45 years ago today there was a hockey game played in North Elba, New York
- Thread starter Fenway
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DominicT
Registered User
I'm not even American and I remember where I was on this day.
My daughter was a baby, and I was visiting my parents in Littleton MA and we watched this game.
It was amazing!
It was amazing!
I was 14 watched in amazement at the game. The nhl all stars lost 6-0 to this same USSR team. I remember because Cheevers was in net and all my Habs friends blamed him lol
- Jan 29, 2003
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I was 9 and didn’t know it was on delay and when my dad got home from work he pulled the huge tv (not big screen, just a 125 lb. piece of furniture style TV) into the doorway between the kitchen and living room so we could eat dinner while watching.
He knew they won, but wanted me to enjoy it as it (happened) at least in my mind.
He knew they won, but wanted me to enjoy it as it (happened) at least in my mind.
2 weeks earlier the USA played a friendly against the Soviets at Madison Sq Garden and tanked the game. - Brooks had no intention of showing his hand until he had to
quietbruinfan
Salt and light
I remember all of it. Even remember them flashing the result at the end of Saturday night live and Chevy Chase saying something like go beat those Ruskies...... Strange because I know the Finland game was on Sunday afternoon. Maybe SNL was on a rare Friday night?
Team really impressed my father with their skating, and he, like me, was not easily impressed.
Team really impressed my father with their skating, and he, like me, was not easily impressed.
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A little known fact was Brooks took about 11 NCAA players including Joe Mullen,
Jim Craig, Jack O'Callahan and I believe 7 other members of what would be the 1980 US Olympic Team.to the 1979 World's. They tied Czechoslovakia 2-2 with Craig in net. Game was a bit of a harbinger of things to come.
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22Brad Park
Registered User
Watched it on my grandmother's old tube.The ones that looked like all wood with a screen in the middle.I was 11 yrs old.
They could have played that Red Army team 99 more times and not beat them once.I dunno how or why,but it happened that day.Some things are just meant to be.Tikonov taking out Tretiak was definitely not smart.
Greatest upset in N. American sports history, no doubt. With advanced stats today I would love to see the Deserve To Win meter...lol. I will say I don't think it would be 99-1 but not far off. Getting goalied is more than a 1 in 100 event and Craig did play 3 games within a year against Czechoslovakia and USSR and was 2-0-1 BOB.
Also played 2 games against what was called the Soviet and Czechoslovakia B teams. Haven't ever seen the rosters, so I can't comment as to the accuracy of the
talent of the next 20 players from the USSR\Czechoslovakia. We read often on this site about how a Canada B Team would win Gold in several Olympics
So, Craig went 4-0-1 against a legit sample size of very good Czechoslovakia\USSR players. Granted some of the players were NHL players in that Czechoslovakia tie, but 11 of the US Team players were right off their BU (Craig, O'Callahan),
BC (Mullen), Wisconsin (Johnson), Minnesota, UNH (Cox) and PC (Korn) teams.
As the Olympics advanced, Brooks saw that the Soviets were not taking the competition as seriously having to come from behind in the 3rd to beat Finland and if memory serves Canada in their pool play.
There was no Friday night SNL live. Was night after USSR win and 12 hours before puck drop of Finland game.
quietbruinfan
Salt and light
ok......for some reason I thought it was after the game but before the delayed broadcast.
You know the last two times the US faced Tretiak was in the 1978 Worlds and 1980 Olympics. The US scored 5 goals on Tretiak in the 1978 Worlds, including the 4th goal evening the game about halfway through the 2nd period. So in the last 4 periods Tretiak faced US Teams that scored 7 goals off him. Wonder if that was in Tikhonov's mind after watching Myshkin shutout the NHL All Stars in the deciding game of the Challenge Cup? Mark Johnson and Ken Morrow were on that 1978 US Team.
The highlights of the game are on YouTube and is a neat thing to watch.
My GF at the time who had dealt with me through Bucky Dent and Too Many Men drove to a JC Penny location 6 weeks earlier as they were the official ticket distributor for Lake Placid (Boston didn't have JC Penny then - I think Attelboro was the closest ) She got figure skating for Saturday and the 5 PM hockey game on Friday. (The 8 PM was sold out ) - Ironically I had been in Lake Placid working the week before as TV38 got the contract to work the games at the 1932 arena and unexpectlicly the USA/Norway game wound up being on ABC live.
CFCF-TV in Montreal had the contract to cover the games at the 1980 arena.
The nearest hotel room she could find for Friday night was in DORVAL, QUEBEC
Being at that game was surreal as in the last 10 minutes it seemed liked they would play 3 minutes but only 20 seconds came off the clock.
USA Hockey wanted BU's Jack Parker to be the coach but he said no hire Herb Brooks. In the end Brooks loaded the team with Minnesota players BUT included several players from BU that Parker coached that made an impact.
Brooks saw a flaw in the Soviet style that nobody else did and exploited it but allowed the team to be embarrassed at MSG 2 weeks before.
CFCF-TV in Montreal had the contract to cover the games at the 1980 arena.
The nearest hotel room she could find for Friday night was in DORVAL, QUEBEC
Being at that game was surreal as in the last 10 minutes it seemed liked they would play 3 minutes but only 20 seconds came off the clock.
USA Hockey wanted BU's Jack Parker to be the coach but he said no hire Herb Brooks. In the end Brooks loaded the team with Minnesota players BUT included several players from BU that Parker coached that made an impact.
Brooks saw a flaw in the Soviet style that nobody else did and exploited it but allowed the team to be embarrassed at MSG 2 weeks before.
