I know it’s played on ice with a puck, a stick and a lot of fisticuffs, but beyond that, it’s just a bunch of big guys on skates. Small towns and rural communities — those I care about. Eveleth, Minn.

In 1994, it was Sweden, on the stick of Peter Forsberg, who would win the first Olympic gold medal in hockey decided by a shootout. Unlike the NHL where fights on the ice frequently occur, the ...