I remember when I truly felt American. I haven't really felt that since September of 2005.
I felt that the Olympics were games. I felt that amateurs were true sportsmen.
So, they made the Olympics into a capitalistic charade. They "redefined" amateurs, to make more money off of the event.
I used to think that a small group of people, with a single minded purpose, could change the world. Could defeat the desires of the best in the world. That used to be able to happen.
But then, they had a leader. I still cry when I think about that team, that game.
I also think about the game after that. Once again, they had a leader. Had they not won that game, they wouldn't have the gold -- they may not have got a medal at all.
Their leader led.
Again, the U.S. fell behind early, this time 2-1 after two periods, due to excellent play by the Finnish goalie. Coming into the dressing room, Brooks turned to his players, looked at them and said: "If you lose this game, you'll take it to your fucking grave." Paused, took a few steps, turned again and said, "Your fucking grave." And walked out.
"For a few hours - a magical coach convinced a magical group of kids - that they could do something ... that they really, actually, couldn't do."
Brooks also taught these guys to play together in a way that is next to impossible now, with all the NHL egos running around. Try his methods now, and it would be akin to herding cats on skates...
Posted by: liprap | 28 February 2007 at 11:09 PM
That's the pernt, liprap...not an NHLer among them.
At the time.
Posted by: ashley | 28 February 2007 at 11:34 PM
God I remember those games. I can't remember where we watched - I have memories of being in my apt and in a bar. Since that was my entire existence back then (well through in class occasionally), hard to say. I might have been in different spots for the games, that's why it's jumbled in my head.
Posted by: saintseester | 01 March 2007 at 07:43 AM
No, No - I was in Jackson. I was still in high school. Probably already going to bars, but still. Argh! Why are my memories all blending the years together?
Posted by: saintseester | 01 March 2007 at 07:45 AM
Honey, you are rearing children. They are bound to assist heavily in messing with your head...
Posted by: liprap | 01 March 2007 at 09:35 AM
To your fucking grave. That's awesome, simply because it is so true.
I wish someone had said that to Ohio State this past January.
Posted by: Marcia | 01 March 2007 at 10:04 AM
It was a Friday night, my Junior year of high school. I worked at the mall as a janitor, and the day before a co-worker said he had a big date and asked if I'd work for him.
I said no way, it's the hockey game.
He gave me the blankest stare I'd ever seen, then said, in a voice that emphasized just how far we were in the South and how little business I had doing this, "Hockey?"
Big deal.
Then, I spent the whole day avoiding watching the news and listening to the radio (no internets back then) so I could watch the tape delay broadcast on ABC.
Posted by: ashley | 01 March 2007 at 10:13 AM
We avoided the news too and watched the replay. I know, I know, it wasn't live, but back then it was pretty easy to make it *feel* live.
That was a few days after Mardi Gras, and we had my grandparents visiting from Boston, so of course there was a lot of hockey love in the house that week.
The movie version was pretty decent, but being Disney they had to leave out the "fucking grave" quote, which is a real shame.
(That was also the same week that I tried to sneak in the door staggering drunk for the first time in my life, and the same week that I got to ride Doc Severinsen's float in Endymion and help him unwrap throws. I think tat was the week I also got to second base very briefly with Lisa W. for the first and only time.)
Posted by: Ray | 01 March 2007 at 02:03 PM
Sounds like a hell of a week, Ray.
Who's Lisa W? Pix?
Anybody see the made-for-tv movie from like 82 or something? Herb Brooks as portrayed by Karl Malden. The cool thing was that it was an ABC movie, so they used real footage from the game.
Posted by: ashley | 01 March 2007 at 04:09 PM
Lisa introduced me to psychedelic drugs and was the first girl I knew who liked the Ramones; she was my biggest fan for two months and then suddenly turned into a class A bitch and broke my heart. I have no idea what happened to her; her last name is too common for her to be google-able. Last known location was O. Perry Walker HS. If I was the bitter vindictive type, I'd like to think that these days she weights 300 pounds and lives with her crackhead boyfriend in some trailer park in Westwego or something and spends her days wishing she'd spent more time with that really cute Ray guy back in 10th grade, but I'm not really the bitter vindictive type. Not really.
Posted by: Ray | 01 March 2007 at 05:22 PM
Ah, Ray, this is all drooping into the TMI category.
And no, you're not bitter. Not at all.
8-S
Posted by: liprap | 01 March 2007 at 06:41 PM
Ive always aoedrd that church and the houses nearby. Having grown up in that general neighborhood it was always part of my perambulations, be they on foot or by bike. I'll need to collect my thoughts to be able to comment in a more cogent fashion. Right now I am just dismayed that the next time I come home yet another landmark of my youth will have been destroyed.
Posted by: Priyanka | 27 May 2012 at 02:23 AM