"I am not one who was born in the custody of wisdom. I am one who is fond of olden times and intense in quest of the sacred knowing of the ancients." Gustave Courbet

10 January 2009

"Boys, you just put the greatest goaltender in the world on the bench."



I watched "Miracle" this morning, the movie about the 1980 Olympic Gold Medal winning hockey team. Kust Russell does a great job in the role of coach Herb Brooks.

Hockey is a great game -- my favorite. I enjoy it because of all the things that must come together well in order for a team to do well. It is a true TEAM game. Hockey isn't a game for players with, as Pat Riley calls it, "the disease of me." Individuals must play their best cooperatively in order for their team to succeed.

"Miracle" does a great job of depicting all the elements of a successful team. Leadership, desire, sacrifice, and heart all seemlessly integrated.

I remember well that early Friday evening in Februrary, 1980. It was more than a hockey game. It was a true David and Goliath story. I remember playing street hockey (after all, I was in Ohio) with my buddies, feeling for the first time, a sense of national pride. This was the height of The cold War and we had beaten The Bear.

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