Miracle Monday: The Second Generation

Happy Monday, everyone! This is the first Miracle Monday that's being written while I'm sitting on my new couch, the first couch I've ever owned, and it feels pretty nice! Though I'm also covered in giant bruises thanks to my accidental river adventure, which feels much less nice. Nowhere near nice, actually. But I digress.

Yesterday was Father's Day (hope everyone had a good one!), and many weeks ago my friend Bailey suggested I write a Miracle Monday post about the 1980 team's kids to celebrate the occasion. I, of course, thought that was a great idea. (Thanks, Bailey!) But I'm not trying to be invasive and dig too deeply into anyone's personal life, so if you thought this was gonna get creepy... it won't. There are some lines I'm just not willing to cross. What I will talk about, though, are the kids that've carved out hockey careers for themselves and are carrying the torch for a second generation. :)

(Ironically, Billy Schneider isn't on this list, but that picture is too good for me to have left it out. I have, however, talked about Buzz and Billy here and here!)

It would be a grave mistake not to kick this off with Ryan Suter, because he's basically a poster boy for hockey success. And it's fitting, too, because Ryan's successes are the complete opposite of his father's. Bob was known for his high number of penalty minutes; his four-year college career included a national championship; he won an Olympic gold medal in his only Games, during which he was injured and received limited playing time; and he then decided not to pursue an NHL career. Ryan, on the other hand? He played one year of college hockey and did not win a national championship; has played on two Olympic teams, serving as alternate captain on both and winning a silver at Vancouver 2010 (we do not discuss Sochi 2014); and has been an NHL stalwart for a decade, where he's known not for his penalty minutes but for his obscene amount of ice team. Seriously, he's constantly leading the league in minutes played and is generally regarded as one of the most solid, reliable players. In terms of careers, these two almost couldn't be more different. But both father and son attended the University of Wisconsin, both play(ed) defense, and both wear #20. :) Also important to note? Ryan is the only child of a 1980 Olympic team member to play in either the NHL or the Olympics. And he just so happens to have done both.

Rachel Ramsey is serious life goals. This girl kicks some serious tail. (She's almost two years younger than me yet I want to be like her. Shh.) Not only is she six feet tall, blonde and absolutely beautiful, she attended the University of Minnesota. Now, the Gophers are kind of a big deal on the women's college hockey scene, so the simple fact that she's on the team is extremely impressive. In her four years there, the Gophers won three (count 'em, three) national championships. So again, this alone is extremely impressive, but let's take a look at Rachel's bio on gophersports.com, shall we? In her senior season, she was "named Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award top-10 finalist, AHCA/CCM First Team All-American, All-USCHO Second Team, WCHA Defensive Player of the Year, All-WCHA First Team and WCHA All-Academic Team," "named co-captain," and "appeared in all 41 games and led the WCHA and ranked second in the nation for scoring among defensemen with 33 points (9g-24a)." LOL OKAY THEN. She's certainly following in her dad's footsteps; Mike spent one year in college and won a national championship, then won an Olympic gold medal, and then spent the better part of two decades in the NHL. Obviously the NHL isn't an option for Rachel, and she retired from hockey after her college career came to an end. But she and her dad both locked it down on defense at the University of Minnesota, and both wore #5.

Alright, so Brock Nelson isn't actually the child of a 1980 Olympic team member, but he's important enough that we need to discuss him here. He played two seasons for the University of North Dakota (just like his uncle Dave) before being taken by the New York Islanders in the first round of the 2010 NHL Draft. He made his debut with the Islanders during the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs (no pressure); he reached a career high in points (42) and +/- rating (+6) during the 2014-15 season, and was one of three Islanders to play in all 82 games. He's also played on several national teams at the junior and senior level, and helped Team USA win world championship bronze in 2015. But we need to talk about his family tree for a quick second. Dave, before his 14-year NHL career, won an Olympic gold medal in 1980; before Dave, Brock's grandfather Billy and great-uncle Roger both won an Olympic gold medal in 1960. Do you know what that means? Both Olympic gold medals that USA Hockey has ever won have been won by members of the Christian family. I don't think there's been a Christian on an Olympic team since 1980, so basically we need to petition USA Hockey to choose Brock for the 2018 Olympic team. Let's make this happen!

Mikayla Johnson is another one with a big-time family legacy to follow. Her grandpa, Bob Johnson, is one of the more legendary coaches in college hockey history, leading the University of Wisconsin to three national championships. Mikayla's dad, Mark, is the all-time leading scorer at the University of Wisconsin, won an Olympic gold medal (and was team MVP) in 1980, played in the NHL for a decade, and is the current coach for Wisconsin's women's hockey team. And Mikayla's older brother, Patrick, played for the University of Wisconsin and was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2008 NHL Draft. In a nutshell: the Johnsons are essentially synonymous with both the University of Wisconsin and being really, really good at hockey. But Mikayla's handling that pressure like a champ (plus the additional pressure of her dad being her coach) and is the third member of her immediate family to become a Badger. She scored three goals in 20 games played last year and still has two more seasons of eligibility. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing what she does in the future!

And how about a few honorable mentions?

+ Dave Christian's daughter Kendall played for four years at Augsburg College, and Jim Craig's daughter Taylor did the same at Colgate University. (Yaaassss, the ladies are killin' it!)

+ Mike Ramsey's son Jack was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks and will soon be starting his freshman season at the University of Minnesota, and Neal Broten's nephew Shane Gersich plays for the University of North Dakota and was drafted by the Washington Capitals. So there could potentially be a few more second-generation NHL players! We'll just have to wait and see. ;)

Miracle Monday: Superlatives, Part 1

Truthfully, I don't know where this idea came from. It hit me entirely out of nowhere. But what I DO know is that I haven't had this much fun with a post in a really long time! As much as I loved writing about games and Miracle and all that stuff, I really missed writing about the players. So let's get a little bit ridiculous for a second and pretend there's some sort of 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team yearbook.

...And let's also be glad I'm handing out these titles rather than the players, because they'd probably give each other things like "Best Bald Spot" and "Most Annoying." Have I mentioned how much they love each other? ;)

Every single team member that has spoken about the subject has called out Dave as the prankster of the group. Literally all of them. When the team was traveling, he was known for putting in bogus 3 a.m. wakeup calls to his teammates' rooms, and that "alleged" Christmas tree prank? It has gone "unsolved" for 35+ years. That's the mark of a true master of the craft!

Mark, otherwise known as Magic, was NCAA champion and the best college hockey player in the country, the leading scorer on the gold medal-winning Olympic team and an NHL captain and all-star. And when he retired from his playing career, he coached the U.S. women's Olympic team to a silver medal in 2010, brought the University of Wisconsin women's team from the bottom of the barrel to the top of the heap and led them to several NCAA championships. He can essentially do no wrong.

Phil wins this category for several reasons: 1) Have you ever seen a jollier smile? No, you haven't. 2) His smile is basically ever-present. He's just perpetually joyful! 3) Back in his playing days,  people thought he was the team's goon, because his game face was so mean and intense (to say the least). But off the ice, he was harmless and smiley! 4) Some of his teammates call him Grumpy. Yes, just look at what a complete grump he is! :P Guess I'll have to take their word for it!

OC is basically a shot of adrenaline into any situation. Olympic teammates called him Hollywood because when he went out, he went all out. But even if it's not partying we're talking about, he's the life of all "parties." He's the kind of person that can get along with anyone and everyone, except on the ice, where he led his teams in penalty minutes. He defines the phrase "go big or go home."

LOL, Bill Baker. As a hockey player, he won the Minnesota state championship in his senior year of high school in 1975, the NCAA championship in 1976 and 1979 (serving as team captain in '79), and the Olympics in 1980 (where he was alternate captain), and then played in the NHL for several years. When he was done with that, he went to dental school and is now an esteemed oral surgeon. And let's not forget he scored what may have been the most important goal of the Olympics, to tie Sweden. Like, are you kidding me? Talk about a Midas touch!

Things on Pav's resume: hockey, hunting, fishing, singing, playing guitar, flying planes, building houses… And as a hockey player, he starred in the NHL for several years because of his insanely creative style of play. People called him a hockey genius. Herb Brooks said asking Pav to dump the puck would be like asking Picasso to paint your fence. The jury's still out on whether or not there's anything he can't do.

Rizzo here has basically built a career out of being outgoing. He was named captain of the Olympic team because he wasn't afraid to talk to anybody (Herb Brooks included) and was such a great, positive presence in the locker room. And nowadays he does motivational speaking and all sorts of public engagements and interviews, and he's the same bubbly, gregarious person he was back then.

Bah's personality is probably this team's best kept secret of the last 35 years. Not only was he an incredibly hard-working hockey player, he's super chatty and tells amazing stories, can chirp his teammates like nobody's business and was (and still is) great at stirring the pot. I mean, at the 35th anniversary reunion, he had his teammates (and the crowd) literally crying with laughter. He's just pure entertainment!

All of his teammates have said that Bob was the guy you hated playing against and loved having on your team. He was the guy everyone wanted to go to war with. He was a win-at-all-costs kind of player and always, always had his teammates' backs. If someone fell victim to a dirty hit, it was Bob that'd be chomping at the bit to get revenge and unleash hell. And he was loyal to his community as well; after the Olympics he returned to his hometown of Madison, Wisconsin to grow the game of hockey and give local kids more opportunities. He was totally selfless.

I almost named Neal as Teacher's Pet, but decided that would ultimately be doing his utter likability a disservice. Yes, Herb loved him and largely left him alone (I know, right?), but his teammates loved him as well. He was like their little brother. He was always relaxed and happy and humble and kind, knew his place and kept his mouth shut, and despite his prodigious talent never got on his less gifted teammates. Everyone liked him so much they wanted to make him happy. :)

In the interest of post length, tune in next week for part two!

Miracle Monday: Bob Suter

Well, this week certainly crept up on me far faster than I'd anticipated. If you hadn't already heard, Bob Suter died earlier this month, and it's really weird being all "YAY!" about him when his death is still so fresh. But at the same time, I don't want to be excessively sad. I want to appreciate a truly awesome human being. So let's do it.

FUN FACTS:

+ The Suter name is all but synonymous with hockey in Madison. Bob's dad, Marlowe, was a hockey player back when there were barely organized programs, and Bob grew up with a homemade hockey rink in his backyard (and a tiny one in the garage!). Bob won the state high school championship in 1975. Marlowe founded the Madison Capitals youth program in 1977, a year before Bob won the NCAA national championship with the University of Wisconsin (with fellow Badger Mark Johnson).

+ Off the ice, Bob was a calm, quiet, reserved, humble guy, coming across as gentle and shy. Fellow defender Ken Morrow calls him simple, straightforward and down to earth. On the ice, however, was an entirely different story. His selflessness carried over, but that was about it! His playing style has been described as pugnacious, fearless and aggressive, and he "specialized in mayhem." He was the guy that would fight on behalf of his teammates that weren't as willing to mix it up, and to this day is the University of Wisconsin's leader in all-time penalty minutes. Mike Eruzione nicknamed him Bam Bam for the way he was always knocking people around, and said that Bob was always the first guy to protect you on the ice and you always knew he had your back. He'd go to war for his teammates.

+ Bob's Olympic journey was a bit of an uphill climb, as he broke his ankle several months before Lake Placid. But Herb decided to stick with him, which speaks volumes about the value that Bob contributed. Even though he couldn't play anywhere near full strength by the time the Games rolled around, Herb decided it was worth absorbing the loss of an able-bodied player in order to keep Bob's attitude around. Bob didn't play in the medal round, and with Jack O'Callahan also playing in a limited capacity, Herb was cool with rotating between four defenders instead of the usual six if it meant hanging onto his crazy-passionate guys. (Kind of amazing, if you think about it!) Bob says his favorite Olympic moment was after Mark Johnson got hurt, and Herb "let him loose" to go wreak havoc on the guy that did it. I think that speaks for itself! :)

+ The Los Angeles Kings had drafted Bob into the NHL in 1977, and after the Olympics he decided to turn pro. He played minor league hockey for a few months, but wasn't totally sold on the idea of spending the rest of his life on buses in the minor leagues. He says he was impatient and had other things he wanted to do with his life, so only a few months after the Olympics, he decided to hang up his skates.

+ However, if you thought Bob Suter was done with hockey, you're sadly mistaken! He opened his own store at home in Madison selling hockey equipment, literally within six months of winning Olympic gold. At various points he both coached and managed the Madison Capitals, and was the manager of Capitol Ice Arena. Basically, he was all about bringing hockey to kids and growing the game. And the Suter hockey legacy doesn't stop with Bob: his brother Gary had an extensive NHL career which included a Stanley Cup win and an Olympic silver medal in 2002 (when Herb Brooks was the coach, coincidentally). And Bob's son, Ryan, is himself a huge NHL talent with the Minnesota Wild and a two-time Olympian. Ryan says his dad was so humble that he rarely ever talked about his Olympic accomplishments, and his gold medal was always accessible to be passed around to whoever wanted to see it. Perhaps poetically, Bob was at work at Capitol Ice when he suffered a heart attack and passed away.

I think we can all agree that we lost a great one.

Thank You, Bob Suter

Well, this certainly was not the post I was planning on writing this week. I feel like everyone and their mom has been writing about death lately, what with Robin Williams and then Joan Rivers. But I managed to avoid all that until now... so just count me as being late to the party, I guess. The really sad, really sucky party.

Death sucks.

Writing about death sucks.

Does anyone else lose any ability they had with words as soon as it actually matters? Because as soon as I want to write about something personal and important, I've got nothing. I mean, honestly, what do you say? What can you say?

There's no deep, meaningful lesson here. I'm not trying to make anyone laugh or impart any wisdom. I'm just sad.

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I'm always wishing that the Miracle on Ice and the people involved were in the news more. But when I was on Twitter on Tuesday and saw "Bob Suter" and "RIP" in the same sentence... well, suffice it to say that this was NOT how I wanted it to happen. And suffice it to say that I now know what utter shock feels like, and had a whole lot of trouble getting any work done the rest of the afternoon.

It sounds kind of morbid to say, but I'd sort of vaguely wondered about members of this team dying. I mean, learning that Steve Janaszak worked at the World Trade Center until just a few months before 9/11 kind of made me realize "...well, crap, one of them is going to be the first to die at some point." And just the other day, on Twitter, I saw "Pav" and "RIP" in the same sentence and legitimately panicked for a second. (But it was about someone who'd passed away several years ago, and was not the Pav I was thinking of.) So the fact that this is happening (for real) right after that brief moment of terror... well, it sucks. It's weird, and it sucks.

I'm not going to claim to be an expert on Bob (and his Miracle Monday post is still several weeks away... so the research I'm about to do for that just took a decidedly somber turn). But I do know that he was an absolutely great person; he was the guy you wanted on your team because he'd go to war for you, the guy who decided to help grow the game from the ground up instead of pursuing an NHL career, the guy who was too humble to even show his son his tape of the Miracle on Ice.

It's strange how you can be so affected by the life and death of someone you've never met. But Bob was a part of something that meant so much to so many people, myself included. And I'm really stuck on the fact that this "eternal team" is no longer whole. That lineup of 20 is now no longer 20, coincidentally through the loss of #20. Herb built that team to be one solid unit, no individual names or faces; if you cared about one of his players, you were going to care about all of his players, because each of them played a role that was exactly as important as anyone else's. And now there's a hole in the middle of that roster. There's a hole in a lot of places.

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I have to imagine that wherever he is, Herb is proud to have that jersey hanging in the rafters of his arena.

Rest in peace, Bob. Thanks for helping to make a miracle.