Before I realized I had a problem with my laptop this morning, I had typed something up about Herb Brooks. Now I can't remember what I wanted to say, but that those 10 days in Lake Placid are easily my favorite Olympic memories. For Europeans who are used to World Cups, etc., an occasion where the whole nation roots for one team is not that rare. For Americans it pretty much never happens.
The victory over the USSR was one of the most improbable sports stories ever. 20 college guys, most of whom were not that good, gelling perfectly for 2 weeks, culminating in a victory over what was probably the greatest national team ever. Individually, the Soviet players weren't as good as the Canadians, but because they played together all the time they were a tremendous team (the Canadians didn't play as a unit except for the occasional short series with the Soviets).
Then, the game that solidified my impression that Brooks was a great coach of college kids, the 4-2, come from behind win over Finland to win the gold. So many teams will let down after such an amazing victory (as the Americans had on Friday evening), but Brooks was able to get them focussed to finish the job.
