1980 US Gold Medal Team

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: 1980 US Gold Medal Team

Besides being the team trainer, he was a long time friend and confidant of Brooks', and had some really great stories to tell. This one was my favorite.

“There was this one time,” Smitty said, “When we were playing this lower rung Soviet B squad in a meaningless exhibition game. The Soviets had a shady-looking KGB man on their bench. He was there to make sure the players wouldn’t defect. The Russians thought so little of our American team that they let the KGB guy play a few shifts. The KGB guy got hit into the boards, his jersey rode up, and I saw a pistol in his pads! Hockey is a tough sport, but our boys from Minnesota hadn’t seen anyone like that before.”

<a href="http://wild.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=517812">Read Story</a>

I gotta say, those are some good stories. Pulling a player back on the bench to avoid a "You Can't Count" penalty, and of course the Herbies. I wonder how much consulting he did for the Disney film.

 

[mnstate0fhockey]

I gotta say, those are some good stories. Pulling a player back on the bench to avoid a "You Can't Count" penalty, and of course the Herbies. I wonder how much consulting he did for the Disney film.

You know, I was wondering the same thing. I imagine a good deal. If you'd like another wonderful read, I suggest reading this book:

<IMG SRC="http://ecimages.kobobooks.com/Image.ashx?imageID=r7Ub-4D3JUiNYP197k1SPA&Type=Full"></>

It was written by a long-time columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune that was also a very good friend of Brooks. Brooks brought him on as the public relations and media contact for the Olympic team, so he has a lot of cool inside stories. It also talks about the 1960 Olympic team and has some great college and NHL hockey stories as well. It's by no means a Gopher-centric book and is a great read for any hockey fan.

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: 1980 US Gold Medal Team

Yeah, I noticed that a bunch of players were there congratulating Eruzione, even though there were 10 minutes left in the game. No way this would fly today, presumably a penalty. Was this done more regularly back then?

Happened routinely during the 1980 games, at least from the American players. It would definitely be a penalty today.

 

[Wisko McBadgerton]

Re: 1980 US Gold Medal Team

It's difficult to overstate the magnitude of the upset that this game was. It's been said it's like a bunch of college stars beating the Pittsburgh Steelers, but I find that to be less than accurate.
Imagine if, above the NFL, we had a National Football team that only the best of the best NFL players were selected for. Call it 'The Super Team'. Of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Aaron Rodgers (pick your own guys) two would almost never play and one would not even be good enough to make the team. The same goes for every position, every single player is the absolute best we can produce. And it's not a part-time all-star team, it's an all the time team. A veteran team built to destroy Superbowl champions. They practice, play, live, eat, breathe, nothing but football 365 days a year. Add in the best coaches, trainers, physicians, the best support personell, monetary support, fan support... everything and anything needed, and all of them dedicated to the prospect of not just winning, but totally decimating any and all opposition on the field. This would be an approximation of the Soviet Hockey machine.

Now as opponents let's take a bunch of Canadian college football players- (Yes, they play some football in Canada) A handful of which will eventually go on to play in the NFL, and some more will play in the CFL for a few years before realizing they just aren't good enough to make it at the top level, and for others, this will be their last team.
Now the Canadian kids get six months to practice and play some exhibition games while the American Super Team has been together for years, plays a full schedule and defeats the defending Super Bowl Champions 56-0 leading up to the big game. Oh yeah, and right before the big game, the Super Team beats the Canadian Kids 70-21 while coasting through the second half, taking out Adrian Peterson after 3 carries for 224 yards and three touchdowns, and Manning, who is 11-11 with five touchdowns...

Yet when the time comes, a handful of early twenty-something-year-old kids from Moose Jaw and Nova Scotia believe they can beat the Super Team at their own game... And they do.

No big deal, really.

 

[Gurtholfin]

Re: 1980 US Gold Medal Team

It's difficult to overstate the magnitude of the upset that this game was. It's been said it's like a bunch of college stars beating the Pittsburgh Steelers, but I find that to be less than accurate.
Imagine if, above the NFL, we had a National Football team that only the best of the best NFL players were selected for. Call it 'The Super Team'. Of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Aaron Rodgers (pick your own guys) two would almost never play and one would not even be good enough to make the team. The same goes for every position, every single player is the absolute best we can produce. And it's not a part-time all-star team, it's an all the time team. A veteran team built to destroy Superbowl champions. They practice, play, live, eat, breathe, nothing but football 365 days a year. Add in the best coaches, trainers, physicians, the best support personell, monetary support, fan support... everything and anything needed, and all of them dedicated to the prospect of not just winning, but totally decimating any and all opposition on the field. This would be an approximation of the Soviet Hockey machine.

Now as opponents let's take a bunch of Canadian college football players- (Yes, they play some football in Canada) A handful of which will eventually go on to play in the NFL, and some more will play in the CFL for a few years before realizing they just aren't good enough to make it at the top level, and for others, this will be their last team.
Now the Canadian kids get six months to practice and play some exhibition games while the American Super Team has been together for years, plays a full schedule and defeats the defending Super Bowl Champions 56-0 leading up to the big game. Oh yeah, and right before the big game, the Super Team beats the Canadian Kids 70-21 while coasting through the second half, taking out Adrian Peterson after 3 carries for 224 yards and three touchdowns, and Manning, who is 11-11 with five touchdowns...

Yet when the time comes, a handful of early twenty-something-year-old kids from Moose Jaw and Nova Scotia believe they can beat the Super Team at their own game... And they do.

No big deal, really.

Incredible post. Well done!

 

[Wisko McBadgerton]

Re: 1980 US Gold Medal Team

Oh, also there was a rule made a year or two ago on the internet that henceforth no 'Miracle on Ice' thread shall be deemed complete without the inclusion of this:



Everything should be ok now.