Miracle Monday: Two-Time Olympians

Happy Monday, and hello from New York! It's always strange writing Miracle Monday from anywhere other than Colorado (y'know, the two or three times that's ever happened) -- these posts have become such a barometer for my week, and getting away from my normal routine has me all sorts of out of my element! But I digress.

So, I've already spent some time talking about the post-1980 NHL careers that some of these guys put together. And it seems very remiss of me not to talk about the guys that didn't play in the NHL but were very successful otherwise, in the form of multiple Olympic teams! I'm sure most of you are aware, but I'll explain anyway: professional hockey players (really just anyone who played in an NHL game, basically) weren't allowed to participate in the Olympics until 1998. So back in the day, making multiple Olympic teams meant something a little different than it does nowadays, and it was much more rare than it is today. Rather than a whole legion of returning Olympians every four years, you'd get a small handful. A very small handful. Actually, "handful" is a generous word.

Buzz Schneider was the lone holdover from the 1976 Olympic team. He was the oldest member of the '80 team, but in '76 he was only 21 and one of the babies! He left the University of Minnesota early to join the Olympic team, and ended up scoring three goals and two assists in Innsbruck. Those five points in six games was good enough for fourth on the team in scoring -- not too shabby! The U.S. finished in fifth place with a 3-3 record, but were within inches of winning the bronze medal. It came down to the final game; all the U.S. had to do was not lose to West Germany. They obviously lost, but guess who scored the lone U.S. goal! Spoiler alert: it was Buzz. :) After the '76 Olympics he kicked around the minors for a few years, making it as far as training camp with the Pittsburgh Penguins but never cracking an NHL roster. So when Olympic tryouts rolled around again, he decided to give it another go. (It certainly didn't hurt that Herb basically guaranteed him a spot on the roster because he wanted him for the team so badly!) Buzz pretty much killed it at the 1980 Olympics, with five goals and three assists in seven games to tie for second on the team in scoring. After Lake Placid he played professionally in Europe for a few years... until Olympic tryouts rolled around again and he figured, well, why not try again? But unfortunately, when he saw a team doctor during tryouts, he was told that his back had had enough, and he retired. Just think: if his back had held out for another few months, Buzz Schneider would've been the first three-time Olympian in U.S. hockey history. For real. 

Listen, we need to talk about Phil Verchota more. The dude is legit. He won two national championships with the University of Minnesota (1976 and 1979) before making the Olympic team in 1980. He scored three goals and two assists in seven games in Lake Placid, including the gold medal game-tying goal against Finland. He'd been drafted by the Minnesota North Stars but ultimately decided he didn't want to play in the NHL; he wasn't a fan of how violent the North American game was, so he decided to play in Europe. (Phil rejected the NHL. Let's just take a moment.) He then played on U.S. national teams until Olympic tryouts, and he decided he'd go for one last spin before retiring. Not only did he make his second Olympic team, he was named captain of said Olympic team. #yaassss. Unfortunately the 1984 Olympic team didn't do very well in Sarajevo, going 2-2-2 for seventh place. It wasn't a bad team by any means; there was just sort of a perfect storm of unfortunate circumstances (I highly suggest reading SB Nation's story about this team. It's really fascinating). But Phil scored two goals and two assists. And he wore the C, which is REALLY all that matters, right? :)

Yes folks, we have two Coneheads that are two-time Olympians. How 'bout that? John Harrington's story is a pretty phenomenal one. He was a walk-on at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and wasn't expected to make the 1980 Olympic team. But he overachieved at tryouts and earned himself a spot on the roster, and ended up tallying five assists in seven games at Lake Placid. After the Olympics, he initially planned on trying to make it to the NHL, which meant spending some time in the minor leagues. But not long after the Olympics, he got jumped during a game and needed to have his jaw wired shut, and not long after that he decided it wasn't worth it. So he too headed to Europe to play professionally (with longtime linemate Mark Pavelich) before spending some more time on U.S. national teams. He joined Phil as the only two returnees on the '84 Olympic team, and was named alternate captain (and, unlike Bill Baker in 1980, he actually got to wear the A!). Unfortunately Bah fractured his wrist during the pre-Olympic season which had him sidelined for a pretty good chunk of time. He didn't score any points during the '84 Olympics, but this is where the Internet is failing me. His injury kept him out until late January, and the Olympics started in very early February. So he may have received very limited playing time, and even if he didn't, he was probably pretty rusty. But I can't find any solid facts, so unless someone wants to personally ask Bah what the deal was, all we can do right now is speculate. (Guys, the struggle is real.)

And how about a little bonus?!

I couldn't talk about Olympic appearances and not talk about Herb Brooks, right? ;) If you've seen Miracle, you're probably familiar with part of Herb's story; he was the last man cut from the roster of the 1960 Olympic team. And that team went on to win USA Hockey's first ever Olympic gold medal. The "original miracle," if you will. But what often gets lost in the shuffle is that Herb did get his Olympic moment. Two of them, actually. He made the team (for real this time) in 1964, and was even named captain of the team in 1968. He scored one goal and one assist in 1964, and two assists in 1968. Those teams finished fifth and sixth, respectively, but it's hard to even be mad since Herb's failure to get a medal drove him to do what he did in 1980. But what's crazy is what happened after 1980; USA Hockey failed to win another Olympic medal of any color until Herb was back as head coach in 2002, when the team won silver. (That's nuts. I'm not the only person that thinks that's nuts, right?) He also coached the French Olympic team in 1998. They finished in 11th place (out of 14 teams), but France hasn't even qualified for the Olympics since 2002 so 11th place sounds like a win to me!

In conclusion: no NHL, no problem. ;)

Blogtober Day 30: Bonnie Blair

Fun fact: I've had the date of this post planned out since... well, since the idea of Blogtober took shape. Yet this is the post I'm scrambling to write so I can go to bed. Irony at its finest! Can't complain, though -- it was an epic night of final Halloween costume prep. But, uh, I apologize if this isn't my most eloquent post ever. It's kind of past my bedtime! :P

Man, Bonnie is basically in a class of her own among winter Olympians. It's kind of unbelievable.

She went to her first Olympics in 1984 when she was only 19 and finished eighth in the 500m. In 1988 she was back again, this time winning gold in the 500m and bronze in the 1,000m, setting a 500m world record in the process and becoming America's only double medalist at those Games. In 1992, she won gold in both the 500m and 1,000m. This made her the first woman to win two Olympic 500m titles and the first American woman to win consecutive winter Olympic championships.

But Bonnie was far from done, as she competed in a final Olympics in 1994. She won the 500m for a third straight time, a whole 36 hundredths of a second faster than the silver medalist. In her final Olympic race, the 1,000m, she destroyed the competition by a full 1.38 seconds, the largest margin in Olympic history for the event.

After the 1994 Olympics, Bonnie continued racing. In March of that year, she became the first woman to skate the 500m in under 39 seconds. She retired on her 31st birthday, in March of 1995, right after setting a new personal best and American record in the 1,000m in her final race ever. Talk about going out while you're on top!

As if all that wasn't enough, Bonnie also skated short track early on in her career, winning the 1986 Overall Short-track World Championship. Because why the heck not?

In her career, Bonnie won five Olympic gold medals and one bronze, making her the most decorated American Winter Olympian ever. That record stood until Apolo Ohno won his seventh and eighth medals in Vancouver 2010. But while Apolo has more medals in total, only two of them are gold. So if we want to talk about pure domination... Bonnie wins. She is by far one of the best sprinters ever.

Why was I planning on writing this post today, you ask? Well, yesterday Bonnie was inducted into the Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame, and I got to go! Just being in the same general breathing space as she was made the whole thing worth it! She talked about how she doesn't care that her kids don't speed skate, but that she wants them to love their chosen sport as much as she loved hers. She's completely adorable. :) The guy running the ceremony was basically fawning over her, and to be honest, I don't blame him at all!

One more day of Blogtober, guys! ONE. MORE. DAY.

Blogtober Day 20: Scott Hamilton

As I'm writing this post while watching Skate America (and keeping an eye on my fantasy skating team...), this is only fitting.

The better question is, why ISN'T Scott Hamilton awesome?

When Scott was a kid, he contracted a mysterious disease that caused him to stop growing. The condition eventually corrected itself, and he eventually grew to 5'4" -- as a fellow member of the short person club, I dig it.

In 1980, he placed third at the U.S. Championships to qualify for the Olympic team; he was voted to carry the American flag in the opening ceremony, and subsequently placed fifth. From 1981-1984, he won each U.S. Championship and each World Championship, and then he won Olympic gold in 1984. After winning worlds that year he retired, then co-founded, co-produced and starred in Stars on Ice until 2001 (perfect timing for me to obsess over it when I was a kid. But for real, though). He was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1990.

He could also do backflips on ice, and frequently did, which is really why little Darci liked him so much. It was AWESOME!

(And right now [literally, right this second], I'm listening to him as a commentator while I'm sitting in the Olympic Training Center. My life has very bizarrely come full circle.)

Scott suffered from testicular cancer in 1997 and discovered he had a benign brain tumor in 2004 (that was surgically removed in 2010). He (obviously) survived everything and is still killin' it. He was also the Make-A-Wish Foundation's first ever Celebrity Wish Granter of the Year. And, basically, he just makes you want to smile when he speaks.

Scott Hamilton: proving that big (and awesome) things come in small packages since 1980. :)

Blogtober Day 17: Dan Jansen

Dan Jansen's story is kind of the greatest. So, if you didn't know about him before right now, you. are. welcome.

Dan set eight speed skating world records during his career and competed marginally well at the 1984 Olympics, but pretty much everything is irrelevant until 1988. He became the World Sprint Champion and was the favorite to win gold in the 500m and 1,000m at the Olympics. But on the day of the 500m event, he got word that his sister Jane had died of leukemia. He decided to compete anyway, but fell on the first turn. Several days later, he competed in the 1,000m and fell about three quarters of the way through.

At the 1992 Olympics, Dan finished fourth and twenty-sixth in his two events. In 1993, he set a world record in the 500m and became World Sprint Champion again, and entered the 1994 Olympics as gold medal favorite. He finished eighth in the 500m but, defying all expectations, won the gold medal in the 1,000m, setting a new world record in the process. He dedicated his medal to his sister, and then took a lap with his one-year-old daughter, Jane. Oh god, it gets me every time. *sniffle*

The other American athletes voted that Dan carry the flag in the closing ceremony and he received the James E. Sullivan award for his athletic accomplishments and "strong moral character." Lol, well yes, this is appropriate.

Dan is one of THE American Olympians. Jesse Owens, Kerri Strug, Mike Eruzione, Dan Jansen, etc. He's one of those athletes that embodies everything the Olympics are about; the struggle, the failure, and the triumph over adversity. His performance transcends sports and becomes much more about the power of the human spirit than winning a medal.

Bet you weren't expecting me to get all deep on ya, huh? But here, let him tell you about it. Or take Morgan Freeman's word for it.

Like I said, you. are. welcome.

Blogtober Day 14: Katarina Witt

I used to watch a ton of ice skating when I was a kid, and Katarina was in all of those pro shows I loved so much. But I didn't realize what a big deal she is until really recently. Embarrassingly recently.

When she was a kid growing up in East Germany, she attended a school for athletically gifted children. Is that, like, the jock equivalent of being a nerd? Well, whatever. She trained like a fiend and got onto a major podium for the first time in 1982, and so began her reign of dominance. She won gold at every East German Championships from 1981-88, every European Championships from 1983-88, and at four World Championships from 1984-88. She won Olympic gold in 1984 and then defended her title in 1988.
After winning freaking EVERYTHING in 1988 (seriously, I'm not even exaggerating), Katarina went pro, which was super rare for an East German athlete back then. Y'know, socialism and all. She toured with several shows, even selling out Madison Square Garden for her show with Brian Boitano, and acted in the film Carmen on Ice, which she received an Emmy Award for. Hah. For real.

Katarina made a comeback to competitive skating in 1994 and managed to qualify for her third Olympics, where she placed seventh. Not bad for someone who'd been out of the game for six years!

Remember how I said Katarina won Olympic gold in 1984 and won it again in '88? She's one of two ladies' figure skaters ever to defend her Olympic title, and was the first to in about 50 years. The only other name on that list is Sonja Henie, who won in 1928, 1932 and 1936 and is by far one of the greatest figure skaters ever. Katarina and Sonja also happen to co-hold the record for consecutive European Championships won. Basically, Katarina is right up there with the best ever.
She was also something of a revolutionary, not only in her skating abilities but in her... uh, creative choices? She consistently pushed the boundaries by wearing costumes considered by many to be too sexy, and then posed for Playboy in 1998. I can't say I personally give this particular decision a thumbs-up, but Katarina has said that she wanted to change the perception of skaters as being "cute, pretty, ice princesses," which I definitely can support. Do your thang, gurl!   And finally, after the dissolution of East Germany, Katarina found Stasi files showing that the secret police busted their butts to keep her from defecting, giving her cars, accommodations and permitted travel. In total, there were 3,000 pages on her life dating back to when she was eight years old. How bizarre must that have been? (EspnW made a Nine for IX movie about her called The Diplomat, which I'm still DYING to see.) People called her "the most beautiful face of socialism."   And to think I just liked her for her skating. Sigh