Winter 1980--Hockey--need I say more. My friend the Captain told me that it was his first memory of Olympic competition. . . that being from Minnesota, hockey was king. Well for a few special days in the winter of 1980, hockey was king in Charleston, South Carolina, too. I dare say it was king all over the USA. . . Hell, in Charleston we couldn't spell hockey prior those days. What did I know about icing? Well, it had to do with cakes, not sport.
But everybody loves an underdog, especially when it is your own underdog. What a great Olympic time. I don't have the words, the phrases, the blogogasmic talent to do justice to what we watched and the exhilaration we experienced. The emotions that the country felt. . .it was like a national spiritual experience. It brought us together for that very special few days. It didn't seem to matter where people came from or who their people were: tall, short, rich, poor, gay, straight, black, white, rock-rib republican redneck, liberal yellow dog democrat, christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Wicca, agnostic, or any other individual identification--We were all proud countrymen; we were all hockey fans. The USSR was so talented, so experienced in international competition. Our rag tag group of college kids pulled the upset of the century ( in our eyes). This was the days before the real pros were allowed to compete in the Olympics. Ad it was a joyful and unifying moment.
Thanks for stoppin by. Ya'll com back now, ya hear!
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2 comments:
Glad to share that moment with you. It's nice to know I'm not the only one that might still get goosebumps from hearing Al Michaels say, "Do you believe in miracles...YES!!!!!" (yep, there go the goosebumps again)
The movie "Miracle" told the story a little bit. The rivalries in college hockey that had to be over come to make that team happen was an inspiring back story. My memories are from the perspective a 10 year old, but my brother and I still talk about that Olympics to this day.
The US team wasn't even supposed to win in most of the games, let alone take home the gold. The showed us what the meaning of the Olympics was all about. No contracts, no endorsements, maybe a little fame and few hot girls, but they won that because they just wanted it more then every other team.
Thanks again!
Agreed. I was just seven years old then and my old man told me how important that game was to "Beat those damn Ruskies!"
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