Lake Placid Olympic Center
Home to one outdoor and four indoor venues used at the Olympic Winter Games Lake Placid 1980, the Olympic Center remains a much-used sporting and events hub and has undergone a major revamp.
Like Lake Placid’s other Olympic venues, the Olympic Center is owned jointly by the community and the New York Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA). Two of the Center’s five venues were built for the Olympic Winter Games in 1932: the James C. Sheffield Speed Skating Oval, which was also the outdoor speed skating venue in 1980; and the Olympic Arena (now known as the 1932 Rink – Jack Shea Arena), which hosted some ice hockey matches in 1980.
Its three other venues were all built specially for the 1980 Games, when they were used for the figure skating and ice hockey competitions and for training: the Field House US Ice Rink (since renamed the USA Rink); the Field House International Rink (now the 1980 Rink – Herb Brooks Arena); and the Lussi Rink, renamed the Conference Center in 2011. The Olympic Center is also home to the Lake Placid Olympic Museum and the Lake Placid Hall of Fame.
The Olympic Center welcomed more than 1 million visitors in 2024, contributing for a large part to the total USD 80 million generated by all venues. It hosts hundreds of competitions, programmes and events every year, including skating classes all year round and synchronised ice-skating camps. Further attractions are the annual men’s and women’s college ice hockey championships, the ISU Grand Prix Skate America and the World Synchronised Skating Championships. The James C. Sheffield Speed Skating Oval hosted events for the 2023 FISU World University Games, it is also regularly used for local and regional speed skating events and was the venue for the 2019 US Long Track Junior Championships.
All the Center’s venues underwent refurbishment as part of a USD 100 million project in preparation for the 2023 Winter World University Games, the first major upgrade of the facilities since Lake Placid hosted the 1980 Olympic Winter Games. These improvements included an extensive revamp of the 1932 Rink – Jack Shea Arena and the USA Rink, the creation of new hospitality suites at the 1980 Rink – Herb Brooks Arena, and the construction of a new multi-level car park.
For its part, the James C. Sheffield Speed Skating Oval had a new refrigeration system installed, among other upgrades designed to ensure compliance with international competition standards. An open-air viewing deck overlooking the Oval was built, while part of the conference center was turned over to offices.
The Olympic Center’s venues are part of sporting history. The Oval saw 106 men and women break Olympic skating records on its new 400-metre refrigerated track at the 1980 Games, when the USA’s Eric Heiden won a record five individual gold medals on its ice.
The 1980 Herb Brooks Arena was the iconic setting for the so-called Miracle on Ice at Lake Placid 1980, when the USA’s team of amateur players recorded a dramatic 4-3 victory over tournament favourites the USSR in the medal round of the men’s ice hockey competition. This unforgettable upset became one of the greatest moments in sports history and a special place of pilgrimage for US ice hockey fans. To honor the legacy of the USA’s coach that day, the late Herb Brooks, the arena was renamed in 2005 on the 25th anniversary of the match. All 19 members of that US team, which went on to win the gold medal and were later awarded the Congressional Gold Medal — one of the highest civilian honors in the United States — reunited for the occasion and continue to come together annually for the Miracle on Ice Fantasy Camp, an event that celebrates their historic achievement and inspires new generations of hockey players. The next edition of the camp is scheduled to take place in May 2026, offering fans a unique chance to connect with hockey legends and relive the spirit of that legendary game.