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Russian helps US win gold at Games 1960
(anectodage.com)
Updated: 2006-04-20 13:37

Jack Riley coached the American Olympic hockey team to gold at the 1960 Olympics thanks to some help from an unlikely source.

Nikolai Sologubov, a Russian, provided the key for the U.S. team to win the Olympics in 1960 in Squaw Valley, California.

The U.S. had never before won the Olympic title. All the team needed after unexpected victories over Canada and the Soviet Union was to defeat Czechoslovakia in the final game.

After two periods the Americans were playing lethargically because of the thin air high in the Sierra Nevadas. They were trailing 4-3.

During the intermission between the second and third periods, Sologubov, who spoke no English, went to the U.S. dressing room and, through gestures, suggested the Americans inhale oxygen.

They did. When they returned to the ice revived they routed the Czechs, 9-4, winning the title.