Breaking Down a Miracle on Ice Movie: The Stars versus the Olympians

After the confrontation in the creepy hallway, it’s time for the game between the North Stars and the US Olympians. The game coverage begins with an annoying announcer’s voice providing the commentary: “From the Metropolitan Sports Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, home of the Minnesota North Stars, it’s the North Stars of the National Hockey League against US Olympic team.” What a pompous guy, referring to the National Hockey League instead of just calling it the NHL like virtually everyone else on the planet. I already dislike this announcer even more than Pierre McGuire, which is saying something since the following meme depicts my relationship with Pierre McGuire’s NHL commentary quite succinctly:

Getting past my detest-at-first-hearing feelings for the commentator of this Stars and US Olympic team game, it’s time for us to listen in as the US team completes a warm-up skate. As they circle the arena, Buzz asks Les Auge, “Hey, how are you feeling?”

Shrugging repeatedly, Les Auge replies, “Oh, I don’t know. I don’t feel ready, you know.” What a weird answer. If you don’t feel ready, then you know exactly how you feel, so don’t start off by saying that you don’t have a clue what emotions you are experiencing, because it makes you sound like this:

“Yeah, I do,” Rizzo answers, “but for me, it’s now or never, you know?” I feel like “you know” has been really overused in this conversation by now, you know? I think we should disembowel the scriptwriters, you know, for making us listen to this drivel, you know. You know, someone should have explained to them that an excessive amount of “you know” doesn’t add veracity to dialogue; what it contributes is aggravation that will heighten a lot of viewers’ blood pressure.

Shifting away from the warm-ups, the camera pans over the crowd, and then we are informed by the pompous announcer, “Ready for the opening faceoff now between Johnson and Bernard. ”

Bernard opens the game’s trash talk with this charming comment, “Keep your head up, Johnson. It’s gonna be a long night for everyone. Tonight you play hard ball.” I guess this rather lame attempt at an intimidation tactic is Bernard’s way of warning Mark that he’s supposedly going to spend the night celebrating like this if he wins a faceoff:

Mark wins the faceoff but he shouldn’t bother rejoicing, since, as soon as he passes the puck to Robbie, Robbie coughs up the puck almost immediately because maintaining puck possession or even going with a dump-and-chase style is so passé. Way to set a strong tone like a first line winger should, Robbie.

As the action lumbers along, it becomes increasingly clear that the actors who play the Olympians (and the North Stars) entire hockey experience is limited to once having participated in a round of Nok Hockey at the pool. None of these guys can skate or pass, nonetheless skate and pass at the same time, so watching this part of the movie is just brutal to anyone who has ever seen a hockey game or even just imagined what one might be like to witness. It’s only a short but excruciating time before the US Olympic team’s terrible technique results in a breakaway opportunity for the North Stars because nobody on the US squad can figure out how to give or receive a pass and certainly nobody thought to hang back on defense:

Steve Guttenberg, who is ridiculously uncoordinated in this segment of the film, reaches for the totally wrong part of the net in a sad stab at a glove save, and, of course, the North Stars score, leading me to believe that the block of wood in Nok Hockey is a better goaltender than Steve Guttenberg, so pick that slab of wood for your fantasy hockey team before Steve Guttenberg.

On the bench, Herb tries to steady the crew by shouting, “All right. Pavelich, Schneider, Harrington.” As the Coneheads climb over the bench for a line change, Herb is probably asking himself:

The commentator babbles on about how this game is, “A tough initiation for the US Olympic team after coming back from a ten game tour of Europe. That have to accustomize themselves to a physical, North American style.” That’s kind of an odd statement to make. The players on the US Olympic team would have been raised with the more physical North American style. Being that they aren’t goldfish, I think they’d be fine transitioning back to the North American style after only a few weeks of playing the European version because they have things called long term memory and muscle memory.

At this point, we have an awkward blend of actual footage of the North Stars and Olympic team game and shots of Karl Malden on the bench. It all just comes across as very clunky. The real footage destroys any suspension of disbelief that might still exist in the audience by reminding us that Karl Malden isn’t really Herb Brooks and the actors bumbling around on ice aren’t really the Miracle boys. What should have been done was either using all fake footage or relying entirely on the real footage of the game for this part of the movie, because this mixing-and-matching effect isn’t working.

This montage reaches a climax when Christian gets into a fight and then everyone else on the team piles into the fray in a bench-clearing brawl since if you can’t beat them on the scoreboard you might as well beat them with your fists. Apparently having sustained permanent brain damage from his stint in the NHL, Patrick asks what this is and is informed by Herb that it’s a “crowd pleaser.”

Then we’re back in the locker room, where Herb addresses his team, remarking, “Sometimes a good kick in the butt is good for a top athlete. It helps them grow, build a team. I can’t say that you played well out there tonight. The score could have been worse. It could have been worse than four goals to two, but you’ve got to give your all all the time. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. And we’ve still got to get down to twenty players before we face the Russians, and they’re hungry but really hungry. I keep telling you over and over and over, if you want to do your best, depend on each other, all of you, especially Craig and Eruzione.”

In other words, Herb is asking his team (especially Craig and Eruzione, since that’s the movie’s new clever inside joke that makes me want to trample over plants):

“If you want to be your best,” Herb bellows, “then skate together as a team and not for yourselves.”

The guy sitting next to Rizzo whose name and number I can’t read whispers to Mike, “I think he hates you.”

Mike mutters back, “I get the feeling.” Obviously, the boys think that Herb sits around, jabbing fingers at the roster and exclaiming:

“Quiet, Mike,” Herb orders, remembering to actually follow the rules of his name scheme.

Mike says, “Yes, sir.” Then he asks the person next to him, “Did he call me ‘Mike’?”

Well, what this script lacks in the subtlety department, it makes up for in sheer stupidity by thinking that everyone in the audience is as dumb as the scriptwriters, because the terrible joke refuses to die a natural death, as Herb states, “Yes, Mike. You heard right.” I’d threaten to kill a plant for every time this dead horse of a joke gets revived for another flogging, but I don’t want to destroy the Amazon, so I’ll try to control my burning rage.

Continuing to roam around the locker room, Herb rants on, “Tonight you had a chance to skate against the pros. Ask yourselves if you were ready for them, and then stop to think how tough the pros found the Russians. If you don’t respect them, you can’t respect yourselves. Practice tomorrow morning ten o’clock.”

With that, Herb leaves the locker room and steps out into the corridor, where Patty greets him, commenting, “You look pleased.”

“I am,” Herb declares as dramatic music throbs in the background as it must for every important piece of dialogue in this film. “Tonight they became a team.”

Wrapping her elbow in Herb’s, Patty inquires, “Does that mean you’ll win?”

Shaking his head, Herb, ever the downer, responds, “Not necessarily, but if we lose, we’re going to do it together.” In other words, Herb is saying:

There can’t be a much nobler team sentiment than that, so on that note, we’ll end this discussion until next time.

 

Breaking Down a Miracle on Ice Movie: Not-So Secret Agents

Last installment, we were left wondering whether certain guys—namely Johnson and Paradis—were, to paraphrase Herb’s terminology, tough enough to stand up. Now we’re ready to begin to find out, because the boys are engaged in a speed skating drill around the rink that involves Herb barking out the seconds and the verbal equivalent of a whip’s encouragement.

Patrick, in his role as the blind optimist on this coaching staff, remarks that they’re fast, and Herb, as the Debbie Downer who is never satisfied, counters crisply that they aren’t fast enough. At the moment, I’m left with the general impression that even a blazing comet wouldn’t be fast enough to please Herb, but maybe a European would, since he shouts at the boys, “You guys think you can beat the Europeans skating that way? Let’s go! Hit your spots!”

Talking to Patrick again, Herb instructs his assistant coach to tell Paradis to put his heart into training because he’s shirking. All the evidence thus far points to Paradis being about as able to stand up under the barrage of Herb’s training as a Dixie Cup can the wheels of a Chevrolet Suburban.

Throwing his hand in the air, Patrick protests, “Come on, Herb. He’s one of the best skaters out there.” Ah, yes, but can he beat the Europeans skating like that? We’re not going to find out unless he puts his heart into it.

Expressing this sentiment, Herb retorts, “But he’s not giving us one-hundred percent. You tell him I want no loafers on the forward line.”

As Herb is shouting more of his unique brand of encouragement at his charges, a short man in a suit who has the unfortunate distinction of having a hair malfunction—at least, I hope it’s a hair malfunction and not an intentional style– that makes him resemble nothing more than an Oompa Loompa enters the arena.

Leaning against the edge of the rink, the newcomer offers a wave, an odd lingering glance, and a perky, “Hello, Herb. If you’ve got time later, I’d like to talk to you about one of my clients, Grazier.” Homoeroticism yay! If I were Herb, based on the scary sidelong glances this man was casting over me, I’d be filing a restraining order instead of taking the risk of talking to him alone, since he makes the Stalker Song ring in my ears like alarm bells.

Seriously, how did Grazier’s parents decide this walking sexual harassment case waiting to happen was a wise choice to represent and presumably at times be alone with their child? Now I can imagine why Grazier busted. He had this creep as his agent. Most likely, he’s in a padded room somewhere, a quivering mess as he tearfully uses a rag doll to show the therapist all the places where the scary man touched him. That being said, I sincerely apologize for poking fun at Grazier when he was sitting next to OC on the plane, because I didn’t know the deep, dark pain he was living with after the abuse he suffered from his agent.

When Herb just stares in revulsion at this borderline pedophile, Patrick supplies, coming to the rescue in his alternate persona of Captain Obvious, “It’s Grazier’s lawyer.”

Instead of calling the police to escort the unwelcome agent from the premises, Herb demonstrates a notable disregard for Patrick safety, ordering him to get Grazier’s lawyer out of here. Being the prototypical gullible second-in-command, Patrick does this, and I’m burning incense in gratitude that he didn’t end up dead and bleeding in an alley somewhere.

The scene finally shifts from the creepy agent back to Herb’s office, where he removes Grazier’s picture from the wall, tearing it and venting to Patrick, “It’s a waste, a total waste. The only reason he came to camp was to make the pros think he didn’t need them.” That’s weird, since I didn’t see any pro scouts lurking around the rink. They must have concealed themselves behind the bleachers really well.

Shaking his head and gazing downward, Patrick says in an almost whine, “I’m sorry, Herb. It’s just one guy. I can’t be everywhere.”

Unrelenting as granite, Herb counters, “Well, you’ve got to be. Patrick, you’re my eyes and ears with this bunch. I thought we had a deal with the lawyers. Who’s next?”

Instead of pulling out an answer from a fortune cookie, Patrick responds, “Herb, most of what the guys tell me—well, it’s like over beer—in confidence.” Here Patrick sounds like he’s a busybody at a neighborhood block party pretending to be reluctant to share a supposed friend’s secret when really he would take the utmost joy in it and only requires the slightest prodding to spill out everything he knows and suspects. Of course, I don’t believe that Patrick means to be devious here, so I won’t blame him for that. I will fault him for being a stupid coward, though, and let me expound upon why.

Patrick is an idiot to bring up the aspect of confidentiality, as it lets Herb know that he and some of the boys have something to hide, and it must be pretty terrible if it can’t be shared without scandal. If you have a secret that you want to keep, the first step is not posting up a gigantic billboard declaring that you have one, Patrick. Apart from the fact that Patrick is a total moron, we also learn that he is not a vertebrae, after all, since he has no backbone and will be telling Herb everything he knows as soon as Herb glares at him.

Then again, the boys who confide in Patrick are partly to blame for Herb uncovering their secrets. I mean, what sort of fool entrusts any important, confidential information to this film’s version of Craig Patrick? Merciful Lord, you’d be smarter to confide your secret to your worst enemy, because at least when your foe came forward with your dreadful secret, everybody would consider the source and probably decide it was a vicious falsehood. However, when someone who seemingly has your trust reveals a confidential story about you, everyone is going to believe it, even though that person has just proved himself a liar. That Sociology 101 lecture is done now, so we can progress with the rest of the scene.

Perhaps Herb is as disgusted with Patrick’s flakiness as I am, because he scoffs, “Really? Well, you’d better get it through your head that you’re part of management now. I’m not asking you to be a spy. I’m asking you to do your job as my assistant, and if this bunch is going to disappear on me, let me know, so that I can quit before I get fired.”

Not to be a Negative Nancy about this whole script, but that bit of dialogue would have been a million times better without that final clause. First of all, I doubt that Herb would be in jeopardy of getting fired just because some boys that could have been on the team chose to go pro. Since the pros were where all the money was, it would be hard for any coach to convince all the top talents to remain amateur for the Olympics. It’s the same sort of reason why NCAA coaches today aren’t routinely fired just because some of their best players move onto the greener pastures of the NHL. USA Hockey would know that and not create a revolving door of coaching staff unless they felt that something else was seriously lacking in Herb’s coaching.

Apart from the whole idea of Herb being fired because some guys deciding to go pro being rather far-fetched, it’s not consistent with Herb’s character to have him be such a defeatist. He’s the type of guy who is going to fight tooth-and-nail to make this team successful, and he’s not going to quit at basically the first sign of adversity. Anyway, it would be totally hypocritical of him to demand unconditional commitment to the team from the boys when he’s prepared to abandon ship over any imagined leak. Ugh. What a way to butcher Herb’s character.

Deciding to betray every confidence he’s ever received from anyone on the team in one fell swoop, Patrick rifles through a list of the boys’ names and announces, “Morrow’s firm, but that might change. He’s getting married in two weeks.”

Herb’s murderous look conveys how much he hates weddings and all the cake that comes along with them.

Patrick continues, “The Eastern guys. They’re all borderline, especially Craig. He’s hard-pressed financially.”

Leaning forward to check a list on his desk, Herb says, “Well, if he’s going pro, he’s going to the Atlanta Flames. They own him. Is he talking to them? Phoning?” How is Patrick supposed to know that? Is he supposed to have wire-tapped Jim’s phone or just eavesdropped on line for the pay phone?

Patrick answers that Jim hasn’t been contacting the Atlanta Flames, but “that doesn’t mean anything” because “he’s represented by lawyers.”

Herb demands, “By who—Kaminsky?”

When Patrick replies by Bob Murray, Herb snarls as if Patrick invented the concept of athletes being represented by agents, “Same thing, damn it. They work together, Patrick. I thought they promised to keep these kids amateur.”

Trying to placate the angry Herb before he orders a human sacrifice, Patrick says, “So far so good. They’re telling the guys to stick with it—to see the team you come up with.” When it comes down to it, that’s really the best a team’s management can expect from agents. An agent’s primary responsibility is to represent his client’s interests, not a team’s. That’s what they’re hired to do, and there’s nothing wrong with them doing their jobs, although Herb, naturally, doesn’t perceive it that way.

All bitterness, he grumbles, “So now I’ve got another set of guys to answer to: lawyers and agents.” Welcome to being a GM, Herb.

“They’re part of the business, Herb,” argues Patrick, obviously calling on his experience as an NHL player. “You’ve got to face it: our best guys have other choices, and they know it.”

Shaking his head and poking his desk with a fervent finger, Herb declares, “Guys with choices on their minds don’t help us one bit. This has got to be the only thing in their lives. Not choices, this.”

Herb is starting to remind me of another Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory character who always wanted stuff now and didn’t care how. Herb would be really comfortable in a Communist regime, obviously, as he doesn’t want to run his team at all like a democracy. With Herb’s manic anti-choice stance, I can easily picture the following scene transpiring as the team’s bus pulls into a rest stop in the middle of the night…

Patrick: All right, boys. I’m going to run into Seven-Eleven to buy us all some drinks. Let me take a tally of who wants what. Raise your right hand if you want a can of Coke, and your left hand if you want a can of Pepsi.

Herb: Damn it all to Hell, Patrick! How many times do I have to remind you not to overwhelm their toddler brains with choices? Choices shouldn’t cross their minds at all. They should only be thinking about the Olympics, not sodas. Just buy about twenty-five bottles of Poland Spring, and be done with it. Water is good enough for this bunch. We need to leave soft drinks to the soft.

Perhaps having similar thoughts to the ones racing around my head, Patrick is so aghast he is speechless, and I’ll leave my readers to recover from their heart attacks at Herb’s mania until next time.

 

 

 

 

 

Breaking Down a Miracle on Ice Movie: Smile at the Camera

Since I have the night off from watching playoff hockey (funny how the elimination of more teams from the playoff picture correlates with an increase in the time I can devote to other leisure activities), I decided to fulfill my promise to watch and blog about the next installment of the 1981 Miracle on Ice film. This section focuses on part of the trials process associated with selecting the Olympic team, but since this movie centers around the trials more than its twenty-first century counterpart does, I will continue to examine the trials process in the next blog post as well, as the trials process appears to extend beyond the portion that I’m being for this post. With that caveat, wagons ho! We’re about to depart on the next part of our wonderful journey to gold in Lake Placid.

When we last left our boys, they were besieging Patrick with a million and one questions. Apparently having received answers to all their manifold inquiries, they are now giving their names and getting their photographs taken. This is probably intended to serve as our introduction to all the boys—providing us with a way to place all the faces with a name—but it feels like too little too late, since we’ve already been thrown into the deep end without a life vest, and, anyway, most of these actors (a term I employ here in the loosest possible sense) bear an uncanny resemblance to one another. Basically, this is my disclaimer that at some point in the movie I might end up saying something about how Mark Johnson has this great line when really it was Rob McClanahan who said it, because casting makes everyone look the same. In real life, though, I would never in a million years confuse those two, so I can still keep my real Miracle fan badge, right?

While the Miracle fan board reviews my case, the first guy to come forward to get his picture taken is Rizzo. He strikes a pose that is more arrogant than outgoing, and I’m not sure that’s really him. I’d believe he’d give off a confident but also friendly vibe. Once Rizzo is done with his photo op, OC steps forward to have his picture taken while chewing a wad of gum just like Brett Connolly did in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft when he went to the podium to shake Steve Yzerman’s hand, and we just had to be grateful that he didn’t spit or pick his nose since neither his parents nor his agent had coached him in how to meet a GM and Hall of Famer. Unlike Brett Connolly, OC does not seem as if he is operating under the influence of horse tranquilizers, and he puts on this cocky smirk that I believe is perfect for his character. So far he’s one of the better portrayed guys in this film, though that may be damning with faint praise.

Jim’s up next, and he needs to be told to look at the camera, which I guess could be the filmmaker’s way of trying to establish that he was something of a loner. After giving his name, he gives this horrible half smile, and I cringe in disgust. Why, oh way, did casting think Steve Guttenberg was a perfect fit for this role? You could torture me like in that graphic and only appropriate for adult audiences scene in Braveheart, and I’d still refuse to believe that Guttenberg was Craig, until the bitter end shouting, “Freedom!”

After Jim, Ken Morrow follows, and he gives his name so quietly that Patrick asks him to repeat it, which is a reasonably clever and relatively subtle way of showing how reserved Ken was. Kudos to the script writers here.

Buzz is up next, and all I can think is that at least he’s better looking than the guy who plays Jim Craig in this movie. His smile is a bit more smug and less kind than I would have imagined, but maybe that’s just me.

Les Auge follows Buzz, and, like OC, he’s chewing gum. It’s a gum-chewing pandemic. I hope that none of them gets attacked like Hugh Jessiman by their suddenly sentient gum when celebrating a goal. I mean, it’s a sure sign that you’re basically a total bust as a professional athlete when you can’t even celebrate a goal without some hilariously ungainly malfunction, and you don’t want to give Herb that sort of insight into your failings.

Next up is Rob McClanahan, who seems pretty regular and inoffensive, which is about all you can ask from this film at this point. Then we have Pav, who is totally blank for the camera, and that goes well with his hating-the-spotlight personality. Pav is followed by John Harrington, who seems normal though plumper than he looked in earlier shots of him. It must be the light…

We shift over to the rink, where some guys are performing a warm-up skate after having their pictures snapped. Les Auge skates up to Rizzo and introduces himself before remarking about how there isn’t much competition. In response, Rizzo observes that is a good thing because he’s still tired from the trip. Since Rizzo mentions jet lag, I’ll just point out that many of the boys who tried out for the ’80 Olympic team actually arrived in Colorado Springs many days in advance so that they could adapt to the higher altitude.

On that note, we’re back to Patrick taking a picture of a guy named Steve Thompson. I admit that unlike Les Auge, Cox, and Hughes, I don’t remember reading a word about this Thompson fellow in any of the books or articles I’ve studied about the Miracle on Ice, but it’s still interesting to have a face to go with one of the names that Herb will (spoiler alert) end up cutting in this movie. Thompson is followed by some other dude with the surname Parides that I’ve never read about either. It’s weird and vaguely sad how some names are utterly lost in the annals of hockey history.

After those two guys who are the merest footnotes of history in this movie, we have a dude who I have heard of: one Bill Baker, who gives a slight smile and nod at the camera. He’s pretty cute, even though he is apparently not Eric Strobel after all.

Following Bill, we have Mark Johnson, who has dark hair and white skin but other than that really does not look at all like Mark in terms of facial structure or eye color. He also has this arrogant expression on his face that isn’t at all suitable for Mark to be wearing. Why did the director allow this to happen?

When Patrick is done taking Mark’s photo, the scene shifts to focus on all the boys skating around the rink, and then zones in on the bleachers, where Patrick joins Herb, who is watching the warm-ups like a hawk, and asks, “Now what?”

Herb replies that Patrick took the words right out of his mouth, and Patrick looks aghast at his rudeness. I predict that Patrick will spend about half of his screen time going into cardiac arrest because of all the nasty things that emerge from Herb’s irritable lips. Proving me right, Herb, being his blithe self, continues, “What’s this—a hockey camp or a rehearsal for the ice companies?”

That’s actually a good bit of dialogue (or else my standards have just been lowered by the abysmal quality of the rest of the script, because I can’t even tell any more), and I have some time to appreciate it before Patrick responds with a chuckle, “Relax, Coach. There’s got to be twenty great ones in that line-up.”

Being a total boar, Herb counters, “Good. When you find out who they are, let me know.” Again, Patrick looks astonished by Herb’s terseness. I see this conversation is going nowhere, and maybe the emotionally stunted Herb actually senses the same thing, because he goes on, “Meanwhile, would you get them started? Sprints and everything. Work ‘em. Work ‘em hard.”

Patrick stands up and blows his whistle, but we are left to imagine the horrible paces the boys are put through, since the next scene transpires in Herb’s office, where we are looking down at a pile of the pictures Patrick has just taken on Herb’s desk.

Herb, who presumably was using the phone to attempt a call to his wife, puts it down, stating that she must have taken the kids to a movie. Switching from the personal to business, he scoops up the pile of pictures and begins to rifle through them, asking Patrick, who is seated in the chair opposite his desk, what on a scale of one to ten he thinks of Grazier.

Patrick estimates a nine, and then bumps it up to a nine-and-a-half, reasoning that Grazier is dependable in clutch situations.

Herb demands who would back Grazier up, and Patrick, looking pensive, says Johnson and Parides could. I’m assuming from the fact that Grazier’s and Parides’ names are linked with Johnson’s that these guys were seen as talented, top prospects in 1979, but since I’ve never heard of them, I’m guessing that they busted. That’s the interesting thing about prospect development. Sometimes a late round pick blossoms into a Chara, Pavelski, or Lundqvist, and a first overall pick can be a disappointment like Alexandre Daigle or Marc-Andre Fleury.

Referring to Parides and Johnson, Patrick says, “They’re both talented.”

Hurling down the pictures, Herb wants to know, “But are they tough? Will they stand up?”

My immediate reaction to this line is that the scriptwriters are trying to be all philosophical and whatnot, but are actually betraying the fact that they’ve never drawn up a hockey roster or even contemplated doing so for more than six seconds. Toughness probably isn’t within the top five qualities that coaches and GMs look for in a first line center. Things like stickhandling, skating speed, playmaking abilities, shooting strength, and overall hockey sense are all more important. You look for skill in a first line center, and toughness in a fourth line center, because, a fourth line goon considers it a great triumph to get a star center to drop the gloves and earn a coincidental penalty.

That’s my reaction if it’s physical toughness being questioned here. However, if it’s mental toughness, that’s much more valid a concern, but still a slippery slope, since the hockey world tends to overrate the toughness of players who are chirpy on the ice but then delve into full turtle mode if anyone actually raises a fist while underrating the bravery and endurance of quieter leaders like Steve Yzerman whom Scotty Bowman said had the highest pain threshold of any player he ever coached.

All I can say is we better not be headed down the path of “Mark Johnson was a talented player but a weak one,” because Mark Johnson got his shoulder speared in the Czechoslovakia game and returned to the line-up in the next one even though he had to have his arm in a weird sling under his equipment. It was like playoff hockey, and, on that note, tune in to NBC tomorrow to watch Jonathan Toews, who wears number nineteen just like Steve Yzerman, lead the Blackhawks against the Kings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Breaking Down a Miracle: Part V

Introduction:

This post (read it and weep) represents the conclusion of my series on the games played by the 1980 US Olympic hockey team and their journey to the gold medal. It, of course, focuses on the match against Finland, as well as the post game interviews with Rizzo, Vice President Mondale, Herb Brooks, Jim Craig, Mark Johnson ( aka my munchkin) and Rob McClanahan ( aka my Eternal Favorite Miracle player whom I only tease because I love). Fair warning: this post contains an unpardonable amount of fangirling over Mark Johnson and Rob McClanahan because I might never get another chance to flail over them so publically. I’ve got to seize the day in that regard.  Still, I’ve compensated for that mushiness by including a great number of snide remarks about the media and President Carter being an idiot on the telephone in particular and as a national leader in general. Hopefully, that creates an interesting blend of the sweet and salty reminiscent of a chocolate-covered pretzel.

Notes on the US versus Finland Game:

• Unlike the Soviet game, the Finland game is actually televised live.
• The broadcaster, proving that Olympic coverage was just as infuriatingly condescending back in 1980 as it is today, tells his audience to go wake up anyone they are afraid might have overslept but who wouldn’t want to miss the game. Sheesh. Does he really think large numbers of Americans are sitting dithering on their sofas, moaning indecisively, “Golly, Jake talked a lot about wanting to see this game, but all I hear from his room is earth-shattering snoring. I won’t wake him, though, unless a random TV broadcaster suggests that’s a wise move”? Get over yourself, buddy. You aren’t that important.
• The broadcaster emphasizes that if the Americans win the game against the Finns, the gold medal is theirs, but if they lose, a variety of outcomes are possible depending on the outcome of the Sweden-Soviet match. The broadcaster doesn’t go into it now, but if the US lost, it would have been possible for them to beat the Soviets but not medal. Insane, you say? Yes, but this is the Olympics, and anything but pigs flying can happen.
• Al Michaels compares the situation to Squaw Valley. According to him, everyone remembers the 1960 team beating the Russians but forgets that the team still had to win another game to take the gold. He says that the current American team is now in the place of, having defeated the Soviets, needing to get a last win for the gold medal.
• Ken Dryden points out that while in Friday’s match against the Soviets the Americans had the freedom of playing as underdogs, against the Finns they have the weight of going in as favorites who are under the responsibility to win.
• There is a ceremonial exchange of gifts between Rizzo and the Finland captain. I never heard of this custom before. I mean, what ceremonial gifts do teams exchange? Deodorant as a hint the other side stinks? That’s all I can think of. Jeez, I feel ignorant and will be going to the penalty box for being a bad fan.
• These commentators define the word negativity. Every chance possible, they put a bad twist on the situation. They spend the first few minutes yammering on about how the US needs a strong start since they haven’t had any in this tournament. I guess the commentators haven’t figured out that this was a third period team. Obviously, strong starts are nice, but this team prefers the final push to the opening rush. That is just how they roll, but it’s worked for them thus far. They haven’t lost yet.
• Gosh, for a second I’m empathizing for the Finns. This game is all or nothing for them. If they lose, no medal. If they win, a chance at bronze. I just feel bad because their country has never medaled in the Olympics before. I just have sympathy for hockey underdogs.
• Ramsey has a slapshot that almost goes in the net but is deflected wide. This game is already doing some damage to my poor heart.
• Rizzo has a dramatic shot on goal that involves him falling to the ice, and I pout because the Finnish goaltender has a good glove save.
• One of the Finns is sent to the penalty box for two minutes for hooking. Let’s see if the US can capitalize on this power play opportunity.
• There is a minute stretch where the commentator utters the phrase “Johnson to McClanahan” about four or five times. Yeah, these two passed to one another a whole heck of a lot.
• Apparently, people misused the word “literally” as egregiously back in 1980 as they do today, because the commentator (wanting to sound like a moron on national television, I suppose) says that the USA chant has literally become part of the building. Um, no, unless the chant has become a wall or the roof, the word you are searching for is “figuratively.” Do not pass go and collect a hundred dollars. Just go straight to jail.
• Okay, there have now been two shots in this period of Mark Johnson and Robbie McClanahan sitting next to one another on the bench. Basically, if this were the NHL they’d be the line mates who actually look for each other on the bench instead of just sitting wherever. (It is, of course, adorable and hilarious when line mates do that.)
• The Finnish goaltender’s glove save is ruining my life right now. I was so convinced that Neal Broten’s shot was going to find the back of the net. I’ll just console myself with the fact that Broten was the first American player to have a 100 point season in the NHL, so clearly some of his shots managed to land in the net based on that evidence.
• On the bench, Broten looks like a dejected puppy. Cheer up, Neal. We all love you.
• There is a fluff piece on Rizzo. He talks about the support his massive Italian family has given him and about how he learned the value of hard work from his father. He also mentions that he primarily sees himself as a captain on a team of captains and who has a lot of heart even if he isn’t the best skater or goal scorer. He’s not even one of my favorites, and he’s still tearing at my frayed heartstrings. I’ll blame it on his Boston accent.
• Ramsey gets a two minute minor penalty for roughing and is not happy about the call.
• Steve Christoff gets a backhanded goal just as Ramsey leaves the penalty box. This team is made of win and perfect timing.
• Buzz Schneider is sent off for slashing. It’s going to be a long two minutes.
• The Finns score again, and the commentators proceed to rip into Christian and Baker for not being close enough to the net more effectively than a school of piranhas.
• Broten skates down the ice for a solid scoring opportunity that sadly does not result in a goal.
• Buzz Schneider, who is back in the action, gets in a strong shot on goal, but it doesn’t find the back of the net. So aggravating.
• A Finnish player gets a penalty for delaying the game by trying to freeze the puck along the boards. Can the Americans pretty please with a cherry on top score during the power play? Thank you in advance, Cosmic Wish Service, if this comes true.
• Silk comes painfully close to scoring. This game is producing real tension in my muscles. I need a massage.
• The power play is over, and there is no scoring on either side.
• Christoff fires a shot that goes through the crease instead of into the net. Bad luck there, pal.
• Jim has an awesome glove save for those keeping track of such flashes of brilliance.
• Verchota scores off a beautiful pass from Christian. The Minnesota boys are showing their value today. Way to be, boys.
• Back on the bench, Verchota gets his helmet stroked by his teammates. All is now right in my universe.
• Rob McClanahan scores a five hole off a gorgeous pass from Mark Johnson, so to continue with our NHL comparisons from last game (because that joke is not a beaten enough dead horse), Rob is a steady player during the regular season (the pool games) who does a vanishing trick during the playoffs (Soviet game), but then remembers that scoring the Stanley Cup winning goal is on his bucket list, so he does that during the Stanley Cup Finals. Then he probably becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and it costs a boatload of cash to re-sign him.
• Seriously, though, this is an excellent moment to watch repeatedly on YouTube to psych yourself up for Sochi. It’s the game winner for the last time the American men’s hockey team won gold, so what’s not to love except for the fact that it was so long ago?
• Mark and Robbie need to be fined for creating too much adorable. When Rob scores, they both throw up their arms in celebration at the same time. Then they hug and bounce around like they can’t contain their excitement. I sympathize. I mean, I can’t contain mine, and I wasn’t even alive when this happened.
• The whole team joins the hug fest, the crowd goes wild, and the camera pans over to Herb as if the network expects him to be impressed but all he does is take a deep breath and glance up at the scoreboard, because this is all just in keeping with his master plan, and the network should have gotten the memo that he wasn’t doing spontaneous displays of positive emotions this game unless someone gets a shorthanded goal.
• The commentary on the replay of Rob McClanahan’s goal provides me with a marvelous opportunity to rant about something in the American coverage that has been bothering me throughout the games but that I’ll bring up now just because I might never have another chance to grind this particular ax, and what a pity that would be. My gripe, in a nutshell, is that, whenever a member of an opposing team scores or has a brilliant maneuver, it is almost always attributed to the foreign player’s talent (and I’m totally fine with that as I always hope that the Olympics promotes international respect through competition), but when a member of the US squad scores or has a breathtaking maneuver, it is almost inevitably credited to luck rather than the player’s skill. This especially irks me when the footage of the goal or move the American in question makes directly contradicts the commentary.
• To apply this logic to Rob’s goal, the commentary essentially asserts that he was lucky with his goal because if the Finnish goaltender had not dropped, it would have been much harder for the puck to go into the net. The problem with this statement is that when you watch the footage of the goal, it is clear that he waits for the goaltender to drop before he fires a shot, and outlasting a goaltender is a valuable skill for a hockey player. Also, Rob plainly has a plan about where he wants the puck to go and how he wishes for it to get there. Then he just manipulates the situation to suit his plan. Therefore, his goal is about as lucky as me not spilling juice all over the counter when I pour it into a cup I took down from the cabinet for the express purpose of filling with juice. I mean, if that glass hadn’t been there, gosh, what a sticky mess I would have, right?
• Before I get rotten tomatoes hurled at my face, I’ll get off my soapbox now, but I just wanted the world to know that the Miracle boys are a lot more talented than the commentators give them credit for, at least in my not so humble opinion.
• Broten is called for hooking, and he slumps so much in the penalty box that you just want to give him candy or something even though that would probably give him a sugar high his teammates would not appreciate. It’s okay, Neal. Everyone loves you. You’re such a sweetie pie and a baby.
• Broten is free. Hooray for the US penalty kill!
• Christian is called for tripping nearly a second after Broten returns from his stint in the penalty box. Guys, why are you torturing me like this? You really don’t need to prove how effective your team’s penalty kill is. I’ll just take your word for it, I promise.
• The teams are at equal strength again. Now I can breathe normally. Please no more penalties for Americans. My heart can’t handle the stress.
• The commentators fanboy over Mark Johnson so now I feel a bit guilty about raking them over the coals about their coverage of everyone else on the team. They compliment him for his all-around play and his subtlety, which makes his myriad contributions to the team easy to overlook. Tell me about it. You can just be reading a hockey thread about the Sochi men’s hockey team roster and get bombarded by a comment about how Mark Johnson is overrated, and you’ll be like, “What are you on? If anything, he is underrated, and how many Olympic gold-medal winning teams have you been a lead scorer on? Jeez, how can you be so wrong on the Internet with all the information you need to not sound like a complete moron a mere Google search away?” Not that I know this overwhelming desire to burn a forum to cinders from personal experience or anything.
• Another shot of the bench with Rob and Mark sitting next to each other. What a surprise. They need to find new bench buddies before I die, and the cause of death is listed as excessive flailing, because I don’t think my family would ever recover from the shame.
• Phil Verchota is called for a two minute roughing penalty that is not earned since he was the one being roughed more than doing the roughing, as far as I could see. I find it interesting that a Czech ref would call an unjustified penalty against the Americans during the final minutes of a game where the Americans have a one goal lead. Is this perhaps vengeance for the US thrashing the Czechs during their second pool game?
• Phil is not a happy camper. He goes to the penalty box, but he makes a point of throwing off his gloves. Rizzo skates over to say something placating, I presume
• The replay of the alleged foul just makes me take Phil’s side all the more, honestly. If the ref was interested in being remotely fair, the Finnish player would at least have received an offsetting penalty for holding.
• Mark Johnson decides now is a perfect time to score shorthanded, so he skates in on the Finnish net to do just that off his own rebound. He raises his hands in the air in jubilation and so does Herb. This kid is pure gold, and he’s got a gold medal to prove it.
• The crowd is ecstatic, and Mark disappears in a massive hug from his teammates.
• Rob dives to the ice to block a shot on goal. So dramatic.
• Phil winks at the camera from the penalty box. Mark’s goal has completely changed his mood, obviously. He may seem like a tough guy, but he still makes me want to hug him. I’m going to marry a hockey player from Minnesota, and, no, that plan is not complicated by the fact that I’m from New Jersey, so don’t you dare suggest that.
• Too much winking in too short a time. The camera flashes over to Mark on the bench, and he smiles, winks, and gives that little nod guys do. I’m going to faint.
• Oh, and it goes without saying, but yet again Rob and Mark are next to each other on the bench. I’m so glad they took some time out of their busy sitting-next-to-each-other schedule to go out and do things like score game-winning and shorthanded goals.
• Phil is back and probably better than ever.
• The crowd takes up a chant of “We’re number one!” Can this happen in Sochi, too, please, hockey gods?
• Broten is too precious to be believed. As the two are next to each other waiting for the final seconds of the game to end, he pats Rob on the head and pulls him into a one-armed embrace under his shoulder. Keep it up, Neal. Robbie deserves all the hugs in the world. This adorableness can be watched here.
• The Americans end with a blitz on the Finnish goal.
• The American bench is a madhouse in the best possible way. The boys are hugging and pounding their sticks against the boards in exhilaration.
• The commentators are finally admitting the Americans have talent, having played on college all-star teams and stuff. It was like pulling teeth but the media got to the truth in the end. I guess they can have a gold star to match the US hockey team’s gold medal. I’m a big supporter of coordinated accessories, after all.
• Al Micheals’ famous call to conclude the game, “This impossible dream comes true!” Woohoo!
• The team piles onto Jim as Herb makes another one of his swift exits. Presumably, he doesn’t want to be beaten to death by the sticks his boys have been banging on the boards.
• The teams exchange the traditional handshakes. No medal for the Finns; gold for the Americans. That’s the final score.
• The classic image of Jim Craig draped in the American flag brings tears to my eyes but I’m going to blame them on the light.

Herb, Rizzo, and Mondale Interview:

• Rizzo and Vice President Mondale are next to one another in the locker room.
• Lampley, the interviewer, mentions that Mondale is a Minnesotan like lots of members of the Miracle team. The difference is that the Miracle boys are made of win, and Mondale is made of lose. He could only have beaten the Finns by putting them asleep first with that monotone of his.
• Herb passes through the shot but tries to duck out of the way. Your humility makes you the best and the worst, Herb.
• Asked if the win today is a bigger deal to him than his Soviet goal, Rizzo says yes because if the US hadn’t won today, his goal against the Soviets would have just been another goal. Then he gushes about how proud he is to be a member of this team.
• Asked if he is proud of the three penalties his team killed in the third period, Herb actually makes a joke, quipping that sometimes his team likes to make things harder than they have to be. Then, being all deep, he suggests that maybe the penalties were what his team needed to win and to gather all their determination.
• Vice President Mondale comments in his annoying monotone that watching this team play was amazing, and then he puts Carter on the phone to congratulate Herb.
• Herb waxes poetic about the American way of life being the best for awhile. Anyone who says he wasn’t a bit of an idealist is wrong, lying, or permanently damaged from crack.
• Carter says nobody at the White House could get business done because they were too busy watching the game. I say that Carter’s failure to be productive, as it was chronic, should not be blamed on anyone but himself. Good job trying to pin your laziness on a bunch of college kids, Carter.
• Carter can’t wait to meet the boys at the White House, because he’s probably hoping their ability to be victorious at something will rub off on him. (Spoiler alert: it doesn’t, and the country elects Reagan instead.)
• Carter tells Herb to pass on to the boys how proud everyone is of them. Herb is probably internally cringing at all these gooey emotions.
• Carter wants to speak to the captain, so Herb puts Rizzo on the phone.
• Carter basically tells Rizzo to pass along to the team the message he just gave to Herb to give to the boys. Does Carter think Herb is senile or just a liar?
• In response to some other question that I can’t hear properly no matter how many times I rewind this scene, Herb talks about the good Lord working in mysterious ways. Now, of course, we would stone him for mentioning God on national television, but in 1980, that was perfectly acceptable and lovable.
• Lampley forgets the difference between left and right. (Helpful tip: If it’s the hand you place over your heart when you say the Pledge of Allegiance, it’s your right. If it’s the one where the fingers make an uppercase L when you hold them up, it’s your left.) In the end, though, he figures out which side of Herb Jimmy is on and drags the goaltender forward to be interviewed.

Jim Craig Interview:

• Jim’s red shirt has the top two buttons undone, showing some nice bare chest. How many girls back in 1980 do you think fell asleep dreaming of that?
• Jim just has an outpouring of emotion, talking about how amazing his team is in the third period of every game, and how he hopes he was able to keep them going with his performance in goal, since he had such faith in them, and he wants them to have felt the same way about him. My feelings are going to overwhelm me, and we haven’t even gotten to the Mark and Mac interviews. Where did I put the paper bag I set aside to hyperventilate into?
• Jim just unabashedly talks about how he loves all of his teammates. I would replay this moment forever, but then I would never get to see a 1980 Mac interview, so that is not an option, after all.
• When asked if he was worried about his team’s performance after the first period, Jim says he wasn’t because he felt like the boys had time to think and then played their hearts out in the third, getting the gold medal to prove that.

Mark Johnson Interview:

• It’s happening. The reporter is calling Mark out of the crowd of boys to be interviewed. I’m quaking so much that I can’t hold a pen properly to take notes.
• Mark is obviously embarrassed to be singled out for adulation, rubbing his ear and looking down. It’s hard to remember, but this modest creature destroyed Finland’s hope for a medal by driving a nail into their coffin with that shorthanded goal off his own rebound.
• Rizzo pets Mark Johnson on the head as he passes. Adorable overload.
• After basically being asked how it feels to be the star player, Mark launches into this answer about how one player doesn’t make a team, all twenty of them were necessary for the team’s success, and how happy he is for all his teammates. He is so sincere about every word and is essentially a flawless human being here.
• The reporter is just so awkward. He unnecessarily reaches out to grasp Mark’s shoulder for no real reason. Did he cut the class in journalism school about personal space or what?
• Asked about the climate in the locker room after the second period, Mark explains that everyone felt confident that they could win if they put their best effort into it. With every word, a smile just grows across his face, so by the end of his reply, it’s massive and totally dominating his face.
• Lampley congratulates Mark, and then starts looking around for Rob McClanahan behind him, which is kind of hilarious because the only thing behind him really is a wall, and in order to get behind Lampley, Rob would essentially have needed to cut through the middle of the interview in a totally awkward way. I just don’t know why in a packed room the first place to search for a person is the wall…

Rob McClanahan Interview:

• Rob does not materialize from the wall, but he does emerge, looking bashful, from a cluster of teammates, so Lampley will have his chance at being a hotshot investigative reporter.
• Lampley congratulates Rob for scoring the tie-breaking goal, and Rob says thank you and that it feels great.
• Robbie has this angelic grin on his face the whole time, and could he just stop being cute for five seconds so I could have a chance to sing my feelings? The pause button doesn’t even help because it just freezes him in a sweet pose. I am going to die of glee before this interview is over.
• Lampley asks if Rob saw the puck coming out to him in front of the net before he scored. Some journalists are paid to ask the difficult questions; others the easy ones. Lampley was plainly a case of the latter. If Lampley were in the army, his name would be Captain Obvious.
• For those who might have been getting popcorn not only during his goal but during the four or five replays, Rob describes his goal. He explains how he was standing in front of the net, and Mark was standing behind it. Then he and Mark looked at one another for what he claims felt like a few seconds although he admits that it might not actually have been that long. The rest, of course, is history: he slides the puck under the goalie’s legs, and the Miracle boys have their gold medal.
• This moment is one of the high points in my life, because it proves that the director of the movie Miracle was not making stuff up when he had Mark and Mac exchange entire sentences with their eyeballs in that scene where the boys tell Herb that Tim Harrer needs to take a hike. Apparently, Mark and Rob did that sort of thing all the time like the obnoxious line mates they are.
• Lampley asks if at the time before Rob scored with fifteen minutes left in the game whether he felt the team was becoming anxious, which is all the excuse Rob needs to launch into serious hockey analysis mode with a furrowed brow and widening eyes to emphasize important points. Don’t let the quiet Minnesota voice fool you. This dude is intense and would probably love to analyze stuff all day long, because it is a challenge.
• Rob relates how the team told themselves after the second period that all year, especially in this tournament, the third period had been their strongest one, and as long as they kept that in mind, they would be able to play their best hockey.
• Lampley congratulates Rob again and then pulls Rizzo forward for a final word. I want Mac back, but I guess Rizzo is okay, though Bill Baker would be even better, because his post-Sweden interview was awesome.

Rizzo Interview:

• Lampley askes Rizzo if he could have imagined this moment six months ago. Rizzo responds that he couldn’t have, because even though six months ago the team felt they had a shot at a medal, they didn’t believe they had a chance for the gold one. However, he says that after one game against the Russians and one against the Finns where they played with so much pride, they now have the gold medal.
• When asked what point the team started to believe they could take the gold, Rizzo answers after the game against the Czechs. After hammering the Czechs, the team felt they just had to defeat the Soviet union and the gold medal would probably be theirs.
• Rizzo agrees that the crowd was wonderful and supportive of the team, which was great, since the team was hoping to have the crowd behind them.

Breaking Down a Miracle: Part IV

Introduction:

This post is the penultimate one in my series about the 1980 American hockey team, and it will focus on the match against the Soviet Union as well as the post-game interviews with Jim Craig and Rizzo. Since so much has been written about this moment, which was dubbed by Sports Illustrated as the Greatest Sports Moment of the Twentieth Century, it requires no real introduction. For those of you who might be interested in following along, you can watch the full game here  or you can just drink in the highlights here. This is the Miracle on Ice, the triumph of the underdogs that inspired an entire nation and sparked the development of American hockey.  Let’s just travel back in time to that glorious February game…

United States versus Soviet Union:

• The broadcaster relates how Lake Placid was filled with excitement for the USA versus Soviet Union game from the moment he woke up that morning.
• He promises not to spoil the results even though the game was already played because he wants it to be a surprise to anyone who hadn’t heard the results (and presumably had been living under a couple feet of solid bedrock that day).
• He explains the round robin medal format. The teams from each division carry their record against the other team from their respective division. Thus, since Sweden and the US tie their game, they each go into the medal round with one point. Likewise, since the USSR defeated Finland in their match, the USSR will enter the medal round with two points to Finland’s zero.
• Seeding in the case of a tie, as in Sweden and the US, was determined by goal differential. Sweden had a better goal differential and got first seed for their division. That means they played Finland (second seed of the other division) first, while the US played the USSR first.
• Al Michaels tells us that tickets are being exchanged at three times their face value of $67. That’s an expensive ticket right there, folks, though it’s worth it to see a miracle.
• Ken Dryden (who has more Stanley Cup rings than he can fit on one hand, which is just obscene) talks about how for the US team this is a discovery time, because, to use his terminology, it’s one thing to be young and promising, and quite another to be good.
• Mark Johnson takes the opening faceoff against the Soviets, and just before the puck is dropped one of his teammates on the bench shouts, “Go on, Magic!” They actually used those nicknames for one another. I feel as mushy as a chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven. Just let me melt here before the game continues.
• Jimmy is tested for the first time and has a good save.
• Eric Strobel gets in a check. Nice to see a skill player get physical from time to time.
• Bill Baker gets the puck out of his own end and skates it quickly up ice with some deft stickhandling.
• Silk scrabbles for the puck along the boards and passes it to Ramsey. I love how tenacious Silky is.
• The Soviets score off a pass from Krutov deflected in by the post.
• Broten explodes into the Soviet zone and passes smoothly to Christoff, who fires a shot on goal that sadly does not find the back of the net.
• Mark Johnson has a cute little maneuver where he skates up the ice and leaps over a Soviet skate, not even really slowing down in the process.
• Morrow has a scrabble along the boards for the puck.
• Jim has another big save.
• The Coneheads strike again. Pav passes to Buzz, who fires a slapshot that finds the back of the net, soaring over Tretiak’s head.
• Buzz and Pav have the best awkward line mate hug behind the Soviet goal to celebrate Buzz putting the US on the scoreboard. The awkwardness is a direct result of the height differential since Pav is only 5’8” tall, and Buzz is one of the few forwards on the team who isn’t a hockey midget. Buzz probably couldn’t give Pav a normal hug without looking like he was trying to strangle Pav. My brother, who is over a foot taller than me, has to do a similar one-armed squeeze with my head only coming up to his shoulder just like Pav’s only comes up to Buzz’s, so I totally sympathize, and find this sweet and hilarious.
• The crowd goes crazy with applause, and Herb takes a moment to release the breath he had probably been holding since the first puck drop and pull up the hideous ’70s style pants he chose to wear to the most important game he ever coached. Good thing he never went for a career in fashion. Ralph Lauren he wasn’t, but then again Ralph Lauren couldn’t coach a miracle, so there you go.
• The commentators remark that Buzz’s slapshot wasn’t the kind of goal you would expect Tretiak to allow. I’ll agree since Tretiak was in completely the wrong position to block the shot, and I would assume that a goalie with multiple Olympic and World gold medals has better positioning skills. I will just say that I think every great goaltender can be forgiven for playing a sloppy game or two. This was one of Tretiak’s but that shouldn’t detract too much from his legacy as one of the best goalies to ever play the sport, and I don’t think it has.
• Jim has a gorgeous glove save. Those are always exciting to watch.
• Rizzo has a shot on the Soviet goal but doesn’t get lucky this time.
• Makarov tallies for the Soviet Union when his shot is deflected into the net off Morrow’s skate. Krutov and Makarov, in their first Olympics, really show how they would go on to dominate all competition in subsequent Olympics and World Championships as two vital components of the KLM line, one of the most feared offensive lines in hockey history. Krutov and Makarov represent the new guard of Soviet players in Lake Placid, and they are incredible forwards.
• Broten is painfully close to scoring but the puck goes through the crease. I’m going to have no nails left to bite by the time this period ends.
• Christian has a slapshot that doesn’t go in and which everyone would think was the last desperate American bid to tie the score before the period is over, but everybody forgot to take Mark Johnson, the loose cannon, into account.
• Mark Johnson skates around the Soviet defenseman and fires the puck into the net with one second remaining in the first period. This just proves that a goal in the last second of play counts the same as a goal in the first second, so no slacking for anyone ever. Talk about a clutch performance. If this Olympic team were an NHL one, Buzz would be the guy who carries the team through the regular season, and Mark would be the one who finds an extra gear to shift to utterly destroy the oppositions in the playoffs.
• Herb has a small celebratory fist pump. He does feel emotions besides anger. It is confirmed on national television.
• The American team has a fest of hugging and helmet patting while the crowd waves flags all over the arena.
• The American players cluster around the ref who confirms that the goal is valid since one second remains in the period. That’s a fortunate thing for the ref, because would anyone really want to say no to those adorable American boys? It would be like drowning puppies.
• The Soviet Union went back to their locker room (probably to be vivisected by Tikhonov), but the ref needs to drop the puck again as one second remains in play.
• Only three Soviet players, Krutov, Makarov, and the backup goaltender Myshkin return to the ice for the faceoff.
• The announcer comments on how incredible it is for the Americas to be tied with the Soviets at two goals apiece when the Soviets thrashed a team of NHL All-Stars a few months ago.
• The game is back, and Myshkin remains in the net for the second period with Tretiak, looking as devastated as goaltenders do when benched, on the sidelines. It is worth noting that one of the most contested (and oft-condemned) moments in hockey coaching history was the benching of Tretiak in this game. Hockey scholars can debate whether the Americans would still have won with Tretiak in the net the whole game, although in Tikhonov’s defense, it seems only fair to note that Tretiak was (by his standards) struggling in the Lake Placide tournament, and Myshkin was an excellent goalie in his own right. He wasn’t some green guy who had never set skate in a crease.
• Bah is sent to the penalty box for a minor holding penalty.
• The commentators compliment the US penalty-killing unit for keeping play out of their zone.
• Maltsev scores on a breakaway at the end of the penalty when the Americans lose control of the puck at center ice.
• Jim falls on the puck behind the net and gets a two-minute penalty for delaying the game, which will be served by Eric Strobel because goalies never serve their own penalties.
• Mark is a beast at clearing the zone repeatedly during this penalty.
• Strobel is back, so that penalty has been successfully killed.
• Jim hits his head on the post when he is knocked over by a Soviet player while making a save and falls to the ice. He actually blacked out during that, so, in the modern NHL, he would have been forced to take a fifteen minute break, but here is allowed to just keep playing.
• There is a four-on-four with Morrow called for cross-checking and a Soviet player for unsportsmanlike conduct.
• There is a fluff piece on Jim Craig. We hear about how his mother died of cancer while Jimmy was in college at BU, and we see how much of a family guy Jimmy is when he talks about what an upstanding man his dad is. Where did I put my Kleenex? I thought I wouldn’t need them until the end of the game.
• Krutov is called for high-sticking and hopefully the Americans will score a power-play goal since it might give the commentators something to do besides criticize the American defense (particularly Rammer).
• Mark Johnson is so clutch. He scores with thirteen seconds left in the power play as the commentators were yammering on about how this was probably the Americans’ last run up the ice in the power play. It’s like this kid can score on command. Every American should love him forever just for these two goals.
• Herb has a larger celebratory fist pump, and the crowd goes wild.
• Mark Johnson disappears in a group hug of head-patting teammates. Can I just go back in time and hug them all?
• Back on the bench, Mark gives the camera a little smile when it flashes on him. My heart is breaking because this munchkin is too precious.
• This Miracle team is such a team of destiny. Just as the commentators are ripping into the Americans again (because it has been over a minute since Mark Johnson last scored) and saying they are relying on Jim Craig to make too many saves (even though the puck is in the Soviet end at the moment), Rizzo takes advantage of the opportunity to score and silence the critics or commentators. He deserves to get lucky since he had some nice shots that didn’t find the back of the net earlier in the game.
• Herb does an even bigger celebratory fist pump that will eventually be immortalized in statue, Rizzo does a run with his stick in the air, and the crowd loses its collective mind.
• Herb manages to swallow a smile as the American team gathers around Rizzo for a group hug and head pat session.
• Buzz and a Soviet player get into a brief scuffle along the boards. Buzz ends up with the Soviet’s stick, and when the Soviet player holds out a hand to get it back, Buzz tosses it on the ice instead. This is a riot. Mild-mannered Buzz has a flash of temper, and I find it about as hilarious as that epic moment when as a Devil Scott Niedermayer (never much of an enforcer) got into a fight with a Ranger, got a Ranger jersey wrapped around his head in the process, and kicked that Ranger jersey sky high in gesture of pure disdain before he went to the penalty box.
• Morrow and the defenseman are simply heroic here, throwing their bodies in front of shots. I bet they had tons of bruises in the shape of a puck afterward, but it’s a price they were willing to pay for a gold medal.
• Herb is an evil genius with delaying tactics. He calls Mark Johnson over to the bench before the faceoff so the ref has to waste time calling Mark back.
• Ramsey gets in some nice defense maneuvers and finally receives a compliment from the commentators who have spent a good part of this game tearing into him for positioning issues.
• A shot of Herb Brooks pacing the bench and reminding his players to “play your game” repeatedly like a mantra.
• The commentators are now praising the Americans for giving a great performance as underdogs. What a dramatic change in tone from a second before Rizzo’s goal. You can see the final minute of the game and hear Al’s eternal call here.
• The commentators suggest that the Soviets will be put in the unusual position of having to pull their goaltender but this never happens because Tikhonov appears to forget that is an option in hockey.
• Jim has a lot of brilliant saves in the last thirty seconds of play.
• The crowd is so loud and excited that you can hear them counting down the remaining seconds. My blood is pounding. I can’t handle this.
• The immortal Al Michaels’ question and answer, “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!”
• The American boys hug and roll around on the ice. This is too precious to watch.
• The Soviets watch the jubilee with stunned expressions. They aren’t used to losing or to feeling the exhalation the Americans demonstrate when they win.
• The teams do the traditional handshakes.

Post-Game Jim Craig Interview:

• When asked if he could feel the crowd’s emotion down on the ice, Jim says he could feel it throughout the game but especially in the final ten minutes.
• The reporter asks whether Jim felt nationalism had anything to do with the crowd’s emotions. Jim says yes but there were also just a lot of hockey fans in the arena.
• That’s the end of the interview. I was expecting more, but now let’s hear from Rizzo.

Post-Game Rizzo Interview:

• Rizzo talks about how during the second period he tried to give his teammates an opportunity to re-group and the Soviets a chance to lose momentum when he spoke with the ref after the Soviets had been putting a ton of shots on Jim’s net.
• Rizzo reconstructs his game-winning goal: he came on the ice, got a pass from Pav, and used the Soviet defenseman as a screen for his shot in a nutshell.

Breaking Down a Miracle: Part III

Introduction:

This post is a continuation of my series of commentary on the 1980 US Olympic hockey teams, so it is recommended that you read the first post (focusing on the games against Sweden and Czechoslovakia) and the second post (focusing on the highlights of all the pool games as well as interviews with Bill Baker, Herb Brooks, and Rizzo) before proceeding with this one. The American match game against the Norwegians will be the center of this installment, and, in an attempt to avoid redundancies with the notes on the highlights of the Norwegian match, I have striven to emphasize aspects of the game, such as the penalty-happy referee, that the differences in coverage drew my attention to. Hopefully, readers will enjoy this post and will be looking forward to reading about the actual Miracle on Ice in the next post in this series.

Notes on the full U.S. versus Norway Game:

 

• Al Michaels talks about how the US has faced its toughest division opponents (Sweden and Czechoslovakia, respectively), but people fear a let down with the Norwegians, who are regarded as the division’s weakest team.
• Al Michaels observes that its important for the US team of “recent achievers” not to take for granted victories over teams they were seen as about equal to at the start of the Olympics and to continue to play their best to maintain their momentum.
• The Coneheads take the opening faceoff and get in a few shots on goal, which gives Al Michaels a chance to remark on how effective Buzz had been offensively in the previous match against the Czechs.
• Al Michaels just casually mentions Morrow getting a separated shoulder in the last game against the Czechs, and I’m thinking, “Hold on. How do you separate your shoulder without becoming a twitching mound on the ice?” That’s Ken Morrow for you, though. Such a solid defensive player who could separate his shoulder and not miss a beat or a shift, and who could probably have added more hardware to his three Stanley Cup rings and Olympic gold medal if he hadn’t been plagued by injuries in his pro career.
• The camera kind of creepily pans over to Herb Brooks during a lull in the action, and, although I know that he’s probably barking orders at his players, it looks hilariously like he’s talking to himself, which I’m sure the stress of the Olympic tour could do to anyone. We’re also reminded for perhaps the hundredth time that he is the University of Minnestoa coach who spent seven years with the Gophers. Clearly fluff was just as annoying back in 1980 as it is today. Comforting to have proof that some things never change.
• The Americans are on the power play, because the Norwegian captain decided it was an excellent time to be sent to the penalty box for a two minute minor. We don’t see or hear his actual infraction since the cameras were too busy zeroing in on Herb.
• The American power play struggles to gain energy and cohesion, so the Norwegians keep the puck out of their zone via icing, which is legal when a team is shorthanded.
• Mark Johnson gets called for tripping, and as he goes to the penalty box, we get reminded of how he was injured at the end of last game. Are they trying to make me cry? Where the heck did I put my Kleenex? I thought that I wouldn’t need them for this game since none of my babies (Rob McClanahan and Mark Johnson in case you forgot since I last fangirled obnoxiously over them) got hurt, but here are the commentators ready to remind me of every scratch they’ve ever suffered. Not fair.
• For some reason unbeknownst to me, the commentators insist on referring to a four-on-four as a “five aside,” which sounds like a side dish you can order with ketchup at a grill. I’ve never heard that terminology before, and I had to remember to count the goalie for each team before I could figure out what they were chattering on about. I’m still going to use for purposes of this blog the phrase four-on-four, so I don’t confuse myself. I just wanted to broaden my audience’s hockey vocabulary.
• Ramsey, falling to the ice, gets in a shot on the Norwegian goal, but it is blocked wide. Too bad. It would have been awesome to see a defenseman score during a four-on-four.
• Morrow does a great job manning his post and sticking to the opposing player like glue along the boards behind the net.
• Strobel glides in a circle around the Norwegian net, and passes smoothly to Ramsey, whose shot it caught by the Norwegian goaltender. Why are none of your shots going in, Rammer? It’s making me sad, though not nearly as sad as the fact that you played for Scotty Bowman all those years and never got a Stanley Cup.
• The Norwegian captain is back, so the US will have to penalty kill for a couple of seconds.
• The Norwegian goaltender gives up quite a few sloppy rebounds.
• Buzz and a Norwegian player get tangled up near the net, and there’s a whistle.
• The camera, for not real reason, zooms in on Herb again. This time he is chewing on his knuckle. Guess he wanted a knuckle sandwich.
• These commentators are kind of annoying. Every two seconds, they remind us that Mark Johnson is still in the penalty box. Here’s a novel idea: just inform us when he gets out, and spend the rest of the time announcing what’s going on in the game. I’m  a big Mark Johnson fan, but I really don’t need to hear about him being in the penalty box every two seconds. That’s not very exciting, thanks.
• Another penalty called against Norway for interference. This ref is pretty strict, but at least he seems equally stringent for both sides.
• Norway scores on a shot from the point deflected off Jim Craig. Technically, it was a defensive lapse for the US, but I’ve seen much worse from the 2013 NJ Devils, so I’m not even going to really comment on the defensive breakdown except to acknowledge that, yeah, it happened.
• Mark Johnson is out of the box, but Verchota immediately is sent to fill it (Phil fills it, get it? Very punny, I know) for elbowing. I don’t really like this ref, even though he is fair. I am as big a proponent of clean hockey as it’s possible to be (my favorite players are always clean, skill guys), but this ref calls way too much, resulting in a choppy game where no real momentum is gained for either side. It’s not that exciting to watch, and with all these stoppage of plays to announce penalties, this could end up being the only game in hockey history that lasts five hours without going into a single overtime. This guy needs to chill with calling people for everything but breathing.
• Four-on-four could be the dominant playing pattern for this game with this ref, though.
• It’s ten minutes into the game, and the commentators are already ripping into the Americans about letting people down. Um, there are like fifty minutes of play left. Relax. The US is getting some scoring opportunities. It’s not as if Norway is skating loops around them, and the only Norwegian goal was on a power play, not at even strength.
• Ramsey does a good job containing Norway at the blue line.
• A Norwegian player is called for highsticking Ramsey against the boards, so the US has a man advantage in a four-on-three. (Verchota is still in timeout for elbowing.)
• The commentators also don’t like the refs style, saying that players prefer when teams are skating at even strength for the most part, because when everything anyone ever does is called, a lot of unusual line combinations are thrown out on the ice with sometimes less than stellar results.
• One of the Norway players is back, so we have a four-on-four, but the commentators are so confused by all the penalties that they mistakenly say each team will have five skaters instead of four.
• Verchota is free, so the US now has five skaters to the Norwegian four.
• Christoff gets in some sweet skating and stickhandling.
• Glove save by Jim. Cool to watch.
• Ramsey gets in a beautiful rush on the Norwegian goal. He doesn’t score, but he again shows how dynamic a defenseman he is. The more I see of this kid, the more I love him.
• Buzz comes in with a breakaway, and I get so excited thinking he is going to score that I nearly spill my tea all over my laptop, but the Norwegian goaltender ruins the party with a nice save.
• Buzz gets a penalty for charging a Norwegian into the boards. Another penalty. Ho-hum. The penalty kill units for each team are certainly getting a workout this game.
• The commentators speculate as the camera pans over to Herb again that he’ll have some heated words for his team in the locker room. That’s probably the closest thing to a sure bet that exists in hokey. I mean, if you saw the movie Miracle you know how he skated those guys after tying with the Norwegians. Happy memories galore for the Americans, yes.
• Morrow legally ices the puck to kill some time in the penalty.
• Bill Baker shows his stickhandling skills and sends the puck into the Norwegian zone.
• Buzz is back.
• Wells takes the faceoff. Hello, Wellsy. Good to see you.
• Broten and Christoff get into a scrabble along the boards. Seeing Neal the puppy get physical reminds me of his famed fight with the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, so if anyone tries to tell you that the Miracle boys aren’t goo, point out that Neal Broten took on Wayne Gretzky. That will say all that needs to be said.
• Pav takes the opening faceoff for the second period, and we get the camera zooming in on his adorable features.
• A Norwegian is sent to the penalty box for tripping. Big surprise there, since this ref adheres to the school of thought that the penalty box should never be empty.
• Rizzo scores off a deflection fifteen seconds into this power play, so, basically, just as Rizzo rallied the troops in the game against the Czechs, he does the same in the match against the Norwegians. Not bad for a guy famous for one winning goal against the Soviets.
• Wells and Verchota are quite interesting to watch. They have some good passing and aren’t afraid to get physical along the boards.
• Verchota fires a shot on goal but the puck fails to find the back of the net.
• There’s a scuffle near the near, and, shockingly, the ref, accessing no penalties, does not take advantage of this marvelous opportunity to give everyone on ice five minute roughing penalties. How uncharacteristic. I hope his body has not been taken over by aliens.
• Al Michaels described Pav as incredibly small but extremely quick and a good stickhandler. Seems as apt as description of this unconventional forward as any out there.
• Mark Johnson scores off a beautiful pass from Rob McClanahan, who was trapped along the boards. Nice way for the US to take the lead. Gosh, I love these two in case the whole world doesn’t realize that by now.
• Ouch, Bah is hooked into the boards by Norwegian, but a penalty is accessed for the Norwegian, and I actually support the ref’s decision here. Perhaps he is getting more competent as the game progresses.
• Pav has a smooth assist on a rapid fire goal from Silky. This ends in a lovely hug fest for our Miracle boys. Hockey doesn’t get much cuter than this, folks.
• After a brief spat along the boards, a Norwegian is penalized for slashing, and Strobel is sent to the penalty box for holding, so we’ll have a four-on-four for about the umpteenth time this game. Strobel hangs his head in the box when the camera flashes over him, and I want to travel back in time just to give him a reassuring hug.
• Strobel and the Norwegian are back.
• Nice save by Jim. He drops and covers the puck very well.
• There are two seconds left in the second period, so Herb pulls Jim to put in an extra man for the faceoff at the Swedish end, because even if the Norwegians win the faceoff, the puck will not cross the American goal line before time expires in the period.
• The Americans win the faceoff and fire in a shot on goal that does not go in.
• Rizzo gets into a scrabble with a Norwegian after time is called, but the refs pull them apart before any damage can be done to either player.
• Norway begins the third period in style with a hook that sends Rob McClanahan into the boards and onto the ice. The two minute penalty is given, and I wonder if the Norwegian coach forgot to mention to his team that hockey is won by getting the most goals, not penalties. Anyway, this early power play opportunity is déjà vu of the one that opened the second period with Rizzo’s goal.
• Wells scores off his own rebound, and his wild glee at scoring makes my heart soar. He deserves more moments like this in his life, that’s for sure.
• Bill Baker gets a two minute penalty for tripping.
• Norway really lacks cohesion on this penalty, and the Americans are very effective with killing the penalty by keeping the puck in the Norwegian end of the rink.
• Johnson, McClanahan, and Strobel have some good passing and shots on goal, but sadly none of them go in.
• Ken Morrow fires a slapshot that finds the back of the net. This gives the US a bang of a finish rather than a whimper.
• McClanahan skates the puck down the ice and has a neat drop pass to Christoff before Norway takes the puck again.
• Verchota gets in a nice shot on goal.
• Suter  gets into a fight with a Norwegian, and they both get double minors.
• Bill Baker gets an interference penalty, but the US wins like two seconds later anyway. Kind of anticlimactic ending except for all the Miracle boys hugging on the ice afterward.

 

Breaking Down a Miracle (Part II)

Introduction:

This post is a continuation of my commentary on the discs I recently procured with footage of the 1980 US Olympic hockey team’s games. In particular, this part of the series will focus on the American highlights of the pool games against Sweden, Czechoslovakia, Norway, Romania, and West Germany. As I have covered the games against Sweden and Czechoslovakia in more depth in the previous installment of this series, I have tried to make different observations from those I made before—focusing on elements that the differences in Canadian and American broadcasting might have drawn my attention to. Likewise, because I will be covering the full Norway game in more detail in a future post, I have tried to keep my coverage of it brief so as to avoid redundancies in the next portion of this series. In addition to analyzing the pool games, this post will contain commentary on interviews with Bill Baker, Herb Brooks, and Rizzo. It is my hope that this post will provide readers with some Olympic entertainment before we can cheer on our American men in Sochi.

Highlights of Sweden Game:

• The American broadcaster opens with a commentary on how some people love the modern architectural style of the new hockey arena in Lake Placid while others are disenchanted with it. The broadcaster refuses to take a stance on the issue (providing a decent example of a lack of bias in media), stating only that this is a free country.
• Coverage switches over to Al Michaels in the hockey arena, where he will provide the highlights of the Swedish game to the American audience.
• Al explains that the twelve hockey teams competing in the tournament are divided into two divisions: blue and red. The US along with Sweden and Czechoslovakia are in the blue division, while the Soviet Union, the gold medal favorites, are in the red.
• We are offered an update on hockey in the red division, where as of the second intermission, the Soviet Union team is hammering the Japanese thirteen to zero. Almost makes that pre-Olympic blowout in Madison Square Garden seem like an even match-up by comparison.
• We are also told that Poland is leading Finland 5-4, which, according to Al, is a bit of a surprise. Presumably, Finland recovers from this shock, seeing as Finland made it to the medal round, while Poland did not.
• In the blue division, the Czechs swept the Norwegians 11-0, and Canada thrashed the Netherlands 10:1. According to Al, there are no surprises in either of those scores.
• The West Germans in the blue division had a tough opener, Al relates, losing to Romania 6:4.
• Ken Dryden, the specialist who was part of that Montreal Canadian dynasty and who has six Stanley Cup rings to his name, emphasizes how important it is for the Americans to do well in the game against the Swedes since only two teams from each division advance to the medal rounds, and the Czechs are widely expected to fill one of those slots.
• Bill Baker is being a defensive star in the first period against the Swedes.
• Jim Craig gets in a good save a couple of minutes into the first period.
• Pav skates around quickly, being an excellent two-way player, and stealing possession of the puck from the Swedes.
• Buzz Schneider gets the puck in the net, but the goal is disallowed because a whistle for off-sides had been blown but nobody heard it because of the noise of the crowd. Perhaps the refs should invest in fog horns since the crowds are only going to get larger and louder where the Americans are concerned.
• Nice to see Morrow skate down the ice and get a shot on goal.
• Silk takes a pass and just fires it high into the Swedish net before I can blink with about half a minute left in the second period. He totally earned the chance to skip on his skates and wave his hands in the air in exultation. What a fierce, determined competitor.
• I love the pile-up hug and helmet rubbing that follows Silky’s scoring. My Miracle boys are all super supportive of one another’s brilliance, and it fills my soul with the sound of angels singing.
• Nice poke check to gain possession of the puck, Mac. You may be injured but you still know how to take that puck.
• Bill, your goal never gets less incredible to watch. That’s really the highest complaint a goal can get.
• The American team rolling around on the ice in a group hug is adorable and priceless. Seeing this is like getting a direct injection of pure bliss.
• I really can’t handle the bench shots of OC and Mac. Mac hobbling around makes me want to weep my heart out for him, but OC in his hilarious red suspenders makes me want to laugh my head off at his clothing selection. Somebody help me before I drive myself insane or lose a vital organ.
• I’m amused that the commentator felt the need to clarify for the audience that it’s traditional for teams to line up and shake hands are the end of an Olympic hockey game. Isn’t that customary for most sports? Is anyone really not going to be able to guess why the teams are shaking hands?

Bill Baker Post-Sweden Interview:

• My heart strings are quivering in delight at the sight of Bill’s shy smile at the idea of a parade being thrown on Lake Placid’s Main Street in his honor. He better get used to parades, though, because, in a couple of days, this whole team is going to hit celebrity status. I know because I saw it in my tea leaves.
• When asked how the team is feeling, Bill replies that they are happy with the tie and that they are pleased they were able to improve their performance after the first period. His Minnesota accent is making me coo, and I want to hear more of it. This world is in desperate need of more Bill Baker interviews.
• When questioned about how the team needs to prepare for the following game against the Czechs, Bill responds that the Americans will need to be playing at their best from the start and that if they do that they will hopefully be able to skate with the Czechs and compete with them effectively. Intelligent answers like this are why he was Captain of the Gophers, I suppose.
• As the interview ends, Bill just looks so discomfited at being described as the hero of the night that I just have to giggle. Then he just keeps glancing around to check if the cameras are off his face yet. What a riot. I love this guy.

Highlights on the Czech Game:

• The American broadcaster elaborates on the network’s rationale for not giving the final results of the hockey games until the end of the highlights. He claims that viewers should be able to feel some of the suspense of the event by having to wait until the end of the highlight reel to discover the result. That’s a great philosophy, but I think more excitement would be generated if entire games were shown. As it is, the game against the Czechs, which many American players define as the team’s best, was only captured in full by Canadian channels. Thank God for the Canadian love affair with hockey or else most of the Miracle boys’ magnificent feats would be lost to history.
• The highlights of this game are basically just goals, so check out my last post for reminders of who scored in what spectacular way.
• Whenever Bill touches the puck, looks like he might touch the puck, or is just chilling on the bench with his buddies when the camera flashes over to him, he gets called a hero for his goal against the Swedes. Yeah, he definitely needs to get accustomed to that whole hero worship thing.

Herb Brooks Post-Czech Game Interview:

• Herb smiles when he is congratulated by the interviewers on the results of the Czech game. It is reassuring to know that his face can handle this expression without cracking. He is a man, after all, and not a monument.
• Herb admits that he, like everyone else, was surprised by his team’s performance in the game against the Czechs, but he states that his team did realize in practice that they had to use their youth as an asset, not a liability, and he sensed they were going to have a good game against the Czechs.
• Herb emphasizes that a drubbing a la the one the Soviets gave the US team in Madison Square Garden doesn’t permanently damage a quality athlete’s mindset and points out that the defeat helped his team avoid some of the pitfalls of overconfidence.
• Herb praises Christian’s work in the goal that was ultimately credited to Verchota and reminds everybody that Christian is a center converted to defense.
• Herb states that the US team, after pulling an upset over the Czechs, must remain grounded and defeat the teams (West Germany, Romania, and Norway) that they are expected to triumph over. He believes that those victories will be an even bigger test of his boys’ characters than the Czech game.
• In talking about Mark Johnson’s injury, Herb describes Mark as the guy who makes the team go every day in practice. Gosh, I love when Herb fanboys over his players.

Highlights of Norway Game:

• A nice shot from Christian was deflected in by Rizzo. Lovely teamwork. A good power play goal that should give the US some positive momentum and ties the game.
• Good to see Wells take a faceoff.
• Verchota’s shot on goal is followed by a scuffle near the Norwegian net. Players fall to the ice, but nothing worse happens as the refs break up the fray.
• A beautiful joint play by Mark Johnson and Rob McClanahan allows the US to take the lead. Trapped along the boards, Rob passes the puck to Mark, who is right in front of the net and fires the puck into the goal before I can take another breath. The chemistry between these two is phenomenal and just has me in awe. I’m probably going to be hyperventilating into a paper bag by the time this highlight reel is over.
• Some smooth circling moves by Morrow back on the defensive side of things.
• Ouch, that Norwegian player hooked Bah Harrington into the boards. Good thing Bah is all right, and it was sweet of Bill to come over to check on him. Glad the ref gave the Norwegian player a hooking penalty. Obviously, the ref is more competent than the one in the Czech game who missed the blatant cheapshot on Mark Johnson.
• Pav is a game-changer. When he gets the puck, he can go swiftly and smoothly pass it to someone like Silky, who can slip that puck into the net again.
• Geez, what is with Norway and hooking? They just hooked Rob McClanahan, too. Did they go to the dirty hockey school taught by the Czechs or what?
• Wonderful to see Mark Wells score, and then to watch him get buried in a hug by his teammates. His post-Olympic life was so rough that it’s a comfort to know that he had some amazing Olympic memories to reflect upon.
• Morrow gets on the scoreboard with a glorious slapshot. Awesome play. The puck just traveled so slowly that the Norwegian goaltender made the deadly mistake of believing it would be deflected when it wasn’t. Awkward for that goaltender but great for Kenny Morrow.
• A fight between Suter and a Norwegian player results in a penalty for both sides, so we’ll have a four-on-four situation.
• Interference is called against Bill Baker, who just looks really annoyed at himself for getting the penalty. Don’t worry, Billy, you’ll always be the hero against Sweden.
• This is all academic, though, since the six remaining seconds in the game pass without incident, and the Miracle boys climb out of their bench victorious for a group hug.

Interview with Rizzo Post-Norway Game:

• Rizzo just has this massive grin on his face from the second the interview starts. What a gregarious fellow.
• Rizzo is a sweetie, talking about how the team pulled together over the last six months and always believed in one another’s talents. He says the team is sitting at a good spot with two wins and a tie. Basically, he feels that the only way things will go awry is if the team lets them fall apart, and he’s confident the team isn’t going to permit things to unravel.
• Rizzo describing the atmosphere in the locker room during the Czech game is absolutely precious. He explains how the team believed from the outset that they had a chance at beating anyone who wasn’t the Soviets. After the game was tied at the end of the first period, he relates how the team buoyed themselves up with assurances that the Czechs weren’t that good and that they could outskate the Czechs, which meant that they could defeat the Czechs. Then, once they took the lead, they knew they just had to hold onto it, and it would be the Czechs who had to catch up to them.

Highlights of Romania Game:

• Pav sets Buzz up for a beautiful goal that puts the US on the scoreboard and allows the team to pull ahead for an early lead.
• Eric Strobel fights hard to get a second goal for the US. Nice to see him being all determined.
• Morrow gets in some solid checking.
• Christoff leads a charge down the ice but no real scoring opportunities come of it.
• Right off the faceoff, the puck is passed back to Buzz, who sends it flying into the Romanian net. Picture perfect play practically made for the highlight reels.
• Christoff gets the puck, does a neat twirl, and sends the puck careening into the Romanian net.
• Neal Broten gets a sweet goal, skating right up to the net and firing the puck wide of the goalie.
• With like a minute left, Rob scores a goal that bears an uncanny resemblance to Neal’s. Guess the Romanian goalie really can’t block that shot at all and will be having nightmares of moves like it for years to come.

 

 

Highlights of West German Game:

• There is a fight along the boards that results in both Christian and Mark Johnson being sent off for a penalty. This physical style is apparently a distinctly West German mode of playing that annoys a lot of teams.
• In this three on four situation, West Germany scores within seconds. This is tearing at my heart strings.
• Dave Christian sets up Rob McClanahan for a gorgeous backhand goal that he skates up close to put into the right side of the net.
• It’s Air Ramsey as he flies to dodge a check. I love this kid. What a pistol.
• Neal Broten dives to the ice to send the rebound from Strobel’s shot sailing into the Romanian net. Amazing way to tie a game.
• Some confusion about who is taking the faceoff for the US. First, it seems like Mark Johnson will take it. Then it looks like Rob McClanahan will, but he doesn’t either. Finally, Steve Christoff seems like he’s going to take it and actually does. I guess it’s some delaying tactic of Herb’s to break the other team’s momentum.
• Rob McClanahan streaks down the ice to score another beautiful goal.
• The Minnesota boys come out big tonight as Verchota scores as well, tipping in a slapshot from Christian.
• Glorious glove save by Jim Craig.

Breaking Down a Miracle (Part I)

Introduction:

The Winter Olympics is in the air again, and as the torch races toward Sochi, there is only one thing for hockey fans to think about: Olympic hockey. This blog post is not about which Americans I think will make the roster (though I will eat my brother’s sweaty shoulder pads if Zach Parise and Patrick Kane aren’t locks) or whether Jonathan Quick will be sufficiently recovered from his groin injury to be in net for the USA. You can find loads of other pieces speculating about those topics, but this post (and the others in this series) is going to be unique. Why is that, you say? Why, thanks for asking. It’s going to be all about one of America’s past Olympic hockey glories. That’s right. I just purchased (as a combo belated Birthday present and early Christmas gift) a lovely set of discs of full games and highlights of the 1980 US Hockey Team, so I’ll be providing commentary on the Miracle on Ice and all the footage that I have leading up to it. This post will focus on the opening match against Sweden as well as the second game against the Czechs.

The format for all these posts will basically be random bullet point musings because these Miracle boys make me lose too many brain cells to organize my thoughts coherently, but I hope you’ll feel involved in the excitement via this series of posts. Please pardon the tense issues owing to extreme euphoria and call me out if my obnoxious fangirling over my personal favorites (Rob McClanahan and Mark Johnson) begins to detract from my observations about the rest of the team. I don’t want to sound like I’m ESPN covering the Blackhawks, focusing on Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to the degree that an outsider might never guess that the Blackhawks actually have more than two players.

Sweden Game Notes:

 

• The coverage is Canadian. We get to hear a lot of long Northern u’s in those classy Canadian cadences. We also are treated to an interview with one of the Canadian amateur hockey players who apparently scored a hat trick (three goals in a game for those of you who haven’t learned the handshake and the lingo of the hockey nut yet) during one match against the Dutch prior to the Olympics. The Canadian media had high hopes that this number 19 would be a star but he was probably outshone by the Americans in Lake Placid. Tough luck for our brothers to the North, eh?
• The Canadian player, Ken Barry, does have some neat insights into the Olympic tournament. He does a good job reminding viewers that seeding for the medal round and tie-breaking for giving out medals was based on goals scored and goals allowed. That did end up being important for the US later on, since the US was seeded second in its division going into the medal round because of the goal differential with Sweden. Some hockey scholars have suggested that the Miracle on Ice might not have happened (blasphemy, I know) if the US had played the Soviet Union second, as the Soviets would have gone into the gold medal game with all guns blazing no matter what. We’ll leave that debate to our hockey fanatics and just admire the articulate Canadian player. Hockey players consistently give the best interviews, don’t they? They’re just so humble and smart.
• Ken is a cute young Canadian, talking about his travels with his team and his sacrifices leading up to the Olympics.
• Good job by the Canadian media, reminding everybody that the game against Sweden took place before Opening Ceremonies because the hockey teams had to face off against everyone in their division before they could move onto the medal round. This bit of trivia is only really important to me because Rob McClanahan ended up having to miss Opening Ceremonies to treat his injury from the Sweden game.
• The Canadian broadcaster pointed out that Sweden had just returned to the international hockey scene for the first time since the 1960’s, but that the Swedes had placed third in the World Championships. Spoiler alert: the Swedes would also go on to place third in the Olympics.
• Love this Canadian broadcaster. He talks about the Americans wanting to repeat the gold medal performance of 1960 in Squaw Valley. You are right, random Canadian broadcaster, the Miracle boys did want gold. Thank you for focusing on them from the beginning and preserving some of this stuff for posterity since the American media didn’t fall in love with these boys fast enough.
• Jim Craig patrolling the crease. It’s nice when goalies send out that “don’t mess with me” vibe.
• Ken Morrow does a wonderful job breaking up a Sweden play and passing the puck up ice to Eric Strobel. What a defensive rock. No wonder he was such a success with that Islander dynasty that gave Herb’s Rangers a headache.
• Eric Strobel’s skating really was so fast and smooth. I know he was a streaky player who wasn’t exactly “on” during this tournament, but he was still so graceful and gorgeous to watch. No surprise Herb regarded him as the best pure skater he had ever seen. Eric got in some sweet stickhandling too.
• Buzz Schneider is a riot, firing that shot even though the whistle to signal off sides had already been blown. Nobody on this team ever gives up, obviously.
• Neal Broten is a little offensive firecracker. He could really skate up the ice and put the pressure on, getting his own rebound and coming back for another shot. He didn’t score but it definitely wasn’t for lack of trying. The puck was practically in the net when the Swedish goaltender covered it with his glove, and Neal was working so hard he ended up falling to the ice. That’s dedication right there.
• Picture perfect skate save by Jim Craig and some solid checking by Bill Baker. Beautiful defensive work all around here.
• Ramsey was very clever, setting up the breakaway that allowed the US to tie the Swedes late in the second period. Not exactly a shocker that he went on to seventeen successful NHL seasons and was a popular assistant coach for the Minnesota Wilds until 2010 when he resigned to spend more time with his family.
• Mark Johnson and Dave Silk had great chemistry whizzing down the ice together, and their raised fists after Silky scores are too adorable to be believed. I love seeing hockey players rejoice when someone on their line scores. Silky was such a clutch performer, and that’s why, after the first game against Sweden, he was basically promoted to the first line to play with Johnson and McClanahan. (Not that Herb was really rigid about deploying his lines. He liked to mix up his combinations, but as much as he had a “first” line during the Olympics, Silky was on it.)
• The American pile-up hug after Silky scores is precious. That’s what the 2013 Devils should do every time they win a face-off to get some much needed chemistry flowing.
• The slow motion replay shows the beauty of Mark’s assist. What a playmaker. He makes everything look so simple and smooth.
• The Canadian broadcaster does a good job reminding the audience that the US needed to get at least a point (meaning a tie) in order to place themselves in a solid position for the medal round. Just a little hint about the importance of Bill Baker’s tying goal for the ultimate success of the 1980 US Hockey Team.
• Mark Johnson is just all over the ice in the third period. Amazing that he never got tired even with all the ice time Herb gave him. What a gem.
• Awesome to see Mark battling along the boards. He may be small, but he is fearless. A little tiger.
• Morrow just inspires so much faith with how he stays deep to protect his goal. He doesn’t do anything flashy, but he gets the puck and moves it up to Neal this time.
• Ramsey does a nice job clearing his end, too.
• Pav is fascinating to watch. He speeds up the ice and creates so many opportunities, and he doesn’t give up on his plays. He keeps going along the boards if he has to.
• Bill Baker was quite an asset in this game. He got in a lot of action in terms of passes and shots from center ice, but he also could skate back quickly to touch the puck so an icing could be called against the other team.
• Mark Wells got in a nice shot. Glad to see him in on the action.
• Wells gets some more excitement with a little scuffle along the boards against a Swede.
• The Americans are turning up the heat, and the Swedes try to cool it by icing the puck. American fans boo this blatant delaying tactic, and we see, for perhaps the third time, the camera panning in on the same random American fan with a flag. Is he the only American fan in the arena or what?
• Dave Christian does some smooth stick work behind the net before clearing the puck from his zone. Not bad at all for a forward turned defenseman.
• Rob McClanahan skates the puck down the ice very nicely, and I won’t think about the pain this probably caused his leg. (Too late, of course, I already thought about it.)
• Rob does a good job passing the puck down the ice to Mark, who fires a beautiful shot that hits the post. Too bad, but this is all just set-up for Bill’s epic goal.
• Rizzo gets a solid shot on goal even if no point comes of it. Just casually observing that he did other stiff besides score the game-winner against the Soviets. Contrary to popular opinion, he wasn’t Captain Deadweight.
• The Americans fall down a whole heck of a lot. Rizzo slips by the boards but gets in a pass while he is on his knees.
• The Soviet ref seems surprisingly unbiased (perhaps he was banished to Siberia after the Olympics), calling a minor penalty for tripping against Sweden with around five minutes left in the third period. Time to see if the US can convert the power play into a goal.
• It’s like Mark Johnson and Dave Christian were playing some sort of puck ping-pong with the way they kept passing it back and forth to one another. Mark was getting I so many shots here. Why did none make it in the net? So excruciating to watch, let me tell you.
• Ramsey is awesome to watch along the boards, and he gets in quite a few slapshots from the blue line. What a dynamic defenseman.
• The Canadian commentator just can’t get Rizzo’s last name right. It’s a box to the ears every time he butchers it. What brought this mispronunciation phenomenon to my attention? Rizzo had a scuffle along the boards with a Swede, so the Canadian broadcaster thought it was a great time to mangle Rizzo’s surname almost beyond auditory recognition.
• The gloves on neither player come off in this altercation but both Rizzo and the Swede get roughing penalties because they trade some punches. Interesting to see what will develop from these penalties.
• Okay, after the camera zooms in on Rizzo doing hockey player things (guzzling water and spitting) in the penalty box, the camera pans over to the American bench, where we get a shot of Robbie McClanahan standing. The backstory behind this is that his leg was injured in the first period, and it hurt him too much to sit down, so he stood up the whole time between shifts. What a tough little soldier. He deserves all the hugs in the world, and I’m going to go through a box of Kleenex before the third period is over. God help me and the rainforest I’m destroying, but just watch that scene in Miracle where Herb goads Mac into playing against the Swedes and you’ll begin to understand the power of my emotions at this moment.
• Bob Suter passes the puck up the ice to the Coneheads, and they get a nice shot on goal. Cool to see Herb going with his unpredictable shock troopers in this situation.
• Sweet to hear the Canadian commentator reminiscing on Buzz’s performance in the 1976 Winter Olympics. The broadcaster apparently remembered a big goal Buzz scored but didn’t feel like elaborating on the details.
• Ramsey got in a good shot when that puck was passed back to him on the face-off. He was quite the offensive defenseman, actually.
• Some nice passing between the Coneheads, but no real scoring opportunities come of it at this time.
• Baker has wonderful stickhandling abilities. Such excellent control of the puck when it is in his possession. I am in awe. Color me impressed.
• Oh gosh, the Canadian broadcaster is so terribly misinformed when he says that Herb Brooks was a part of that 1960 gold medal hockey team. Herb, of course, was the last guy cut from that team, but I guess when life gives you awkward turtles you have to make awkward turtle soup.
• At least the Canadian commentator is right about Dave Christian being the son of one of the 1960 gold medalists. It’s good that there is some truth in fluff.
• Silky got in a nice shot on goal, and the Canadian broadcaster cannot pronounce Verchota. (Did Canada not have any Italians back in 1980?) Maybe he should just go with Phil instead.
• Hilarious shot of Bill Baker just bouncing the puck around on his stick after the whistle was blown on an icing call. Geez, I love these Minnesota boys. How could Herb bear to be mean to them when they are all so adorable?
• The camera moves over to the US bench again, and we see Jack O’Callahan, who had to sit out the game because of a knee injury, on the bench in bright red suspenders. Perhaps he was the one who advised Herb to wear those hideous 70’s style pants to the Soviet game.
• Another shot of Robbie McClanahan limping along behind the bench is breaking my poor heart.
• It’s that same flag-waving fan. Is there nobody else in the audience the camera can find?
• Great glove save by Jimmy. The Canadian commentator loves it, and so do I.
• Pav flew down the ice and got in a wonderful shot. Pity it didn’t find the back of the net.
• Sweden gets a holding penalty. Let’s see what the US makes of this power play opportunity and ignore the riot on the Swedish bench.
• Wow, Ramsey travels from behind his own net to practically go end-to-end with the puck. Who put rockets on his skates?
• Bad luck with those slapshots, Christian, but one day something will come of them in a game against the Soviets.
• Morrow gets called for cross-checking (according to international standards), so we’ll have a power play for Sweden. Ramsey, Baker, and Schneider are all on the penalty kill. They are all skating so quickly and smoothly, and they have a forecheck going. Amazing. Some NHL teams can’t penalty kill like this.
• Morrow is back. Thank God that penalty kill is over. Penalty kills for my side are too intense for me even when I know the outcome.
• Neal is so adorable and focused as he prepares to take his face-off. The camera zooms in on his teddy bear face, and I can’t handle it.
• Great job breaking free of the Swedish forecheck, Christian. You stickhandled so well and went basically end-to-end. Bravo.
• Jim is on the bench, and Herb is pacing. Time for the US to go with six attackers to try to tie the game.
• What a shot, Bill! Way to tie up the game. You changed the whole team’s momentum going into the Czech game, and I’m so proud of you.
• Mark Johnson’s celebratory run after Bill scores is priceless.
• The Miracle boys are so cute as they pile into a hug to rejoice over Bill’s tying goal. Every second I love them more.
• OC celebrating in his ridiculous suspenders is quality entertainment.
• The game is over, and it’s time for some manly helmet pats for the American boys. I love hockey expressions of affection.

Game against Czechoslovakia:

• The Americans are very aggressive from the opening face-off, putting pressure on the Czechs. This is great to see.
• Bill Baker, you are ripping my heart here. You used your body to block that shot, and it hit you right in the chin. I hate to watch you crumble on the ice. My poor baby. If I could go back in time, I would hug you but not chuck you under the chin. The commentator is right, you are the hero of the game against Sweden, and you totally earned that cheer from the crowd when you got up.
• The Canadian broadcaster can’t say Broten’s name right either, but I’ll give him a pass here because Broten isn’t pronounced how it’s spelled.
• Bill Baker is back and playing as tough as ever. What a quality athlete.
• Some nice passing from Mark to Robbie but Robbie’s shot goes wide. Too bad. They’ll have to try again and stop building up my hopes just to dash them. Footage of these games is not easy on my ticker.
• Morrow is very dependable at clearing his own zone. I’m never nervous when he is controlling the puck.
• It would be nice if the Canadian commentator decided on one incorrect way of saying Broten’s name, because this mispronouncing it differently every time gig isn’t working and is more infuriating than one consistent wrong pronounciation would be. Broten does well with the face-off, though.
• Broten has a beautiful pass, and Rizzo has an awesome goal. See, contrary to popular belief, Rizzo has more than one goal in the Olympics. Great work from the American captain here, jumpstarting the US onslaught on the Czechs after the Czechs get the first point of the game.
• A flawless pass from Pav to Buzz ends in a goal, and my heart is filled with sunshine and rainbows. Way to be, guys.
• A whole lot of collisions going on here as the Czechs fold under the US barrage. Strobel gets knocked into the boards, and Ramsey is practically able to skate to the Czech goal before he is knocked down.
• How was that trip on Christoff not called? What a terrible ref. Was he napping to recover from a time change or what?
• That was close, Jimmy! So glad you caught the puck.
• Wow, Rammer way to stay on top of your player even when he is pushing you with his stick. That’s called sacrificing for your team.
• The Czechs scored, and Verchota is in the penalty box for cross-checking. This is tense.
• Christoff almost got a shorthanded goal. This is nail-biting.
• Bill, you are so noble, leaping down to block the puck again with your body. What a hero.
• Verchota is free, and the US killed the very effective Czech power play. So proud of the boys.
• Geez, the Czechs just let Johnson, McClanahan, Baker, and Strobel set up a passing clinic in front of the Czech net. Can’t believe nobody scored.
• Rizzo is right. Delibrately knocking the puck out of play into the audience is a two minute penalty for delaying the game. Whatever they paid this ref was too much.
• Nice, Ramsey. Way to level that Czech.
• Buzz scores again off another Pav pass, and the American bench clears for a group hug. This is pure awesome.
• Pav is an amazing playmaker. He’ll give up a chance at a good shot to set up a great one for a line mate.
• Baker sends a Czech player onto their bench, and I find it oddly amusing.
• Lovely goal off a backhand by Mark Johnson with assists from Mac and Rizzo.
• Dave Christian scores while practically falling into the Czech goalie and net. This is an American rout of the Czechs. It’s incredible.
• Buzz scores another. He really demolishes the Czechs in this game.
• In the process of falling splat on his face, Rob McClanahan fires a shot and scores. Amazing. I don’t know how he managed to hit the puck, nonetheless get it in the net, but what a play and a great pass from Johnson, too. This ends in an adorable team hug, of course.
• What an atrocious ref. Not calling that totally unnecessary check to Mark Johnson who was nowhere near the puck. What a bogus call, and Mark curled up in pain is making me hunt for Kleenex again.
• Suter definitely wants Czech blood after the cheapshot on Mark Johnson. Suter is great for having his teammate’s back like that.
• Ah, the immortal Herb Brooks threat to shove a Koho down number 3’s throat. Vintage Herb on the warpath.
• Beautiful mob hug of Jim Craig to end the rout of the Czechs. The Miracle boys are such perfect babies. I love them all.