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Here in Chicago, Blackhawk fever has swept the city. Thousands of fans live and die with each passing game, and the number seems to be growing as its young core gels together and finds more success.
But a few decades ago, no one knew the difference between hockey and Fisticuffs: On Ice! (not that they were all that dissimilar back then). But how?
Like many things in history, a lot of hockey’s sudden rise to prominence can be traced back to one event: the “Miracle on Ice” game against the Soviet Union in 1980.
In one of the greatest sports moments in American history since Dr. James Naismith nailed a peach basket onto a 10-foot-tall elevated track, the U.S. beat the Russian hockey team during the peak of the Cold War. The Soviets were regarded as the greatest team in the history of the game, but were beaten by a group of talented college kids. Americans across the nation, many of whom had never seen a hockey game before, tuned in and were united in the way only sports can bring people together.
People suddenly became interested in the sport. Hockey went from something that only cold countries played, to just behind the big three of baseball, football and basketball. And all it took was a miracle.
Then came this week’s game.
The U.S. was only given slightly better odds this time around, but the youngest team in the Olympics was hardly supposed to hang around with Team Canada, whose country has enough talent to form several teams. Canada was supposed to breeze through to the medal round, setting up a final with America’s old rival Russia for the gold. To put it in perspective, the U.S. team hadn’t beaten Canada since 1960.
But after the U.S. scored 41 seconds into the first period, up until an open-net goal sealed the deal, the Americans played with confidence to withstand a last-ditch onslaught by the Canadians to win 5-3.
You can look up the rest of the details if you’re interested, but the real story is what the win means to the future of U.S. hockey.
On the surface, it means that the team’s road to the gold became distinctly easier. A loss would have meant that they would face the Russians in their next game. Now they get a bye week to rest before jumping into medal play. Canada, on the other hand, must play Germany next while still reeling from the loss, followed by those pesky Russians. The U.S. may still have to play both teams later in the tournament, but now they know that they can hang with the big boys if they play a good game.
But looking at the bigger picture makes things even more interesting.
First of all, this team is very young. In fact, they’re the youngest in the Games. Regardless of how they finish this year, they, as well as the sport as a whole, will be in the American spotlight of the Winter Olympics for the next decade. So far, they’ve proven that they deserve the attention.
Because of that, a new generation of fans will spring up behind these 20-somethings. They’ll watch as they grow up in the NHL, then cheer on their newfound favorite players when they compete against the best in the world. Just like the 1980 hockey team and the U.S. men’s soccer 2002 World Cup team, this team will push their sport further than ever before.
Sure, Canada played a sloppy game. Goaltender Marty Brodeur, who usually does a near-perfect impression of the Great Wall of China, made lots of mistakes. But at the end of the day, great teams capitalize off of the mistakes of others. Now, thanks to their success, the U.S. team, as well as hockey’s potential popularity in our country, have bright futures.
Nathan Lurz is a sports editor
nlurz@luc.edu
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