Whether it was the United States claiming both the women’s and men’s hockey gold medals with dramatic overtime wins over Canada, or the exhilaration and grace of individual events from skiing and snow boarding to figure skating, luge ... and more, the Winter Olympics in Italy had something — and then some — for just about everyone throughout much of the month of February.

The Winter Olympics feature daring, amazing, how-did-they-do-that? trickery on skis, skates, and snowboards. And then there was fulfillment of the need for speed with various luge, bobsleigh, and skeleton races on ice tracks. If you’ve ever had to close your eyes while sledding out of control down a steep icy hill, or cringed while watching Chevy Chase burn a hole through a metal saucer in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, imagine what the Olympians feel while pushing 100 miles per hour with little between them and an ice track.

Skeleton seems like an appropriate name for the event in which athletes go face-first, reaching speeds of 80-plus miles per hour. After all, it seems like a deathly scary event. But why is it called skeleton? These are the theories as to how skeleton got its name, according to nbcolympics.com:

*In 1882, English soldiers created the sport as a variation of tobogganing, or sledding, featuring a serpentine course that twisted and curved — kind of like a skeleton.

*Ten years later, an Englishman named Mr Child created a steel sled intended for racing down similar tracks. The name may have originated from the sled’s appearance.

*Some suggest the skeleton’s name is an incorrect translation of the Norwegian word “kjelke,” or “sled.”

Speaking of the history behind sports, and switching gears from deathly-scary or death-defying competition to one that could not have anything less in common with all other Winter Olympic sports, how about curling? According to worldcurling.org, “what may have started as an enjoyable pastime of throwing stones over ice during a harsh Northern European winter, has evolved into a popular modern sport with its own world championships, which attract fans and large television audiences.” The website goes on to share that the first clubs were formed in Scotland and that during the 19th century the game was exported wherever Scots settled around the world in cold climates, most notably at that time in Canada, the United States, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, and New Zealand. Resembling a hybrid of bocce and floor sweeping, curling involves guiding a granite stone toward a target using a broom. The game’s increased popularity has been evident locally with Nutmeg Curling Club just down the road in the same complex as the Wonderland of Ice skating rinks in Bridgeport.

The Olympics put a magnifying glass on a different form of teamwork — in the case of hockey, bringing together rivals accustomed to bashing each other into the boards in the NHL — uniting as countries. Norway won the overall medal count tally with 41 total medals. The US was second with 33, including a national record 12 golds. Factor in the nearly 50 combined hockey players and a not-so-valid argument could be made the US won the medal count — just something to discuss with the country taking gold in the only true team competition, albeit there is four-person bobsleigh, doubles luge and, of course, pairs figure skating.

No matter what their sport, the athletes demonstrated great resilience, skill, and — for the most part — sportsmanship. Aside from the curling cheating controversy, which was far less of a big deal than the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan assault issue in 1994, the biggest difficult moments in this year’s Olympics included:

*Lindsey Vonn returning to the ski slopes after several injuries only to crash badly and be air-lifted away for treatment. The difference between glory and a gruesome injury is a matter of inches, if not less. Vonn’s hand caught a gate and it led to her crash, showing how close these athletes cut it to make the cut or best time. This was among multiple injuries on the Olympic slopes, but the most notable due to multiple fractures and doctors managing to avoid leg amputation.

*Polish short track speed skater Kamila Sellier was hospitalized after being kicked in the face by a competitor’s blade during a crash.

*Not injury related but notable nonetheless, American figure skater Ilia Malinin, known for landing backflips and favored to win gold, had a couple of spills attempting to execute “easier” maneuvers during his routine, but carried on and displayed great strength to finish his routine gracefully while likely being torn up on the inside. History was made, anyhow, with Malinin becoming the first skater to legally land back flips — amazingly, on one foot — in the Olympics for the first time since a 1977 ban on back flips was lifted in 2024. Malinin also helped the US claim gold in a team skating competition.

The US women’s hockey team dominated the competition until needing a late goal to force overtime and then crushing Canada’s hopes. Then, the player — Jack Hughes — who had his teeth knocked out late in regulation of the gold medal game ended up netting the winner, 46 years to the day the US upset the heavily favored Soviet Union to advance to the gold medal game, eventually defeating Finland for gold.

Winter Olympics, hockey, and non-sports fans alike may appreciate a Netflix documentary: Miracle: The Boys of ‘80, which tells the story of the underdog Americans.

The next Olympics will occur when the Summer Games take place in Los Angeles in 2028. Already excited for the next Winter Games? They are held every four years, so the next is in 2030, and will take place in the French Alps. However, you don’t have to wait that long; the 2026 Paralympics are just around the corner. Talk about inspiring — athletes compete in para Alpine skiing, biathlon, cross country skiing, hockey, and snow boarding, along with wheelchair curling, March 6-15. Visit paralympic.org for more information.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.