1932 Olympics - Lake Placid, United States

Lake Placid hosted their first Winter Olympics back in 1932. It was the first time the Winter Games came to North America, with the small New York state town beating out, among other cities, Montreal.

Just four countries competed in these Olympics. Germany and Poland were clearly the weak sisters, with Germany capturing the bronze medal thanks to a 4-1 win over Poland on the final day of the tournament.

Canada and the United States battled it out for gold, with the US showing strong against the Allan Cup champion Winnipeg Hockey Club. In the first game Canada barely beat the Americans 2-1 in overtime. Double overtime was required in the second game, with the game being declared a draw at 2-2. Canada would take home the gold medal.

There was a lot of ill will between the two teams. Prior to the Games, the Americans played an exhibition game against the Boston Bruins, with the Olympic team keeping a large amount of the gate receipts. Canada objected, claiming they were no longer amateur players. Canada ultimately backed down.

Canada was also upset most of the games were held on the outdoor rink, subject to terrible weather and ice conditions, when an indoor rink was available. Canada cried foul, accusing the organizers of try to nullify Canada's superior skill.

These Olympics were again a no-name special.

The United States were led by names like Ding Palmer, Doug Everett and goaltender Frank Farrell, who wore a mask to protect his glasses.

Here's the American team picture. See if you notice any discrepancies among the uniforms they are wearing.


Three of the players are wearing white bands around their chest. This was done by design, to differentiate defensemen and forwards. If a forward sees a player with the white band, a defenseman, ahead of him, that was a signal for the forward to stay back and temporarily fill in the defensive position.

Canada also featured no historically important figures. Captain and goalie William Cockburn, back up goalie Stanley Wagner, Roy Hinkel, Hugh Sutherland, George Garbutt, Walter Monson, Harold "Hack" Simpson, Bert "Spunk" Duncanson, Romeo Rivers, Aliston "Stoney" Wise, Clifford Crowley, Victor Lindquist, Norm Malloy, and Kenneth Moore all skated for Canada.

If there was one name that stands out for Canada it would be manager Lou Marsh, who later went on to a pioneering career in sports journalism.

Here is also a picture of the Polish hockey team:

The Germans featured Gustav Jaenecke and Rudi Ball



Olympic Hockey History

GreatestHockeyLegends.com is the home of an extensive history of Olympic hockey. You can view each Olympic hockey tournament (men's and women's) below by clicking on the year of your choice. You can also enjoy my profiles of Olympic Hockey Legends.

1920 - Antwerp, Belgium
1924 - Chamonix, France
1928 - St. Moritz, Switz.
1932 - Lake Placid, USA
1936 - G.P., Germany
1940 - No Games - WWII
1944 - No Games - WWII
1948 - St. Moritz, Switz.
1952 - Oslo, Norway
1956 - Cortina, Italy
1960 - Squaw Valley, USA
1964 - Innsbruck, Austria
1968 - Grenoble, France
1972 - Sapporo, Japan
1976 - Innsbruck, Austria
1980 - Lake Placid, USA
1984 - Sarajevo, Yugoslavia
1988 - Calgary, Canada
1992 - Albertville, France
1994 - Lillehammer, Norway
1998 - Nagano, Japan
2002 - Salt Lake City, USA
2006 - Torino, Italy
2010 - Vancouver, Canada