Ice hockey is a popular sport, but what many people don’t realize is that the game has been played at every Olympic Winter Games. The game started being contested at the Olympics in 1920, and back then, teams were made up of seven players on the ice.

Canada dominated the early Olympics, until 1956, when the Soviet Union first entered the tournament. The USSR ruled the Olympic men’s tournament until it broke apart in 1980 and a new, unrestricted U.S. team swept through the semifinals and won gold in Lake Placid, the victory now known as “The Miracle on Ice.”

The Olympic rules are pretty similar to those used in the NHL. There are three 20-minute periods with 15 minute intermissions, and a goal is scored when the puck crosses the goal line on its way into the net. But there are some differences, most notably the rules of overtime. If the game is tied after regulation, a 10-minute sudden death overtime period takes place, and if that doesn’t determine a winner, the game will go to a shoot out.

Sweden and the United States were the only two teams to have a game that ended in a tie in 1994. Peter Forsberg of Sweden took the first shot in the shootout and scored to win the gold medal. Eric Lindros of Canada then had to shoot. He tried to slide the puck in through a gap between the goalie and the post, but it didn’t completely cross the line. As a result, Lindros was awarded the silver medal.