Puck Readers 2010, "The Boys of Winter": Time to get over Lake Placid?
by hockeymomof2 on Jul 27, 2010 10:54 AM EDT
16 comments
Having led our summer series off last month with Ken Dryden's 1983 classic "The Game", those of us who have been reading our Puck Reader's selections can claim to know a whole lot more about hockey in the 1970s. Our first book focused on the best of NHL professionals and the Canadian (and Canadien) tradition of excellence at the time. Today, looking at the second choice of the summer, "The Boys of Winter", from 2005, we can testify to the power of youth to believe, as a group of untested players and their brilliant, if unlikeable, coach were able achieve what no one thought possible.
"The Boys of Winter", by Wayne Coffey and subtitled "The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team" brought me so much closer to a story of which I already knew the ending and most of the characters. Maybe, like me, you're old enough to remember for yourself how the story unfolded live over thirty years ago
For me, a surprising common thread of these two books was getting a real time feel for the powerful influence of the Soviet hockey machine on all of hockey during that era. What an interesting cultural allegory to the Cold War these two stories become when read back-to-back, even more pervasive in the sport than is frequently attached to the familiar storyline of that one night at Lake Placid.
After the jump, I've put down some thoughts that draw from both these books, now hockey standards, and how perhaps they still influence culture of professional hockey and the players as we know them today.
In "The Game", Ken Dryden, erudite (okay, a bit dull) Hall of Fame goalie for the Montreal Canadiens from 1971-1979 who won more trophies than I could list, used the days of the week in a professional hockey player's life (in fact in his final spring in the NHL) to structure his memoir. His observations, sorted by chapters identified simply Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, cover a broad range of ideas, from recollections of his childhood, the culture of the sport and hockey people, the power, money and pressures of celebrity, and even the politics of Quebec's strained relationship with the Anglo-majority of the rest of Canada. In my post last month, I mentioned that I was intrigued by Dryden's narrative of how the emergence of the powerful Soviet hockey program completely surprised and embarrassed the Canadian hockey tradition. Dryden devoted pages to the specifics of how the Soviet's unconventional "style" of hockey forced the Canadian (NHL) game, which he suggests had become stale or complacent, to meet the challenge and get better.
In this month's book, Wayne Coffey, who is an amazing story teller and sportswriter, is comfortable exploring the drama of high emotions and complex relationships as he portrays his subjects with both honesty and empathy. His prologue begins as the 1980 teammates gather in Minnesota for the funeral of their coach, Herb Brooks, in August 2003. Coffey then takes us right back to Friday afternoon, February 22, 1980, Lake Placid: USA vs USSR in the first semi-final of those Olympic Games.
Beginning with the drop of the puck at the start of the first period, Coffey, over the course of 200-plus pages, provides a vivid play-by-play of the entirety of the historic game. In a literary montage that I thought worked superbly, he pauses at important moments of the play to present personal and revealing flashback and "where are the now" profiles of each of the players and others who were part of that night. To me, it is exactly what I want sports (and sports writing) to be about: the magic of the team, a motley collection of unknowns, which no one would expect could even compete against the Best Team Ever. Instead, defying the odds, they bring to the ice in what became the defining game of their lives perfectly-matched skills, a creative strategy, and 110% effort united in their singular goal. And winning it all. Hooray! What's not to love? U S A. U S A.
A great story and a book that beautifully brings us everything we need to know about an unparalleld event in sports history and the everyday stories of the people who made it happen. I also learned so much about the geography of Minnesota hockey, I feel like I could hold my own if invited to a family gathering of Edina native Jamie McBain. I digress...
But, for those who want to read on, I'm not going leave it there. Bits and pieces of current hockey news have been popping up the last week or so that seem relevant to what I've been reading and I'd like to hear your thoughts.
* * * *
While it is so easy to stick with the tried-and-true portrayal of good guy Americans and bad guy Soviets, that's just not how we do it in this new century, is it? (see: Wicked, and take it from there)
For me, the best of Coffey's effort to detail every aspect of this one game was that he took the time to research and portray the Soviet teams' point of view. We sure weren't hearing that in 1980. He traveled to Moscow interview the Soviet players, and in one of the more revealing moments of the story, we hear from their coach, Viktor Tikhonov.
Years later, [Tikhonov] sat in his office after coaching CSKA to victory in its home arena, a boxy indelicate place, grayish brown and hulking, on a Moscow Avenue called Prospekt Leningradsky. His office was maybe three meters by four meters, a spartan space with a table, bookshelf, and pennants of all the teams he coached on the walls. Videotapes are crammed into every available space.....
He smiled faintly when asked if he has watched a videotape of the game [the loss to the US in Lake Placid]. "There's no need for me to see the game. I saw it once."
This one game is epic in American Hockey history, perhaps in the history of all Teams USA at the Olympic Games in any sporting event. Ever. Period. But for the Soviets, now mostly just Russians, the night was expunged from their history. One bad game, no point to dwelling on it. Rather, like all good competitors, they came back with renewed commitment and dominated International hockey for the next decade.
But that doesn't make good copy in this hemisphere, so to be sure, the rivalry lives on. Partly because that one win was so remarkable, and maybe because of those who stand to profit from the re-telling.
Back in February, there was an undeniable enjoyment that most of us took in the flogging Team Russia received at the hands of the Canadians in Vancouver, and three months later, as further proof of North/American superiority, we smiled at the inability of Russia's loyal uber-talented players to capture gold in Germany at the IIHF World Championships. Even as we overlook that it took an underdog European nation to beat them. Everyone (unless you're a Caps fan) seems to get a kick out of a Russian Fail. Why?
During the NHL season, think about how we all enjoy a chance to heap scorn on the Russian players of the NHL; the more talented they are the more we pile on. Ovechkin, Malkin, Nabokov, now Kovalchuk...Admittedly, Pavel Datsyuk gets a bye - is it his Lady Byng play? (Or cause he's the only guy who looked appropriately dressed in the Zetterburg wedding party photo) .
I may be over-thinking this, but I'm worried that in part this is derived from how it allows us to relive that patriotic pinnacle of Lake Placid 1980. It's so easy to hate those bad guys.
* * * *
via cdn.nhl.com
Even in the jaded scorn we have for the Crosby-Ovechkin marketing rivalry that we count as another reason to complain about Gary Bettman, isn't there a subtext of Sid the Kid, babyfaced and very Anglo (maybe in the spirit of the Cold War's greatest Western spy James Bond), while Alexander Ovechkin with his gapped-tooth smile becomes, for many, a hideous villain, so good at what he does that we wonder if he may be a product of gene splicing. You'll hear "There's something different with that dude"; kind of commentary from opposing fans; "He's strong, he's skilled, yeah, but he chokes. Besides that, he's dangerous, reckless." From my observations (just read the comments on Ovie of the 2011 All Star Game poster unveiled today for an example), this aspect of the rivalry is so ubiquitous, we don't even notice it. As Ovechkin has matured, the bad rap has grown right along with him.
So big deal, right? It’s all good fun. What sports and competition is about. Okay. Maybe. Heaven knows, I don’t want to go all Jesse Jackson here, but I think we should at least be a bit more circumspect on why we talk the way we do and not find ourselves tumbling down a slippery slope. And as Carolina Hurricanes fans, it turns out we’re in a unique position to respond in a way that may turn the conversation to a less predictable direction.
This week in hockey
Last Tuesday night, the twitterverse of puck talk exploded at 9:15pm, with the announcement that the NHL would reject the New Jersey Devils' X-treme contract with homeless hockeystar Ilya Kovalchuk. Most of this has been (and will be) analyzed and argued ad nauseum by those far smarter than I. But there were two moments in those first hours of knee-jerk reactions that caught me totally by surprise.
One moment came with a few less-than-kind tweets about Kovalchuk's quandary that were intended to be funny but led to the demise of Coyote Paul Bissonnette’s account @PaulBizNasty due presumably his use of the S-word to poke at the player's future. I referred to the story in last week’s Clicks and Clippings, and then there was one more take on it Friday. When "everyone's favorite" < /sarcasm> Ryan Lambert (formerly known as Two Line Pass) over at Yahoo!'s Puck Daddy blog says
And that's when the PC Police fired up the engines and came a-roarin' down the street. Racism, they said. Russians everywhere were outraged for some reason.
Ding ding ding ding ding. My Hockeyfan-in-North-Carolina antennae went up, and I somehow instantly could feel for those who are taking offense. Been there enough. United against a common enemy. Are you with me? (Herb Brooks would be proud.)
The other message of note, which was not picked up anywhere that I saw, came from one of my favorite hockey journalists/tweeters who is based in the US and covers with great depth the insider's view of Russian happenings in the NHL for, among others, the Puck Daddy blog (Lambert called him out too). Dmitry Chesnokov, within minutes of the announcement, tweeted the following question, which for me, was totally out of left field.
@dchesnokov: What is Kovalchuk's last name was...hmm...Smith? Or Doe? *conspiracy*
9:32 PM July 20th via web
Wow. Never occurred to me. "Hossa" isn’t exactly Smith or Doe either, so I don’t buy his argument, but he’s a smart and rational guy. If that’s his raw reflex reaction, I think it’s worth paying a little more attention.
Again, not to read too much into this as the defining issue of the NHL, but I think like anything, it’s healthy to be aware of what might underlie some of the more pervasive opinions that we take for granted and then decide what’s fair and true.
In other words, are we still feeling the residuals of the Cold War or whatever the simplistic hockey equivalent is, that still sells book and DVD’s thirty years later, because it’s such a great feeling? Is the North American need to prove this is Our Game still expressed as an underlying antipathy to the talented Russians, who I think, like every hockey player ever born, really do just want to play in the best league in the world. "Sports" is supposed to be the great equalizer, right? That’s the American way.
Think about how we treat draft prospects whose names end with "ov" and dwell on the Russian Factor as if they’re a homogeneous group of kids who, to a man, are ready to flee to the KHL when their feelings get hurt? (No one seems to use Justin Krueger as an excuse to stay away from Germans – maybe if he was more talented?) Chesnokov again stepped up trying to refute these stereo-types the week prior to the draft in LA. and explain the KHL is an equal-opportunity hockey league to all those looking for an alternative. Or: it ain't just for just Russians.
Think about the winks implied in commentary when a player (Russian, Canadian, whatever) decides to sign in the KHL, and comments about paper bags of money as metaphors for bribery and corruption like those are the only things we need to know about their choice. Part of it is that we really don't know much about KHL Hockey in Russia 2010 other than what a few have written about the most extreme situations, and most of those are mired in the easy jokes and rolled eyes. And why should we care anyway?
After all, when’s the last time an American hockey team played over there in Russia, right? Like, forever? NOW, you see where I'm going, right?
* * * *
So around 1:30 Monday afternoon, in the midst of "Kovalchuk contract headed to arbitrator: NHLPA announces it will grieve the league's rejection of Russian sniper's contract" and the "'Canes reveal 2011 NHL All-Star game logo" including plans for a urban-scale poster which will be on display in downtown Raleigh by the end of the week, this link appeared in my twitter feed. Hockey news mashup.
KHL launched a site dedicated to the upcoming exhibition games between KHL and NHL clubs. http://www.khlnhl.ru/en/
You have checked it out, right? You should; it's about our team, now, the Hurricanes. How weird is it to see a url of khlnhl.ru posting PR stories about Justin Pogge and Ray Whitney (his new club Phoenix Coyotes are the other team playing in Riga in October) next to stories about all these players with weird Russian names like...um....Chris Holt or Tony Mårtensson? Oh - there's an Anton Babchuk story - that's Russian!..Oh, wait...
So, to answer my question, it’s been twenty years since an American team played hockey in Russia, so long it ago it was still the Evil Empire, the Soviet Union. And Rod Brind`Amour was a teenager.
When the announcement was made in May that the Hurricanes would be playing an exhibition game in St Petersburg Russia against the SKA team of the KHL, how did you feel about it? For about five minutes I thought it was cool, but the more I considered the details, the less I liked it. So far away, exotic, unknown, more travel, and lord knows we don't need more opportunities to have the players get hurt. Why bother? Why risk it?
Luckily I found one person who answered my concerns with a basic, and I believe sincere, message of good will, within which I can’t find any cynical reason to say this is actually self-serving and really about putting money in the coffers of the NHL. If you spot something ulterior underneath this effort to simply, and with an open hand, introduce the players of these two leagues with less than cordial relations for years, I want to hear it.
"It should be a great experience for our players to take that trip, to go into Russia and play that game," Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford said recently. "There could be a little more at stake, going into Russia to play a KHL team. It will be good for us and the league."
Among hockey players, what better way to begin the conversation than with a hockey game? I’m going to follow Mr Rutherford’s lead here. Why are we bothering to play this game? Because it’s good for our team and the league, and maybe as the unwanted stepchild of the hockey purists of the Great White North, we Caniacs can empathize a bit more with those who feel scorned when we try to take a spot at the official table of hockeydom, the greatest sport on Earth.
And while I’m talking about sunshine and rainbows, I’m gonna vote that those of us (I'll admit to being one) who just don't get Anton Babchuk give him a break, a fresh start. If the NHL hockey can learn to embrace, even showcase, tailgating, twang and BBQ, I’ll put up with his enigmatic scowl and inscrutable English, and cheer him on, even when he's not perfect, just the same as if his name was Sutter, Gleason or Ruutu.
After all, I'm a huge hockey fan. If it's hockey, what else matters?
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Excellent write-up.
It really made me think.
Here's to all us girls who love hockey...and the men who play it.
by Brad_Richards_Rocks on Jul 27, 2010 11:53 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
+45
i agrees whole hearted ly and i was in my 30’s then..sigh…like a dripping faucet…time goes by,one drip and tick of the clock…sigh…BUT …life is GOOD & Hockey…is even BETTER !!! TTYL !!
And if it Aint Hockey,It Aint Nothin !!
That Checkers 3rd Sweater ROCKS !!!
Wow HM-you took this post in a direction that I never would have imagined. It kinda makes all my notes and highlights useless. :)
I have to say I’m not sure I see comments or attitudes the same way you’ve described them, although I have to say I certainly never thought of them in this much detail until now. Now, as a disclaimer, I wasn’t alive during the Cold War or around for the 1980 Olympics, so my perspective may be a little be skewed.
For example, I don’t think making fun of Ovechkin has anything to do with him being Russian, but rather everything to do with him being Ovechkin. If a Canadian or American played the way he did, acted the way he did, or even looked the way he did, I’m fairly confident opposing fans would say many of the same things we say about Ovechkin. Obviously, there will always be the person who uses nationality as part of a put-down, but from my experience, they are the exception rather than the rule. Ovechkin’s one of the best players in the world, scores a ton of goals and people like to hate on him. People rag on Crosby in much the same way (he looks like a girl, he has giant lips, etc). Yes, fans like to take shots at Malkin, Ovechkin, Kovalchuk, and perhaps to a lesser extent Nabokov. But those same fans like to take shots at Crosby and Brodeur. They loved to hate on Gretzky and Lemieux when they played. In essence, NHL fans are equal opportunity haters. :)
In my mind, the same theory applies to the celebrating the “Russian Fail” as you so perfectly put it. I’d contend that American fans would have celebrated a Canadian Fail in just the same way, possibly even more wholeheartedly. I think having some of the best players in the world on the Russian team and them still losing to the underdog is what brought out the party favors. In my mind, it didn’t have anything to do with what flag the team played hockey for. Instead, people took a little bit of pleasure in seeing the underdog knock the superpower down a peg or two (much like the 1980 miracle on ice).
I will give you that we (I’m speaking in the most general sense possible here) are a little wary of Russian draft picks. There always seemed to be a variation of “but of course we’re not sure he’ll leave Russia for the NHL” tacked onto the end of a Russian player’s scouting report. Again though, I’m not sure that footnote is due entirely to their country of origin; to me, it is something that people have come up with based on a precedent set by players in the past. Now whether that is a correct conclusion to make based on an admittedly unknown sample size, I can’t really say.
Overall, I’d say that the “US (good) vs. Soviet (bad)” thing is something created by outside forces. It was in 1980 (Herb Brooks said something to the effect of “we’re playing the best hockey team in the world, why can’t people leave it at that?”) and I think it still is today.
"What Carolina really has going for them is Brandon Sutter. When that kid first showed up, he looked like a skinny little thing that wouldn’t last two weeks. But he’s turned into a real star."
Wow. There’s a whole lot of information to absorb here. I have to admit I’m a little overwhelmed.
It’s taking me a really long time to get through this book. For me it hasn’t been a quick read at all. I’ve been on it for over a week and I’m only halfway through. And I’m a pretty quick reader. I just feel like there’s a lot to absorb so every time I sit down to tackle it I don’t get very far.
Maybe I’m just not cut out for this book club thing after all.
Either that or I have a mad case of adult ADHD, which is entirely possible.
At least this time I actually started the book before the review came out.
Phoblographer and Finn Aficionado
SISU
I think you can approach a book like this at any level. If you were to ask me to detail which player had which experience other than the headliners (eg Eruzione, Craig, Ramsey, Johnson) I’d have to refer to the book to answer. But I really enjoyed the stories as they pertain to the culture, the insight on how things happen, and the character studies. Brooks was the lead character and his personality and life before and after sticks pretty well.
I took it in as a “big picture” without worrying if I kept the roster straight or could recall every detail of each period. The landscape of Minnesota hockey was pretty cool too. It gave me a window into the lives of Matt Cullen, McBain, Alt, Faulk, etc. Much younger sure, but descendants of the same hockey culture.
Ex: its been a couple weeks and I remember somebody with a horse ranch, another player’s dad who was a train engineer. Another tragic hunting death, and a very ill sibling. A lot about the “Range” in Minnesota with the strip mining industry. Off the top of my head, I don’t remember who goes with each story, and for my interest, it doesn’t matter. But the picture was painted so carefully it left an impression that I will carry a long time. That’s good stuff.
Twitter @HMof2
by hockeymomof2 on Jul 27, 2010 8:08 PM EDT up reply actions
My thoughts are right in line with caniacgirl. She summed up my thoughts much better than I ever could. I will admit I did not read the book. I got a sample of it on my Kindle and decided it wasn’t something that would appeal to me.
I was one of the people that said something about Ovechkin’s looks. I don’t give a ____ that he is from Russia. The man totally skeeves me out to look at him. Ugly is ugly, I don’t care what coutry you are from. His appearance is the very first thing you notice about him and I find it’s totally natural to comment on that first. Much like the pink elephant in the living room, you mention it then move on to other details.
I was just a small kid when the US beat Russia in the Olympics. Wasn’t around to remember much about the cold war or anything else during that time period so for me Russia has never been the “bad guy” per say. Anyway, shutting up now since caniacgirl covered everything else. :)
I appreciate everyone’s feedback and hope I didn’t offend anyone specifically – I was referring more to the standard media spins – which I probably read more than most people do. And I’m not sure there is an issue, but I think its good to be aware of as our team heads to St Petersburg.
I also can see that this may be a generational issue and those of us born in the 60s (or earlier) may see this through completely different lenses than those born after 1985 or so. That alone is interesting to me ( to realize how powerful the Cold War was as a backdrop to my regular American childhood – into the 70s and 80s)
Thanks for reading and letting me explore the topic.
Twitter @HMof2
No offense taken as far as I’m concerned. :)
And I agree 100% about generations seeing this issue differently, as is the case without almost everything. Two people from different generations can read the exact same thing, be it books, articles, or even a random comment, and come away with two entirely different messages. That’s why book-clubs and message boards like CC can be so diverse.
"What Carolina really has going for them is Brandon Sutter. When that kid first showed up, he looked like a skinny little thing that wouldn’t last two weeks. But he’s turned into a real star."
Since I had not read the book, I didn’t immediately read this thread when it was first posted and began to grow.
However, I’m certainly glad I did…eventually. It was a very interesting read, whether one has read the book or not.
Even though a Cold War baby, I’m personally pretty much over the institutional Russian hate that was so predominant in that era. They’re more to be pitied these days, it seems, instead of feared as a nation, with greed and corruption now seemingly providing more political motivation than “world domination”. Although greed and corruption were no doubt very alive then, as well, just masked by all of the political sword-rattling so as to keep the masses distracted.
Nonetheless, your theories have weight, HM2. Very thoughtful treatment of the subject matter and many extra credit points for taking it to another level.
Here we are now...entertain us.
Wow...
My goodness I couldn’t make it past the first section.
I’m going to refill my coffee. Hopefully that will energize this post. Goodness!
Interesting...
“Everyone (unless you’re a Caps fan) seems to get a kick out of a Russian Fail. Why?” Not so much. Ignorant fans, yeah, I see where you are going. Anybody that knows anything about hockey, not so much. Ignorance, that’s all.
“What is Kovalchuk’s last name was…hmm…Smith? Or Doe? conspiracy” Not your argument so I can’t use it against you, however, the guy that came up with this is pathetic and shows a high level of immaturity. Seriously, this is all you could come up with? Not what kind of impact it could have? Not, this is the biggest one and we need to nip it in the but? But it’s simply a geographical thing?
“Think about how we treat draft prospects whose names end with "ov"" This is WEAK at best. Put yourself in a GM’s position. You have a chance to draft someone who you KNOW will want to play here versus drafting someone who may or may not want to play here because he can get the same type of money, if not more in his home country? This isn’t a Russians VS the World issue…it’s a business problem that is roaring its ugly face since the coming of the KHL. The KHL is struggling, they still pay these guys an insurmountable amount of cash, but they still cannot touch the NHL in terms of global lure.
“When the announcement was made in May that the Hurricanes would be playing an exhibition game in St Petersburg Russia against the SKA team of the KHL, how did you feel about it?” Who cares, it’s just a game. With that being said, I will still watch it. I watch KHL games when they are on. It’s a good league with talented players so why not watch? Russian, American, Canadian, German…who cares! Good hockey is good hockey…period!
“After all, I’m a huge hockey fan. If it’s hockey, what else matters?” Best comment of all!
Honestly, I came into reading this with an open mind. Your knowledge of hockey really shines through, but tell me. Is this knowledge from learning the game as a player, coach and enthusiast, or simply as a fan reading a few articles and books along the way? Either way, still a very good post and loads of good points. You talk about how people get on the Ovie’s, the Malkin’s and the other Russians in the league, but in my opinion, these Caniacs get on others just as bad, if not worse. Mainly, the Crosby’s and anybody that poses a threat to the empty seats of the RBC. I am a season ticket holder, an avid hockey fan, a player, a coach, and a Penguins fan. I go to the Canes games because they are my “adopted” team since I do not live in Pittsburgh. You bring up many good points, but don’t be blinded by the ignorance of many fans that may surround you in the stands. It’s disappointing to sit in the RBC center and listen to fans heckle certain players and, for the most part, don’t even know why. The worst was one day a young kid, probably no more than 7, was screaming obscenities at the opponents with his parents doing nothing but laughing.
So I don’t think these issues stand as a Russia VS the world…I think it stands as simple, pure, plain ignorance.
Great read though and yes, I did get my coffee.
Comment section..
My favorite part of the comment section came from caniacgirl:
“NHL fans are equal opportunity haters. :)”
Spot On!
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