Rare winner's medal issued for ice hockey at the Innsbruck 1976 Winter Olympics. Gilt silver, 72 mm, 161 gm, by M. Coufal, Vienna. The front, inscribed, "Olympische Winterspiele XII, Innsbruck 1976," features the Innsbruck Olympic emblem; the reverse identifies the sport as hockey, "Eishockey," and portrays the Bergisel ski jump with the Alps in the background. Stamped "A925" on the edge. Complete with original red-and-white ribbon and hinged presentation case, with the "Innsbruck 1976" emblem on the lid. The case exhibits some scuffing and rubbing.
The 1976 Winter Olympic ice hockey tournament served as a showcase for the rivalry between the USSR and Czechoslovak national teams. In the gold-medal game, Czechoslovakia was up 2–0 after the first period. In the second, the score was tied by Vladimir Shadrin and Vladimir Petrov. Eight minutes before the end of the game Eduard Novák scored the third goal for the Czechoslovak team. But rapid-fire goals by Aleksandr Yakushev and Valeri Kharlamov—in the span of a minute—led to the 4-3 victory of the USSR. The Czech team earned silver medals for their valiant effort against the powerhouse Soviet squad, which won gold for the fourth consecutive Olympiad.
