Mike, to your first sentence I appreciate the thought.
As for your last sentence, ain't it grand?
Cheers!
Alan
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 10:39am
Yes, Mike. There was a gold medal game. The tournament was different back then. They played a round-robin tournament to decide the teams that would survive to the medal round. Then they went to the medal round. The ironic thing is that if the U.S. would have lost against the Soviet Union, they they would not be eligible for any medals. The game they won against the U.S.S.R. guaranteed them of at least the silver medal.
Alan
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 10:43am
Blake, I just posted under "Michael Franke's response". It was L-O-N-G. It didn't show up and I hope I didn't break the blog. I'd hate to be a blog breaker.
Eric
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 11:45am
It really was an incredibly hard fought game, with very few mistakes. I still have to put the 1980 USSR game and the 1980 gold medal game (amazing they didn't have a let down) as the best ever. Why? The Cold War. The Evil Empire. A bunch of scraggly kids beating the greatest hockey machine in the world.
Blake Sebring
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 11:56am
You guys are talking everything around the game, and I'm talking about the game itself.
Alan
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 12:23pm
Well Blake, go back to that 1980 game. The U.S. had to come back twice against arguably the best team in the world. ( They clobbered the NHL team earlier in the Canada Cup ? game. ) So, just speaking about the level of play during the game I still think the 1980 game was better and more dramatic.
rgurney
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 12:30pm
I agree with Blake. Partly because I was born nine years after the miracle on ice, but if you just watched the games and didn't know the back story you would probably think different.
Mike from Toronto
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 12:42pm
A bunch of American true amatuers beat a bunch of Soviet "Pros" in the greatest hockey game of all time to this point. It is unfortunate but every Olympics has to be taken in context of the political climate at the time. It shouldn't be that way but think of Munich. Or the two games that didn't have the U.S. or Russia show up in different years.
As far as skill level is concerned I don't think the 1980 hockey players are close to today's players in any phase of the game.
rgurney
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 12:53pm
But were not talking about the political culture or about the Olympics, were talking about what took place on the ice.
Mike from Toronto
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 1:36pm
I don't think you can separate time and place but here goes. Yesterday, the U.S. took advantage of Canada "trying not to lose" to tie it up. In the overtime the U.S. fell into the same trying not to lose trap. The difference between now and 1980 is simple I think. Defence. Look at how the game was played back then. I look at the Komet stats back then and the same is true in most hockey of that era. Very offensive minded. The scores weren't always 7-6 but there were a lot of chances. And excitment? Every time the USSR touched the puck you thought this is it. Good bye USA. But Craig held them in and the US kept trying to push back up ice. In fact I think there is talk that Herb kept telling them to get on offense. The Soviets were at a loss for what to do, they started shooting from everywhere very undisciplined for them. The U.S. had got in their heads.
So fast forward to today. Defence has improved to the point where it is difficult to score. And just like football with prevent defence. When your forwards commit to defence first it can lead to fire drills in your own end because there is no push up ice. That is the way a lot of goals are scored now.
I am not saying the hockey was better then. Far from it. But that one game still resonates with me. On a lot of levels.
Maybe 5 years from now I will look back on yesterday a little differently.
dbowty
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 2:02pm
And here's the REALLY COOL thing - the Gold Medal final was between two North American teams!
Rocky
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 3:10pm
As far as the game itself, there are numerous ones that I thought were better than yesterday's. Zach Anderson mentioned the Dallas vs Buffalo game that should rank high on any list. I can think of a few Colorado vs Detroit games that I would put above yesterday's. And more recently the 6th game in the Washington vs Pittsburgh series last season was one for the ages.
That's not to take anything from yesterday's game though. Hollywood couldn't have come up with a better one under the circumstances.
On a different note, I've never understood the reasoning for Paul Henderson not being in the HOF. I've recently read that he is gravely ill and think the committee in charge of such matters should correct their mistake NOW!
Mike from Toronto
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 3:17pm
It is true, Rocky, P. Henderson is battling leukemia. The reason they give for exclusion from the HOF is he doesn't have the "career" stats. That would be a whole new debate. At least they could consider a special consideration. Paul is a very proud and religious man, I don't know if he would accept anything other than full entry. God bless him.
Andrea
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 3:25pm
How do you separate whats going on around the game to the actual game in Olympic competition? I was only 16 months old during the storied 1980 game, but I remember growing up being told how people watched (even after knowing the score) the game where a bunch of college kids stood toe to toe with the best hockey team in the world and beat them on American soil. Those players believed in themselves, and the country believed in them.
We were very fortunate as fans of hockey to see some of the best players today playing in Olympic competition. We were also fortunate that the gold medal game consisted of players that we know, like (and dislike), and we knew that the game would be great. Does watching two fantastic teams filled with all-star players outweigh the achievement of the 1980 game, in my opinion, no. The feel good story of a young hockey team beating the best in the world, on their soil, during the political turmoil of the time will always be greater.
Congratulations to the Canadians for winning the gold. But more importantly, congratulations to the Americans. I am so proud of them, and so blessed to live in the greatest country on the earth.
Dan
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 3:50pm
Not for the USA. It may have been the greatest for Canada. They HAD to win on their home soil or live it with the rest of their lives. They would've been labeled losers, wrongly, forever. Canada doesn't have a whole lot other then hockey. It was imperative that they won and therefore, perhaps, the greatest game. The 1980 game will be the best ever for the USA.
Blake Sebring
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 4:39pm
How can John Ferguson not be in the Hall for what he did on and off the ice?
And Eurizione and most of the players on the 1980 team did not have the skill level to have made the current team. I'm just saying the skill level displayed in yesterday's game was far superior to the 1980 game. Of course the 1980 game was far more important in the overall picture, but I think yesterday's 67 minutes of play was superior.
MR SNUFFLUPUGUS
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 7:02pm
Biggest difference between USA and Canada....
Win or lose the hockey game may not have made the front page of the SPORTS SECTION in many papers across the United States.
In Canada, win or lose this game made the Front page of the FRONT SECTION of just about every paper big and small.
Wendy
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 7:42pm
Hey, we can't help it if there's no real news in Canada! ;)
Adam Mapes
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 8:34pm
Herb Brooks was a genius in his own right!!! This man had the team picked before the boys even went to colorado springs....This quote is one that i will never forget "I'm not lookin for the best players Craig-I'm lookin for the right ones"!!!!
Hit Somebody!!!
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 8:52pm
I agree with one of the first posters on here....the Turner Cup game 7 vs. Port Huron when Hodgman scored the game winner.....best game I have ever seen......at least in person, and up there with the best game I have ever seen in any sport. Win or lose in that game, think about it, it was incredible. High level was played on that night and both teams left everything they had on the ice. It was a Classic that I will re-tell to people as long as I live.
The US v. Canada game was a great game as well. I think it might actually go a long way in attracting people back to the sport. I just hope that the NHL gives their best effort to capitalize on this whole thing and I hope they don't drop the.....puck....on this one.
MR SNUFFLUPUGUS
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 9:57pm
Some video
Here is Toronto...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHc6VGIK8-I
Here are the streets of vancouver the minute Crosby Scored
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu0qdZCANyM
For a different perspective, here is how the winning goal looked on CTV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5xJKzLLg0Q
JR
Tue, 03/02/2010 - 8:08am
I have a hard time saying any one game is the "best of all time"..... The game is just so different on so many levels today than it was 30 years ago and that goes for every sport, IMO...
I think its safe to say that without that 1980 win over the Soviets that USA hockey probably isnt where it is today. The popularity of the sport skyrocketed after that historic win...
Eric
Tue, 03/02/2010 - 6:08pm
Yes, I am talking about things outside of the game. The thing is, the outside influences are what MADE the game! C'mon Blake, you remember what things were like then. Sport was secondary in the Olympics. Remember, we boycotted the Moscow Summer Olympics, I believe in 1980, for political reasons.
To summarize, a bunch of kids who had NO business being in the same area code as the Soviet team, playing in a world in which The Cold War still raged, wins in front of a nation offering them nothing more than hope and no belief.
Comments
Mike, to your first sentence I appreciate the thought.
As for your last sentence, ain't it grand?
Cheers!
Yes, Mike. There was a gold medal game. The tournament was different back then. They played a round-robin tournament to decide the teams that would survive to the medal round. Then they went to the medal round. The ironic thing is that if the U.S. would have lost against the Soviet Union, they they would not be eligible for any medals. The game they won against the U.S.S.R. guaranteed them of at least the silver medal.
Blake, I just posted under "Michael Franke's response". It was L-O-N-G. It didn't show up and I hope I didn't break the blog. I'd hate to be a blog breaker.
It really was an incredibly hard fought game, with very few mistakes. I still have to put the 1980 USSR game and the 1980 gold medal game (amazing they didn't have a let down) as the best ever. Why? The Cold War. The Evil Empire. A bunch of scraggly kids beating the greatest hockey machine in the world.
You guys are talking everything around the game, and I'm talking about the game itself.
Well Blake, go back to that 1980 game. The U.S. had to come back twice against arguably the best team in the world. ( They clobbered the NHL team earlier in the Canada Cup ? game. ) So, just speaking about the level of play during the game I still think the 1980 game was better and more dramatic.
I agree with Blake. Partly because I was born nine years after the miracle on ice, but if you just watched the games and didn't know the back story you would probably think different.
A bunch of American true amatuers beat a bunch of Soviet "Pros" in the greatest hockey game of all time to this point. It is unfortunate but every Olympics has to be taken in context of the political climate at the time. It shouldn't be that way but think of Munich. Or the two games that didn't have the U.S. or Russia show up in different years.
As far as skill level is concerned I don't think the 1980 hockey players are close to today's players in any phase of the game.
But were not talking about the political culture or about the Olympics, were talking about what took place on the ice.
I don't think you can separate time and place but here goes. Yesterday, the U.S. took advantage of Canada "trying not to lose" to tie it up. In the overtime the U.S. fell into the same trying not to lose trap. The difference between now and 1980 is simple I think. Defence. Look at how the game was played back then. I look at the Komet stats back then and the same is true in most hockey of that era. Very offensive minded. The scores weren't always 7-6 but there were a lot of chances. And excitment? Every time the USSR touched the puck you thought this is it. Good bye USA. But Craig held them in and the US kept trying to push back up ice. In fact I think there is talk that Herb kept telling them to get on offense. The Soviets were at a loss for what to do, they started shooting from everywhere very undisciplined for them. The U.S. had got in their heads.
So fast forward to today. Defence has improved to the point where it is difficult to score. And just like football with prevent defence. When your forwards commit to defence first it can lead to fire drills in your own end because there is no push up ice. That is the way a lot of goals are scored now.
I am not saying the hockey was better then. Far from it. But that one game still resonates with me. On a lot of levels.
Maybe 5 years from now I will look back on yesterday a little differently.
And here's the REALLY COOL thing - the Gold Medal final was between two North American teams!
As far as the game itself, there are numerous ones that I thought were better than yesterday's. Zach Anderson mentioned the Dallas vs Buffalo game that should rank high on any list. I can think of a few Colorado vs Detroit games that I would put above yesterday's. And more recently the 6th game in the Washington vs Pittsburgh series last season was one for the ages.
That's not to take anything from yesterday's game though. Hollywood couldn't have come up with a better one under the circumstances.
On a different note, I've never understood the reasoning for Paul Henderson not being in the HOF. I've recently read that he is gravely ill and think the committee in charge of such matters should correct their mistake NOW!
It is true, Rocky, P. Henderson is battling leukemia. The reason they give for exclusion from the HOF is he doesn't have the "career" stats. That would be a whole new debate. At least they could consider a special consideration. Paul is a very proud and religious man, I don't know if he would accept anything other than full entry. God bless him.
How do you separate whats going on around the game to the actual game in Olympic competition? I was only 16 months old during the storied 1980 game, but I remember growing up being told how people watched (even after knowing the score) the game where a bunch of college kids stood toe to toe with the best hockey team in the world and beat them on American soil. Those players believed in themselves, and the country believed in them.
We were very fortunate as fans of hockey to see some of the best players today playing in Olympic competition. We were also fortunate that the gold medal game consisted of players that we know, like (and dislike), and we knew that the game would be great. Does watching two fantastic teams filled with all-star players outweigh the achievement of the 1980 game, in my opinion, no. The feel good story of a young hockey team beating the best in the world, on their soil, during the political turmoil of the time will always be greater.
Congratulations to the Canadians for winning the gold. But more importantly, congratulations to the Americans. I am so proud of them, and so blessed to live in the greatest country on the earth.
Not for the USA. It may have been the greatest for Canada. They HAD to win on their home soil or live it with the rest of their lives. They would've been labeled losers, wrongly, forever. Canada doesn't have a whole lot other then hockey. It was imperative that they won and therefore, perhaps, the greatest game. The 1980 game will be the best ever for the USA.
How can John Ferguson not be in the Hall for what he did on and off the ice?
And Eurizione and most of the players on the 1980 team did not have the skill level to have made the current team. I'm just saying the skill level displayed in yesterday's game was far superior to the 1980 game. Of course the 1980 game was far more important in the overall picture, but I think yesterday's 67 minutes of play was superior.
Biggest difference between USA and Canada....
Win or lose the hockey game may not have made the front page of the SPORTS SECTION in many papers across the United States.
In Canada, win or lose this game made the Front page of the FRONT SECTION of just about every paper big and small.
Hey, we can't help it if there's no real news in Canada! ;)
Herb Brooks was a genius in his own right!!! This man had the team picked before the boys even went to colorado springs....This quote is one that i will never forget "I'm not lookin for the best players Craig-I'm lookin for the right ones"!!!!
I agree with one of the first posters on here....the Turner Cup game 7 vs. Port Huron when Hodgman scored the game winner.....best game I have ever seen......at least in person, and up there with the best game I have ever seen in any sport. Win or lose in that game, think about it, it was incredible. High level was played on that night and both teams left everything they had on the ice. It was a Classic that I will re-tell to people as long as I live.
The US v. Canada game was a great game as well. I think it might actually go a long way in attracting people back to the sport. I just hope that the NHL gives their best effort to capitalize on this whole thing and I hope they don't drop the.....puck....on this one.
Some video
Here is Toronto...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHc6VGIK8-I
Here are the streets of vancouver the minute Crosby Scored
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu0qdZCANyM
For a different perspective, here is how the winning goal looked on CTV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5xJKzLLg0Q
I have a hard time saying any one game is the "best of all time"..... The game is just so different on so many levels today than it was 30 years ago and that goes for every sport, IMO...
I think its safe to say that without that 1980 win over the Soviets that USA hockey probably isnt where it is today. The popularity of the sport skyrocketed after that historic win...
Yes, I am talking about things outside of the game. The thing is, the outside influences are what MADE the game! C'mon Blake, you remember what things were like then. Sport was secondary in the Olympics. Remember, we boycotted the Moscow Summer Olympics, I believe in 1980, for political reasons.
To summarize, a bunch of kids who had NO business being in the same area code as the Soviet team, playing in a world in which The Cold War still raged, wins in front of a nation offering them nothing more than hope and no belief.
Greatest.
Game.
Ever.