Wow, today is a busy day in US hockey history.
Sure, today a weird day in the hockey world (I will refrain from comment so the Bratva doesn’t come detach my skull from my body) but there’s been a lot of good memories to celebrate. Firstly, 41 years ago today we saw the 1980 Miracle on ice. The rag-tag band of college kids (The US team) beat the King Soviets to advance for a chance at the Olympic Gold Medal. We all know the story and can quote the movie word for word but the story never gets old.
Next up, just 3 years ago today, the US Women’s team won a goal medal over in PyeongChang. This game was the classic US vs Canada — a rivalry so heated and evergreen– and the winner took home gold. That rivalry and what was at stake wasn’t the only reason this game was intense, this one went into a shootout. The most anxiety inducing event in hockey. Of course the US came out on top (whoop whoooooop). You can rewatch it here. I will never got over how sick Jocelyne Lamoureux’s goal and celly were. This was also the event that really got me into women’s hockey. My love for Hilary Knight will never die.
Then, last but not least, we have the David Ayres, the emergency back up goalie/Zamboni driver who was called in for the Carolina Hurricanes and won that game. Much like the Scott Foster story a few years ago, this one was surreal. But it made things even better that he beat the Maple Leafs, the team he would practice with. I highly recommend this video because it gives you a peak into what David and his wife were thinking as this all went down. It’s mind boggling that this happened just a year ago today.
Overall, wild day for hockey, both in the past and present. It’s nice to have these interesting moments to look back on. Let’s just hope tomorrow is a better day.
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Featured Image: Valery Sharifulin/TASS/Getty Images