1980 CANADA NATIONAL MEN'S TEAM

1980 WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES
LAKE PLACID N.Y., USA

The IIHF helped further Canada’s return to international hockey by moving the world championship to later in the season to allow players not in the NHL playoffs to participate, and although Canada was, technically, allowed to use NHLers at the Olympics, pros were, for all intents and purposes, still barred from the Olympics because the Games took place during the heart of the NHL season. So Canada’s team for the 1980 event in Lake Placid once again featured university players and a national team setup. Although there were a few stars on the team, there weren’t enough to claim a medal. The pro-amateur contrast was never so evident, but Canada’s team played so well that officials at the CAHA later admitted this alone might have given the national team program a reprieve. There were positive signs to go with a disappointing sixth-place finish, but change was coming at a glacial pace in the opinion of hockey fans in Canada.