With the 2026 Olympic Winter Games getting underway in Milano-Cortina, Italy, some fans may not recall that it was 70 years ago at the 1956 Cortina D’Ampezzo Olympic Winter Games when 17 American hockey players created history by becoming the first U.S. Olympic Team to defeat Canada.

The score was 4-1, and three of the goals came off the stick of the finest American player of his era, John Mayasich.

The following morning, Mayasich penned a letter to his wife, which is shared in his new biography: “John Mayasich: Immigrant Roots to Olympic Gold.”

Wednesday, Feb-1-1956: “Dearest Carole, Sure am happy this morning - We beat the Canadians last night 4-1 and we actually did the impossible. Was never so happy after a game, Hon. Got 3 goals and was given the game puck. Hurt my knee again and I was sick during the 1st period. Worked too much I guess - Doctor said my pulse was too high after the 1st period so I was lucky to play the rest of the game. My pulse is bouncing up when I play like that. We have a day off today and then play the Swedes Thursday night. We play Russia Friday night and the Czech’s Saturday night. I sure hope we win it now. The Russians are real good. We have to play hard against them like we did against the Canadians. I’m going to watch the mens free skating this afternoon. All I do is sleep and eat around here. Will be glad when it’s all over and especially happy if we win. Ike was real good in the nets and the defense was real good last night.”

Mayasich finished the tournament with 10 points (6G, 4A) and the U.S. went on to take home the silver medal in Cortina. Four years later, Mayasich was one of four defensemen who played in front of goalie Jack McCartan when the U.S. won its first hockey gold medal at the 1960 Winter Olympic Winter Games in Squaw Valley, California.

Born in May 1933 as the 11th of 12 children of Croatian immigrants, Mayasich grew up in Eveleth, Minnesota, a mining town that in early in the 20th century served as the launching pad for almost a dozen NHL players. Mayasich’s father worked in the iron ore mines surrounding Eveleth; his mother did everything else.

The Great Depression sank its incisors deep into working families, so Mayasich and his siblings worked jobs outside the family and turned over what they made to their mother. Rationing and privation of World War II became the backdrop of Mayasich’s early teens. The family home had three bedrooms: One for his parents, one for his sisters and one for his brothers. Growing up, Mayasich slept sideways on a bed he shared with two, three or four brothers at a time.

The vitality of Eveleth’s hockey culture played a key part in introducing Mayasich to the sport. More importantly, Mayasich put the time in to develop skills to master the game. By the time he was in the 7th grade, he was banned from Saturday morning indoor hockey played in the famous Eveleth Hippodrome. The reason for the ban?

None of his peers could stop him from scoring.

He made coach Cliff Thompson’s varsity as a freshman. Eveleth never lost a game with Mayasich on the roster, and Mayasich set still-unreachable Minnesota high school tournament scoring records in an era of 12-minute periods.

Check out “John Mayasich: Immigrant Roots to Olympic Gold” by Roger Dier to learn more about Mayasich.