10 Best Moments in Winter Olympic History

The 10 best moments in Winter Olympics history is full of wonderfully exciting moments. The great moments in Olympic history are not always about winning the medal. They are the moments  full of triumph, tribute and teamwork of the Olympic athletes. Here is a look back upon the ten best moments in Winter Olympic history.

1. American hockey team upsets the Soviet Union in semifinal round; 1980. This magical and miraculous moment just happen to come, when America was at a all time low. It was a time where unemployment was high, the cold war was front page news and American hostages were being held in Iran. That is what made the American hockey team's victory over the Soviet Union just a bit sweeter. It showed people all over the world, that a young and determined group of Americans could do anything they put their minds to, even beating out more experienced hockey teams.
2. The Valentine's Day skate of Torville and Dean; 1984. Christopher Dean and Jane Torville preformed the skate of a lifetime, and would go on to win the gold medal for Britain in Sarajevo. People all over the world were mesmerized at the beauty and grace, of this ice dancing couple. They received three perfect scores for technical merit and nine out of nine perfect scores for artistic impression.
3. Sarah Storms wins Gold at Salt Lake City; 2002. Going into the long program Sarah was in fourth place. After skating a near perfect long program, and a couple of mistakes from the favorites, she was able to move to first place. Before Sarah, no skater had ever come back from fourth place to win a gold medal.
4. Nancy Kerrigan wins silver at Lilliehammer; 1994. A vicious attack at the U.S National Competition, left Nancy not knowing if she would be able to perform at the Olympic games. Nancy recovered in time to skate a near perfect performance, and win a silver medal.
   
5. The Jamaican bobsled team; 1988. Jamaica has always been known for it's warm beaches, but for a small time in Olympic history they stunned the world with their love for ice. The Jamaican's sled flipped over on the way down the track, but were greeted by tons of screaming fans as they walked across the finish line. Their determination inspired the movie Cool Runnings.
   
6. The Battle of the Brians; 1988. In Calgary, men's figure skating heated up when two friendly rivals, American Brian Boitano and Canadian Brian Orser took to the ice. Essentially tied after the short programs it would be Boitano who would put on the performance of a lifetime to win gold.
   
7. Steven Bradbury wins gold; 2002. In Salt Lake City an Australian speed skater, Steven Bradbury, may have become the luckiest speed skater in Olympic history. Skating at the back of the pack, he took advantage of a collision from the other skaters. When the three front skaters collided, Steven was able to skate past them winning gold.
   
8. Dan Jansen finally wins gold; 1994. In one of the saddest moments in Olympic history Dan hears about the death of his sister, just moments before the start of his race. The favorite Dan Jansen failed to medal. It would take two more Olympic appearances before Dan would win gold in the 1000 meter in Lilliehammer.
   
9. Bonnie Blair wins five gold medals; 1994. American speed skating sensation, Bonnie Blair, was the first woman to win five gold medals in Winter Olympic history.
   
10. Dick Button moves figure skating forward; 1954. American Dick Button was the first man to preform a triple loop at the winter Olympic games. This jump is still used in men and women's figure skating today.

Moments like these are what the Winter Olympics games are all about. It is a time for athletes to overcome adversity and to achieve the unthinkable.