I never subscribed to astrology or numerology or anything like that because I always chalked it up to human nature and trying to make sense of a huge mess of information.
We just kind of decided over time that “7” was lucky and “13” was unlucky, and all kinds of other nonsense that really doesn’t mean anything.
But when I found out that the highly anticipated Olympic gold medal clash between the United States and Canada was taking place on Feb. 22, I almost fell out of my chair.
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It’s almost too perfect.
While that’s not a date that stands out to a lot of people, it does for hockey fans. Specifically, American hockey fans.
It’s the anniversary of the “Miracle on Ice.”
We all know the story, and as the years go by, it starts to sound more and more like some kind of great American legend.
You had the Soviet Union, a juggernaut on the international stage, dominating the Olympics for nearly two decades.
At the time, the Olympics were for amateurs, and that classification only loosely applied to the Soviets. Names like Boris Mikhailov, Sergei Makarov, and Vladislav Tretiak would be NHL superstars if they played in another era.
But again, they were “amateurs.”
As for the Americans, they put together a Herb Brooks-led team of actual amateurs from the collegiate ranks. They put aside grudges from their NCAA days, and overcame off-ice hardships in their personal life — like netminder Jim Craig, who was dealing with the loss of his mother — to become one cohesive, very talented team.
Of course, the game occurred at the height of the Cold War. So, on top of the standard David and Goliath matchup, you had a healthy dose of geopolitics thrown into the mix.
That set the stage for the medal round at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.
On Feb. 22, the Americans and Soviets hit the ice, and, well… I think we all know the rest.
That win immortalized names like Eruzione, Craig, Johnson and Schneider.
The U.S. didn’t win gold that day because of the round-robin format the Games used back then, but it meant that if they beat Finland in their next game, they were golden in every sense of the word.
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They did it, but unfortunately, that was the U.S.’s most recent men’s Olympic gold. One of two, along with a win at the 1960 Games in Squaw Valley, California.
They’ve come close, namely in 2010, when Sidney Crosby stole gold from around the Americans’ necks with an OT winner.
However, one Olympic cycle later, NHLers were out of the Olympics, and that kind of cooled the U.S.-Canada rivalry.
Thanks in large part to 4 Nations Face-Off, the U.S.-Canada rivalry is as hot as ever.
And it feels like 1980 once again. The Americans are the underdogs, despite having almost inarguably the most talented American roster ever.
On the American side, you’ve got Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Quinn and Jack Hughes, Charlie McAvoy, Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, and more, all backstopped by three-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck.
But then you’ve got the Canadians who have the best player on the planet, Connor McDavid, as well as superstars like Nathan MacKinnon, Macklin Celebrini, Brad Marchand, Mitch Marner, Cale Makar, and more. And then there’s netminder Jordan Binnington, who miraculously seems to rise to the occasion and play his best hockey on the international stage.
Oh, and if he’s healthy, they’ll also have one Sidney Crosby in their lineup, one of the best players to ever do it.
Just like in 1980 (though not quite to the extent of 1980, when there were nuclear warheads pointing in each direction), there’s a little geopolitical animosity between the two nations that makes the game mean just that much more.
It’s going to be a wild one.
Feb. 22 is already the date of the greatest achievement in American hockey history. Hell, I’d argue American sports history full-stop.
So, how about Team USA?
Let’s add to the Feb. 22 legend.
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