the link to check it out: 25 Greatest USA Summer Olympic Moments
The Mahre Brothers, Phil + Steve, become the only pair of siblings to finish 1-2 in any Olympic event as the twins win the gold and silver medals in the men's slalom with older brother Phil(older by four minutes)finishing 1st while younger brother Steve finished 2nd.
Things get even better for Phil as he learned after the race that his wife had given birth to their second child, a son they named Alex.
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| Phil(left) and Steve Mahre embrace each other after finishing 1-2 in the 1984 men's slalom skiing event. |
14. 1984-Bill Johnson(Alpine Skiing)
After completing his training runs for the men's downhill, Bill Johnson guranteed victory when he said "I don't know why everyone else is here, everyone else is fighting for second place."
Johnson delivered on his gurantee as his time of 1:45:59(that's about 1 minute and 46 seconds) to become the first non-European skier to win gold in the men's downhill event.
13. 2006-Shani Davis(Speed Skating)
Davis makes history as he becomes the first African American to win an individual gold medal in a Winter Olympics as he wins the 1,000 meter race in speed skating at Torino, then adds a silver medal in the 1,500 meters.
Davis would duplicate the feat of winning gold in the 1,000 and silver in the 1,500 at the Vancouver Olympics four years later.
Twenty years since thier only gold medal and four years after blowing a 2-0 lead in the final four minutes of the gold medal game to Canada, the United State women's ice hockey team exorcises thier demons as they beat Canada 3-2 in a shootout with the U.S.'s Jocelyne Lamourex scoring the winning goal in the sixth round of the shootout, followed by goaltender Maddie Rooney stopping Canada's Meghan Agosta's shot to end Canada's run as four-time Olympic champions.
11. Tara Lipinski(Figure Skating)
Heading into the long program in second place just behind fellow American Michelle Kwan, 15-year-old Lipinski lands seven triple jumps to win the gold medal and became the youngest individual gold medalist in Olympic history at 15 years, 8 months, and 10 days.
10. 1968-Peggy Fleming(Figure Skating)
Seven years after a plane crash had killed the entire United States figure skating team, Fleming become the first American skater to win gold since the tragedy as she received first place votes from all nine judges on the 1968 figure skating panel, beginning a new era of American figure skating dominance.
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| Peggy Fleming won the United States' only gold medal at the 1968 Winter Olympics. |
9. 1988-Brian Botiano(Figure Skating)
The 1988 men's figure skating competition was billed as the "Battle of the Brians" between US skater Brian Botiano and Canada's Brian Orser.
The battle lives up to the hype as Botiano lands eight triple jumps in his long program and is chosen by first by five of the nine judges while Orser got 1st from the other four, to win the United States' only gold medal of the 1988 Olympics.
8. 1998-Women's Ice Hockey Team
In the first year that women's ice hockey is competed at a Winter Olympics, the United States defeats arch rival Canada 3-1 in the gold medal game to win the first gold medal in women's ice hockey.
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| The United States women's ice hockey team celebrate after winning the gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics. |
7. 1960-Forgotten Miracle(Hockey)
20 Years before the "Miracle on Ice", the United States men's hockey team captured an unlikely gold medal at the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley, California.
The United States qualifies for the medal round where they defeat the top four teams entering the Olympics: Canada, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, and Sweden as well as Germany by a combined score 29-11 to earn their first gold medal in hockey.
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| The 1960 United States men's hockey team that won the gold medal. |
6. 2002-Vonetta Flowers(Bobsled)
Riding with driver Jill Bakken, Flowers becomes the first African-American to win a gold medal at a Winter Olympics as she and Bakken win gold in the women's bobsled competition.
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| Vonetta Flowers holds up the American flag after becoming the first African American to win a Winter Olympics gold medal in the women's bobseld with Jill Bakken(right). |
5. 1948 + 1952-Dick Button(Figure Skating)
It's not that Button won back-to-back gold medals in the men's figure skating competition that land him on this list, but what he did to win those gold medals is earns him a spot on this list.
First in 1948, Button became the first skater to land a double axel jump in competition as he becomes the youngest man to win the gold medal in the figure skating competition(18 years and 202 days).
Button returned to defend his gold medal in the '52 Olympics and became the first skater to land a triple jump in competition with his triple loop, which won him his second straight gold medal, the last time a male figure skater won back-to-back gold medals in the men's singles competition at the Olympics.
4. 2002-Sarah Hughes(Figure Skating)
Entering the long program in 4th place, Hughes skates the program of her life as she lands seven triple jumps to jump from 4th to 1st as the three competitors in front of her(Michelle Kwan, Sasha Cohen, and Irina Slutskaya)all either fall or trip up during their long programs, allowing for Hughes to win the gold medal.
3. 1980-Eric Heiden(Speed Skating)
Heiden sets the record for most gold medals at a Winter Olympics as he wins all five events in speedskating competition, setting Olympic records in four of his wins(500, 1000, 1500, 5000) and a world record in the 10,000.
Heiden won more gold medals at the 1980 Games than all but two countries, the Soviet Union and East Germany.
2. 1994-Dan Jansen(Speed Skating)
Over the course of his Olympic career, Jansen earned the nickname as the "Heartbreak Kid" for his excuriating losses in the Olympics.
After finishing fourth in the 500 meters in the '84 Olympics, Jansen was a medal contender in the 500 + 1000 meter races in the '88 Olympics in Calgary.
But after learning of his sister's, Jane, death due to leukemia on the day of the 500 meter race, Jansen fell and failed to medal, then four days later fell again when it appeared he was on his way to a gold medal.
Jansen failed to medal again at the Albertville Games in 1992, and appeared he was going to finish his Olympic career without a medal as he finished 8th in the 500 at the '94 Olympics in Lillehammer.
With nothing left to lose, Jansen skated the race of his life in the 1,000 setting a world record time 1:12:43, which Jansen the coveted gold medal he had been seeking for so long.
1. 1980-Miracle on Ice(Hockey)
It is not only the greatest moment in USA Winter Olympic history, it is also probably the greatest moment in American sports history.
It is the "Miracle On Ice".
Coached by Herb Brooks, the last player to be cut from the gold-medal winning team in 1960, the U.S. hockey team entered the 1980 Olympics as the youngest team in the tournament and were not expected to medal.
But after getting a 2-2 draw against Sweden on defenseman Bill Baker's goal with 27 seconds left in their first game, the U.S. stunned Czechoslovakia, 7-3 who were favored to win the silver medal.
That got the young US team rolling as they won their next three games over Norway, Romania, and West Germany, respectively, to earn a spot in the medal round, where they had to face off with the Soviet Union, who had won the gold medal in five of the previous six Olympics and won all five of their games in the 80 tournament by a combined score of 45-11.
All this plus the fact the Soviets beat the Americans 10-3 in an exhibition game at Madison Square Garden five days before the opening cermonies, lead everybody to think it was a foregone conclusion that the USSR would easily defeat the USA.
However, the US hung with the Soviets as they only trailed 3-2 after two periods, then scored two goals in 81 seconds, with captain Mike Eruizone scoring the go-ahead goal with exactly 10 minutes left in the third period.
As the final seconds ticked away and the Soviets unable to mount an attack for the game-tying goal, ABC announcer Al Michaels yelled "Do you believe in miracles?YES!" as the US pulled off the stunning upset, 4-3.
But what many fans forget is that the US still had to play Finland two days later and had to beat the Finns to win the gold medal.
Down 2-1 after two periods, the Americans would score three straight goals to win the game 4-2 and capture the gold medal to complete the "Miracle on Ice".
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