Many have wondered about the USA national team's disappointing performance at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Can the team win another gold medal? But that doesn't mean the end of the world. The USA has a history filled with disappointments, particularly in Olympic hockey. In the past, the national team has come close to medaling at the Olympics, but it has never been able to do it.
Angela Ruggiero
Angela Ruggiero began playing hockey with Team USA when she was fifteen years old. She was just 15 years old when she joined the U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team. In 1998, it was her youngest team member. The team won gold in Nagano. She continued to play for Team USA, including playing on the 2002 and 2010 Olympic Teams.
Herb Brooks
Herb Brooks was created on August 5, 1937. Brooks was born in a small, Minnesota duplex. Brooks won the Minnesota state championship with his team during high school. Brooks was selected to play college hockey under the legendary coach John Mariucci at the University of Minnesota. He earned 45 points in the 1957-58 seasons. He played on many U.S. National teams in the 1960s and 1970s.
Miracle on Ice
The 1980 Olympic Men’s National Hockey Team defeated the Soviet Union to win gold, earning them the title "Miracle on Ice". This extraordinary feat is an important part of Cold War history and sports history.
Herb Brooks' plan: To get players to hate him
Herb Brooks, a hockey coach, was born in Davos, Switzerland. He will take over as the New York Rangers' head coach in March. Jim Craig, a Boston Bruins player, grew up in the same house with Herb. Craig was paid $35,000 for a Coca-Cola ad while playing for Boston Bruins. We don't know if Brooks's plan to make players hate Brooks was successful.
Soviet hockey team's scrappy style
Many of the Soviet hockey players were left-handed. They were taught to use only their dominant right hand to hold the stick. Therefore, they were often forced into playing on their weaker side. They could not afford to fetishize handedness, so they developed ways to compensate for their natural disadvantages.
Brian O'Neill
Brian O'Neill is an American professional ice hockey forward. He is currently signed to EV Zug, the National League. He has represented the USA National Hockey Team 5 times.