I love this time of the year. This is the time of the year when winter feels kind of nice. You know...I can go outside during the day with no gloves or hat on and be quite comfortable in the February sunshine.
With the slow release of winter cold into days with a bit longer daylight and a sun that warms the inside of your car more than you think it should...well...it all means "tournament weather" to me.
I love this time of the year.
And when you throw the Winter Olympic Games into the mix...that's good stuff, Buddy.
The calendar says "February 16th" and that means the Men's Hockey action starts today -- USA vs. Switzerland at 2 pm (still trying to figure out how I can catch the game live while I substitute teach 2nd graders today :).
Dating back to my earliest memories, I'll share what I can remember about each of the Winter Olympics in my lifetime (I was born in 1972, therefore, having no memories of the 1972 games in Sapporo, Japan or the 1976 games in Innsbruck, Austria)
1980 - Miracle on Ice, Lake Placid, NY -- Heard that the US was beating the Russians at my Mite practice. Went home with my Dad to watch the game on TV. Pretty much only remember the US team going absolutely bonkers after the game. I also remember watching the Sunday game against Finland, laying on the living room floor of my Grandma's house in Thief River Falls, MN. Great stuff.
1984 - Sarajevo, Yugoslavia -- I thought "Another Miracle...no sweat!". All I can remember is the USSR team kicking butt again.
1988 - Calgary, Canada -- I was a sophomore in HS, and I was recovering from ACL surgery after the conclusion of my HS hockey season. I remember spending 5 days in the hospital and a few more at home, recovering while watching nothing but Olympic action. I loved Brian Leetch, star defenseman for the US team. I also remember Eddie 'The Eagle" Edwards. What a goof ball!
1994 - Lillehammer, Norway - Awesome! Only a two year wait until the next Winter Games! This is one of the three sites that hosted the games that I have actually been to (Lake Placid and Torino are the others). Freakin' Peter Forsberg scores the winning goal in a shoot out! Could you imagine it?!? A shoot out?!? No such thing back then!
1998 - Nagano, Japan - Pros play. The US Team sucks at everything but breaking furniture. I remember setting my alarm to get up in the middle of the night to watch the hockey action 13 time zones away. Hasek steals the show. These games were a HUUUUGE letdown compared the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.
2002 - Salt Lake City, USA -- Herb Brooks...home soil (who knew there was a Looney in it!)...medal? The semi-final between USA vs. Russia was one of the best games, particularly the 3rd period, that I have ever watched. I still have that game on VHS. I keep saying I am going to get it converted to DVD, because it is that...damn...good. Canada in the Gold Medal game? They were just too impressive.
2006 - Torino, Italy - North Americans stunk it up. Having the games so many time zones away makes it tough to really get into it. The highlight was the next year, 2007, when I was blessed to go work the World University Games in Torino, Italy. Our officiating crew for the tournament even hung out at the very same restaurant that the Olympic guys hung out at the year before. It was a "Mom-Pop" place, where the EXACT SAME people worked every night. We drank lots of red wine, which was cheaper than beer, and the beer was the same price as a Coca Cola! There was a autographed referee sweater there that all the refs had signed. We left one, too, so my autograph is honored in the same place as Thor Nelson. That was kind of cool (lol).
Looking forward to more memories this year. I love this time of the year.
Do you have some memories? Please share...
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