In 1929, Lake Placid was chosen to host the 1932 Winter Olympics, largely because of an impassioned pitch by Godfrey Dewey and the region’s merit as the premier destination for winter sports in the United States. The 1932 games were a resounding success for both Lake Placid and USA Olympics, with the United States winning the Winter Olympics medal tally for the first time in history.
The Winter Olympics returned to Lake Placid in 1980, hosting thirty-seven nations represented by over 1,000 athletes. During the height of a tense period in the Cold War, the United States Olympic Hockey Team massively upset the juggernaut Soviet Olympic Hockey Team in the tournament’s semi-final round, capturing the hearts of the entire nation.
