For those of you who grew up watching Kurt Russel crossing his arms in plaid suits in the movie Miracle, it may be surprising to hear that Team USA struggled after defeating the Soviet Union and Finland 1980. In fact, the U.S. would not see another medal in men’s hockey in the IIHF World Championships or the Olympics until 2002 in Salt Lake City.
For most New York Rangers fans, Mike Richter is immortalized because of the role he played on the 1994 Cup team. Fans think of the save on Pavel Bure; they think of John Davidson boasting about beautiful glove saves; they think about an exceptional NHL career that was limited and ultimately cut short by injuries.