I never found a way to get into hockey as a kid. It had all the elements of sports I follow religiously-- a quicker pace than basketball, the physical nature of soccer and the strategy of football. But, because I grew up in New Jersey, hockey just wasn't in the forefront.
However, I haven't been as into an Olympic event as I was last night while watching USA-Canada. The 5-3 victory was intriguing for a multitude of reasons.
It put Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller on an international pedastal after posting 42 saves. For New Jersey Devils fans, watching Brian Rafalski and Jamie Lagenbrunner beat Martin Brodeur must have been a bit awkward. And, with today being the 30th anniversary of "The Miracle on Ice" in Lake Placid, there was a little extra emotion added to beating the hosts while wearing the throwback USA jerseys from 1980.
In no way, shape or form am I trying to compare the two wins. One revolutionized the sport, calmed political tensions momentarily and had no-name kids beating the world's best from overseas. The other was an upset, but just because the United States hadn't defeated Canada in "their sport" since 1960.
The fact that the U.S. avoids Canada and Russia until a potential gold medal showdown makes this win even sweeter. ESPN's Barry Melrose said on the day of the opening ceremonies that if the United States took home gold that it would send equivalent shockwaves through the hockey world to those felt in 1980 (which I find to be a ridiculous statement).
The closest thing linking those two teams is that defenseman Brooks Orpik is named for 1980 coach Herb Brooks (pictured)-- no other parallels can be made.
Yes, it was awesome watching Ryan Kesler send an all-out diving shot into an empty net to end things, but it can't compare to Mike Eruzione dancing after a goal in New York or Jim Craig turning away 36 shots against Boris Mikhailov and the Soviets.
Americans should enjoy watching this scrappy group of hockey players make a run toward a gold medal. But make no mistake about it, it won't create thousands of new hockey fans like Al Michaels' call and the U.S. squad's accomplishment did three decades ago.
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