Miracle.
The word alone conjurs up many things. For people of faith, they think of the great works done by unseen forces. Names and places assocaited with “miracles” include Lourdes, Guadalupe, Fatima and Medjugorje. Pilgrims who head to these sites do so with great reverance and often searching for help from the divine.
For American hockey fans, the word “miracle” brings one memory to mind. Whether or not you were alive to witness the events at Lake Placid, NY in 1980, that game has been cemented into our collective psyche. The fact that a team of young American college students were able to beat the machine that was the Soviet Red Army team still amazes people. What was more miraculous in that one win, is that it united a nation at the brink of despair. That win transcended the game of hockey and created a national identity when there was none. In fact, it’s the kind of story that only Hollywood could create. While it’s not religious in nature, many hockey fans treat that one moment in time with as much reverence as the devout person praying at Lourdes.
When fans saw the pools for this year’s Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, many wondered if the miracle could happen again as the United States and Canada were in the same pool. In fact, I wondered when they announced the roster for Team USA at this year’s Winter Classic at Fenway Park in Boston, if they were trying to channel some of that youthful exuberance that was the Miracle on Ice. Gone were the familiar faces of previous incarnations of Team USA. No Mike Modano, no Keith Tkachuk, no Scott Gomez. In their place were young faces like Patrick Kane, Zach Parise, Bobby Ryan, and Ryan Miller. Strangely enough, of the small list I named, not one of them was alive for the Miracle on Ice.
If you’re like me, you’re an avid reader of the so-called hockey Bible known as The Hockey News. The February 8, 2010 issue was a dedicated Olympic edition. Rosters, pool play, schedules, and of course predictions were printed. According to the experts of that hallowed publication, Team USA was to have placed fourth, behind Canada, Russia, and Sweden in that order. The new look and new faces of Team USA, which made them the youngest team in the Olympics, were to be their drawback while the medal contenders were going to depend on more of their tried and true players of the past.
Given the predicted finish for Team USA, I doubt that any one could have forseen them coming out of round robin play undefeated, especially since that required a tilt against Team Canada. That “miraculous” 5-3 win against our neighbors to the north said to the rest of tournament, especially Team Canada, that Team USA came to play and that they’re ready to contend. Besides, what would be better than to upset the favored team on home soil? While Team USA wasn’t favored in 2002, one can bet that the players wanted to pay back that loss on home soil.
However, that was not to be. Team USA found themselves down 2-1 at the start of the third period. Team Canada did not play with the same sense of indifference that they did the previous Sunday. It was that indifference and sense of urgency that Team USA had, on which the Americans capitalized. Team Canada entered Hockey Canada Place with but one goal, a goal they could not fail in attaining. One can only imagine the figurative asterisk that would have followed the 2010 Team Canada had they failed to win on home soil. I don’t know about you, but I spent much of the third period thinking, “it’s over.” Canada just seemed to have the momentum the entire game. However, it was that same youthful exuberence that has been the face of Team USA this year that almost saved them. With under twenty-five seconds of play in regulation remaining and an extra attacker, Zach Parise forced this game into an extra session.
It should come as no surprise that the game would be won by the person who has become the face of hockey, not only in Canada but to a degree the world. At the 7:40 mark of the overtime session, it was none other than Sidney Crosby who got the puck behind American goaltender, Ryan Miller. If there is one good thing that can be said about this result of this game, it is this. I cannot express how happy I am that this game was decided by actual hockey play. It would have been anti-climatic had the game been decided in a shoot-out, since shoot-outs are allowed to determine championships in international play. While Canadian fans would have still been happy with a gold won in a shoot-out, I don’t think they would have been as proud about it. It is events like this when I am glad I am a National Hockey League fan, where championships are determined on actual play than the novelty of the shoot-out. It would be nice if the International Ice Hockey Federation would change this one rule. Gold medals should be won in the course of play, regardless of how many overtime sessions it would take.
So Team USA, thank you for making us believe in miracles yet again. We weren’t supposed to have made it this far. While you didn’t get the result that we did in 1960 and 1980, you have nothing of which to be ashamed. Regardless of the decisions of the NHL for the next Winter Olympics in 2014, you have a place in the history of American hockey. Thank you Team USA General Manager Brian Burke for having the forsight to take this team in a new direction. Thank you for being a leader, even in your family’s time of grief.
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