[Alberta's Child]

I don't think it cost very much to host the Winter Olympics there in 1980. There were only six venues for all of the events, and most (if not all) of them were built as training centers for U.S. Olympic athletes. There were only 38 different events, and the U.S. won gold medals in only six of them. Remarkably, these included the "Miracle on Ice" gold medal in hockey, plus Eric Heiden's five gold medals in speed skating. That's it.

Another interesting bit of trivia ... The Lake Placid Olympics in 1980 were the last time the speed skating events were held outdoors. It's really strange to see video clips of those events with trees and mountains in the background, and spectators bundled up in the cold!

[Norm Lenhart]

I’m from there. (just up the road.) Trust me when I tell you. It tanked a lot of businesses and cost money that was not there to spend. And when you are a town of a few thousand, it takes decades to replace tens of millions of dollars that the state screwed you on.