Golden Hockey Moments

24 Feb 2026

Hear it here!

You would have had to be living under a rock not to be aware of the twin American triumphs in hockey at the just-completed Winter Olympics in Italy.

“Triumphs” is an understatement for the events and significance of both the men’s and women’s gold medal performances over Canada, both achieved in overtime, in thrilling fashion, bringing back wonderful memories of past heroics and current stories that will be etched in stone forever and realistically considered, without exaggeration, one for the ages.

By now you know how the U.S. men, taking it on the chin from the Canadians in recent years, withstood the onslaught from their opponents to stay in the game finally winning 2-1 early in the extra session. By now you know how this team was outshot, 42-28, and frankly outplayed but not beaten. By now you know how Florida native Jack Hughes fired in the deciding goal after losing some front teeth by a stick in the third period on a play in which he committed a penalty and nearly became the goat. But the power play advantage by Canada came up empty as everyone else did against the Americans who never allowed a goal 18 times playing short-handed in the Olympics. So, while Hughes was the hero, he never would have had the opportunity if it were not for goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who turned away an amazing 41 of 42 shots in the gold medal showdown, many of them point blank and truly ridiculous to witness. He was that phenomenal.

The gold for the USA hockey team was their third in the history of the games. The previous one occurred 46 years ago to the day when the Americans defeated Finland, after beating the Soviet Union in the indelible Miracle on Ice victory that has never left our memory of great sports happenings of all-time.

By now you know last weekend’s gem was no miracle, like the one in 1980, when US amateurs upended the Soviet professionals. This American team was their best one ever, but whipping the Canadians was another matter. Both teams were made up of professionals who toiled for big bucks in the National Hockey League.

To say there was no love lost between them is another major understatement. Let’s say there was immense dislike, to put it gently. The fact is that this battle was likely the most significant game in the career of every player on both sides.

The women’s gold medal victory over Canada, also in overtime, shouldn’t take a back seat to the men’s.

It was also captivating, same score as the men’s, 2-1, but in this one, Hilary Knight tied it with 2:04 remaining after the US pulled its goaltender for an extra skater. Then in overtime, after Canada had the biggest chance to end it with a 3-on-1 situation, Megan Keller scored the winning goal four minutes in to give the US its third all-time Olympic gold medal. Knight, who kept the Americans alive, broke the American Olympic record for all-time goals and points in her 5th career appearance at the games.

Taking a big picture look, I believe the sport of hockey got a tremendous boost.

This is where I have a confession to make. While my own broadcasting life had an emphasis on basketball, I have to say that hockey was a bigger passion for me growing up. I actually recall the “first miracle on ice”, the unexpected American gold medal triumph in the 1960 games at Squaw Valley, California. In those Olympics, the US defeated both the Soviet Union and Canada, with Goalie Jack McCartan making 39 saves against the Canadians. McCartan is now 90, and I wonder what he thinks about last weekend? Up until high school I attended Ranger games on Sunday evenings at the old Madison Square Garden on 8th avenue and 49th and 50th streets in Manhattan.

City high schools gave out GO tickets (General Organization) where you could see the Rangers for 50 cents with seats in the side or end balcony way up high. We would sit on a stool in Nedick’s restaurant well before the games, have a hot dog and an orange drink and read the weekly Hockey News. I would not miss a Ranger game on radio, and in the rare instances a game was televised I was front and center. That wasn’t all.

I would also try to find the Toronto Maple Leaf games on the radio, by deftly fighting the crackling and static on the radio to hone in on the station in Toronto that aired the games. It wasn’t easy, but I was determined.

This was on a Saturday night when high school kids were either going out on dates or going to a party. But not me.

I stayed home to listen to an out of town game with the great Foster Hewitt, who broadcast the Leafs games for 40 years on Hockey Night in Canada deliver the call in his high, mellifluous, deliberate tones.

One time, while I was fiddling with the dial to find the station and listen with all the static, my mother asked my father, “Joe, what’s wrong with our son?” He had no reasonable answer.

Years later, when I was working for WBZ-TV in Boston, the Bruins were playing the Maple Leafs in a Stanley Cup series.

Toronto was in town, and after a morning shoot around, I rushed to their hotel and asked someone if they could identify the great Foster Hewitt for me. He did and I approached Hewitt, introduced myself and asked him a question. “Mr. Hewitt, how do you broadcast a lightning-fast sport like hockey and make it sound like it’s in slow motion?’ He replied, “young man, I cut the wheat from the chaff”.

He only described what was necessary. Truly an art.

I had the opportunity to call only two NHL games when Fox had the contract. Both times, Mike Eruzione, the captain of that ’80 Miracle team was my partner.

Hockey is unique. It is played by hard-nosed blue-collar athletes always going full blast. There are no prima donnas, no “look at me” players who try to transcend the game they are playing.

This is what sets hockey apart. There are no attempts at changing rules, no gimmicks to make it more attractive to fans who other sports think are bored or trying to get more youngsters interested by altering what we’ve always seen as MLB, the NFL and the NBA have.

These memories and thoughts of hockey came rushing back as I watched those two glorious triumphs. If you’re an American, perhaps you had a tear in your eye.

Whatever you felt, there was something undeniably special about the US gold medals in hockey.

Something that’s still being talked about and will continue to be for longer than we can imagine.