<P> In the last exhibition game against the Soviets at Madison Square Garden on February 9, 1980, the Soviets crushed the Americans 10--3 . Soviet head coach Viktor Tikhonov later said that this victory "turned out to be a very big problem" by causing the Soviets to underestimate the American team . The game was also costly for the Americans off - ice, as defenseman Jack O'Callahan pulled a ligament in his knee; however, Brooks kept O'Callahan on the roster which meant virtually playing with only 19 players throughout the tournament . O'Callahan would eventually return for the game against the Soviets playing limited minutes . </P> <P> In Olympic group play, the Americans surprised many observers with their physical, cohesive play . In their first game against favored Sweden, Team USA earned a dramatic 2--2 draw by scoring with 27 seconds left after pulling goalie Jim Craig for an extra attacker . Had Team USA not scored this goal and all other results remained the same, the Soviet Union would have emerged with the gold medal on goal differential over the U.S. in the medal round . Then came a stunning 7--3 victory over Czechoslovakia, who were a favorite for the silver medal . With its two toughest games in the group phase out of the way, the U.S. team reeled off three more wins, beating Norway 5--1, Romania 7--2, and West Germany 4--2 to go 4--0--1 and advance to the medal round from its group, along with Sweden . </P> <P> In the other group, the Soviets stormed through their opposition undefeated, often by grossly lopsided scores . They defeated Japan 16--0, the Netherlands 17--4, Poland 8--1, Finland 4--2, and Canada 6--4 to easily qualify for the next round, although both the Finns and the Canadians gave the Soviets tough games for two periods . In the end, the Soviet Union and Finland advanced from their group . </P> <P> The U.S. and Soviet teams prepared for the medal round in different ways . Soviet coach Viktor Tikhonov rested most of his best players, preferring to let them study plays rather than actually skate . U.S. coach Herb Brooks, however, continued with his tough, confrontational style, skating hard practices and berating his players for perceived weaknesses and to build stamina . Brooks' goal was to have his team be able to keep up with the Soviets through all three periods . </P>

Where did the 1980 olympic hockey team practice