Head coach Tony Granato, who played for the U.S. in the ’88 Olympics, works practice to get his players, who come from a dozen states, ready for the Games.
Head coach Tony Granato, who played for the U.S. in the ’88 Olympics, works practice to get his players, who come from a dozen states, ready for the Games.
Photo: Bruce Bennett, Getty Images
Ryan Zapolski, the U.S. goa
ltender, plays goalie for Jokerit during a KHL game at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland in 2017. The U.S. players come from leagues around the world, but not from the NHL.
Ryan Zapolski, the U.S. goa
ltender, plays goalie for Jokerit during a KHL game at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland in 2017. The U.S. players come from leagues around the world, but not from the NHL.
Photo: Xinhua, TNS
GANGNEUNG, South Korea — The “Miracle On Ice” was a Minnesota production.
If the United States pulls off another Olympic miracle, it would be a nationwide effort.
When the 1980 U.S. hockey team made up of college kids shocked the favored Soviet Union on the way to winning the gold medal, 13 players came from Minnesota, four from Massachusetts, two from Michigan and one from Wisconsin. The 2018 team couldn’t be constructed more differently with players from 12 states and leagues all over the world, though it has the same underdog approach from careers of being discounted and passed over.