tundrajaz

Chilhood Sports Memories

Using your base years, here are a few of mine... 1st off- awesome choice with the 1980 gold medal team.

Watching Kevin McHale for the Gophers then getting drafted by the Celtics. My favorite team in the 80's

Watching all the home-grown talent the Twins brought up to shock the world and win the Series in '87

(Puckett, Hrbek, Gaetti, Laudner, Bush, Viola, etc.

Paying $20 (face value) to sit on the glass to watch the North Stars/Black Hawks.

Crying the day the old Met was torn down to make way for that S*&^hole of a dome that is used now.

Sneaking my Grandfather's transistor radio under my pillow to listen to the Twins or North Stars so I could fall asleep.

Chilhood Sports Memories

Good post.  From the set of years, it sounds like we are around the same age, so here's my list.

• The "Steel Curtain" defense.
• Major League Baseball's Game of the Week on NBC ( we only had 3 channels when I was grownig up)
• Listening to Jack Buck call the Cardinal's games on the radio
• Seeing in person Ole Miss upset Notre Dame in 1977 (their only loss that season)
• Going to an NFL game and it wouldn't cost you more than a c-note

Chilhood Sports Memories

Vikings,

I remember the 1980 Gold Medal run as though it was yesterday.  When thinking about it you really need to put in perspective all of the other things that were happening in that year.  We were only five years removed from the end of the Vietnam War, and the country was still strongly divided and reeling in it's aftermath.  The cold war was in full force.   The Soviet Union, our most feared and hated enemy, had invaded Afgahnistan.  In protest President Jimmy Carter had announced that the USA would boycott the Moscow Summer Olympics.  Our economy was in a complete shambles, we were still in the middle of the gas crisis, unemployement rate was soaring quickly, and 52 American hostages were being held in Iran.  The American people we looking for something, anything, to unite us as a country.

Enter a group of unknown college kids with no realistic hope of even getting out of the first round of the tournament.  Although we ultimately defeated Finland 4-2 to capture the gold.  The more important game came against the Soviets.  On February 9, 1980, The USA Hockey team played an exhabition game versus the Soviets, in Madison Square Garden.  The Red Army team decimated our team 10-3.  Our boys had been playing inspired hockey throughout the tournament.  In spite of that, there was not a soul on the planet that gave us a chance to beat the Soviet Unions professional team, who had only weeks before manhandled both the NHL all-star team and our team.

The USA stayed with the soviet team the entire game.  Golie Jim Craig played the game of his life.  With about 10 minutes remaining in the 3rd period, Mike Eruzione controlled a loose puck and put a wrist shot past the soviet golie to give the Americans a 4-3 lead.  The USA played "keep away" for the remainder of the game and with 5 seconds left, Al Michaels made one of the most treasured sports calls in history.  "Do you believe in Miracles!  Yes!" 

In spite of the fact that I do not consider myself to be an overly emotional person.  I still get a little choked up, when I watch highlights or documentaries about that team.  For many of us, it solidified our love of sport and our love of country.  That is one moment in time that I will never forget.