1992 WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES
ALBERTVILLE, FRA

If 1988 had seen a small number of NHLers join the Olympics, four years later proved something of a watershed. Canada had Sean Burke in goal thanks to New Jersey’s unwillingness to re-sign him. Joe Juneau was with the team because he and the Boston Bruins couldn’t agree on a contract. And, Eric Lindros, drafted first overall by Quebec, joined the national team instead of the Nordiques. Canada finished first in Group B with four wins in five games, but needed a shootout before beating Germany in the quarter-finals. An impressive win over the Czechs set up a Canada-Soviet showdown for gold, just like the old days – but these weren’t the old days. The Soviet Union was crumbling and the players refused to play under the hammer and sickle, covering the “CCCP” on their sweaters with black tape and calling themselves the Unified Team. Motivated by the changing politics back home they skated to a 3-1 win over Canada for gold. Still, it was Canada’s best result since 1960 and signaled a new era, a return to greatness for the birthplace of the game.