THIS is the match I have always remembered. I came home from my 5th grade basketball practice (i think it was on a tuesday) and I remember my mom who was not a hockey fan of any kind was so hyped up "we're beating czechoslovakia!" This match started everything
It was a huge measuring stick. Asked if it was the biggest US win since 1960, Herb Brooks responded "that one's still to come." I would argue though that the goal with 29 seconds remaining against Sweden started (and saved) everything, certainly the prospects for uncontested gold. The tournament was a round-robin, not the modern quarter, semi, and gold medal game format.
@@randy4395 I remember thinking "Eh, ok they tied Sweden... but I remember distinctly coming back from 5th grade basketball practice and my mom telling me the USA was beating the Czechs and I thought... we got it rockin... wait a second, this was the same as my initial comment lol
herb brooks was a hockey genius. the greatest hockey mind this country has ever produced. way ahead of his time. with brooks and the rest of the 80 hockey team should always be the biggest american sports heroes.
That was a depleted TEAM USA that beat Czechoslovakia and USSR. About 8 NCAA aged Players turned pro who would have played on the 1980 team. G - Steve Baker D Rod Langway - Gordie Roberts - Richie Dunn F - Tom Gorence - Chris Nilan - Ralph Cox - Mike McDougal
The US 1979 World Championship Tourney team had 8 players that would play in Lake Placid. That team tied Czechoslovakia 2-2 with Craig in net. Herb Brooks coached that team also. I wasn't shocked they beat them. Kralick allowed the US to run up the score though.
About half the '80 team played for Brooks in the '79 Worlds in Moscow or Prague. With Craig in net they tied the Czechs 2-2. I thought then they could win up to a Silver with the talent pool they had. In retrospect the US Dmen from the '76 and '77 draft were better than the Czechs and USSR without a doubt. In fact the USA produced the best defenseman from the '55, '56 and '57 birth years in O'Connell, Larson and Langway.
The Czechs were considered the 2nd best team in the world going into the games and the only team that could give the Soviets a challenge so this game was almost as big of an upset as the win against the Russians
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Some of that was due to at least 8 players who turned pro who were NCAA aged players at the end of the 1978-79 season. G - Steve Baker (MA) D - Rod Langway (MA) Gord Roberts (MI) Rich Dunn (MA) F - Joe Mullen (NY) Mike McDougal (MI) Chris Nilan or Ralph Cox(MA) Tom Gorence (MN) Those players would have probably resulted in Baker, Suter, Schneider, Eruzione, Harrington, Wells and Verchota cut. So net 3 MA players added and 5 MN players dropped. Meaning 7 MA players and 7 MN players on team.
Milan Chalupa, hokejový obránce, mistr ligy s Duklou Jihlava, dvojnásobný mistr světa v letech 1976-77, stříbrná medaile ze ZOH 1976 a 1984, v roce 2010 uveden do síně slávy českého hokeje. Řekl bych, že na tom není nic k smíchu. Trochu úcty k hráčům soupeře by nevadilo, Amigos?
Czechs goaltending was a joke. Kralick was barely AHL level and he was the best they had...lol. Craig was way better than him. In fact the US had better pool of D men from 1976-78 drafts. US lost Langway, Roberts and Dunn from their pool of NCAA aged players and still won. Lost Joe Mullen, Tom Gorence and Chris Nilan also upfront.
Jan, How was this loss viewed in Czechoslovakia at the time? Didn't the US beat the Czechoslovakian B Team at Placid in a Xmas tourney? I know about half the 1980 US Olympic Team played in the 1979 IIHF Worlds and with Craig in net tied 2-2. I was encouraged by that and given beating their next best group of players probably not shocking they won in 1980. They also beat Czechoslovakia in 1981 Canada Cup. So a tie in 79, 2 wins in '80 and a win in '81 tells me the US was on par with Czechoslovakia.
Kralick may have been bad that night but the size of the equipment is the difference. The goalies take up a lot more of the net because of the size of the equipment. I think the all the goalies are bigger now also. Taking up more of the net. There had been talk of limiting the size of some of the goalie pads in the NHL but nothing has come of it.
