Herb Brooks Arena (Olympic Center)

Herb Brooks Arena is the ice hockey rink where one of sport's most famous upsets took place: the US hockey team's 4-3 defeat of the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics. The arena still has the original ice surface, and the rink is in continuous use for public skating, hockey leagues, and events. A visit here, even without a scheduled event, has a quietly charged atmosphere — the seating and the dimensions are exactly as they were in 1980.

The arena is part of the larger Olympic Center complex on Main Street, which also includes the Lake Placid Olympic Museum. You can skate on the Miracle on Ice rink most days during the skating season (autumn through spring). Check the schedule in advance as the surface is often booked for hockey. The adjacent James Sheffield outdoor speed skating oval, where Eric Heiden won all five of his gold medals in 1980, is also visible from the parking area.

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A story
On 22 February 1980, the US men's hockey team — made up largely of college students — defeated the Soviet Union 4-3 in this rink. The Soviets were the clear favourites, having won nearly every major hockey tournament for two decades. The game is remembered as the "Miracle on Ice" and is widely regarded as the greatest upset in sporting history. The US went on to win the gold medal against Finland two days later.