In the days leading up to the Olympics, the U.S. and Soviet teams played one last exhibition. The Soviet team easily defeated the overwhelmed Americans, winning by a score of 10-3. The exhibition was played on February 9, 1980, and the Winter Olympics started February 13. The 10-3 result highlighted the overall excellence of the Soviet team, a squad that had defeated a team of NHL All-Stars and featured skaters who were older, bigger, and more skilled than their American counterparts.