A couple of days ago, I watched the movie “Miracle” for the second time. Unfortunately, I wasn’t even close to being born when a group of young, unknown college hockey players pulled off the huge upset against a powerful and dominant Soviet team in the 1980 Winter Olympics. On May 20, USA Hockey released a list of players selected to represent the United States in the World Cup of Hockey in September. All 26 American players are NHL superstars, and 19 of them are over 30 years old.
Watching “Miracle” got me thinking. Why not bring back amateurs in world and Olympic sports? Isn’t that what it was all about in the first place? It’s supposed to be about sending the best athletes to represent each nation, but, I don’t think it means as much for these professional players. They don’t really have anything to prove because they’ve already made their mark in the pro ranks.
Don’t get me wrong, I love watching Mike Modano of the Dallas Stars use his speed and slick moves to undress two defensemen and flick a wrist shot in the top shelf, or Jeremy Roenick of the Philadelphia Flyers make an art out of checking his opponents into the third row of seats. But I already see all of this during the NHL season. We all know how good they are, but it’s time to bring back the old traditions of letting amateurs duke it out for the gold. Some can argue that the United States is not really sending its best if it sends the amateurs, but who cares? I didn’t hear about anyone complaining that the United States should have sent American NHL players instead of some toothless kids from Boston University or University of Minnesota to the 1980 Olympics. Who wants to watch a bunch of old millionaires play hockey anyway?
The only thing that really matters to the professional players is the Stanley Cup. I guarantee that all the players on the gold-medal winning Canadian hockey team would hand over their medals in a heartbeat if it meant that their names would be etched into the Holy Grail. Even the greatest hockey player ever, Wayne Gretzky, said it himself: ‘‘You know, I’ve held women and babies. I’ve held jewels and money. But nothing will ever feel as good as holding that cup.” And this is a dude from a country that eats, lives and breathes hockey. Why not give college players a chance at the medal again? Who wouldn’t want another American hockey hero like Mike Eruzione?
Just look at what poor sports the American hockey players were in the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan. After losing in the early rounds, they turned into rock stars and trashed their hotel rooms, destroying chairs and their dignity in the process. I question their willingness to play. Even in basketball, after the disastrous 2002 World Championships, the NBA stars don’t seem to care about redeeming themselves.
Some professional players just flat-out refuse to play. Kevin Garnett of the Timberwolves declined to play this summer, and he is this year’s Most Valuable Player. The Lakers’ Kobe Bryant withdrew his invitation because of a “scheduling conflict.” Since when did anyone reject a chance at a gold medal because of a scheduling conflict? So, why not give some amateurs a chance again? We may not always win and we may not always be the favorites, but only as underdogs do we have the chance to achieve another miracle.
