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Olympic tours of the past provided great memories

02/16/2018, 3:30pm CST
By Dave LeGarde

The 1994 U.S. Olympic Men’s Hockey Team was the last to play a full season together before the Olympics.

The Chinese Lantern, one of Duluth’s finest eating establishments before it was lost to a fire in 1994, was famous not only for its food and ambience, but for the world-renowned celebrities who chose to dine there when visiting the Twin Ports. Elvis Presley was one, and his autographed photo, along with dozens of others from the world of sports, entertainment and politics, adorned the walls of the restaurant’s bar area.

About a month or so before the restaurant’s demise, some friends and I decided on a whim to go there for a Saturday lunch just as they were opening. When we entered the dining area, we were quite surprised to find the entire United States Olympic Hockey Team seated at a large table, getting ready to enjoy a meal together after practicing in Duluth that morning.

One of the players, former Minnesota Duluth defenseman Brett Hauer, was acting as unofficial host for the team in his college town. It was amusing as he bounced around the table, offering menu advice to his teammates and coaches. The entire group was extremely well-mannered and polite, talking to restaurant patrons and staff and signing autographs for anyone who asked. I remember how much fun they were having, traveling together for several months before heading to Lillehammer, Norway and the biggest tournament of their lives. 

On the men’s side, that was the last American Olympic squad to play an entire season together before the Winter Games. Primarily made up of college players, they would bounce around the country and world playing exhibitions against college, minor league, NHL and international teams. This came to an end starting with the 1998 Nagano Games, when the NHL became involved and allowed each country to send its best professional players to the Olympics. Although this format was highly entertaining and produced some unforgettable memories from the likes of Sidney Crosby and T.J. Oshie, I still miss the days of the barnstorming U.S. teams.

Every Olympiad brought a tour, and iconic Northern Minnesota venues like the Duluth Arena, Eveleth Hippodrome and Hibbing Memorial Building were regular stops for these exhibitions. One of my earliest memories of attending a hockey game was watching UMD host Team USA in a wild contest that was decided when freshman John Harrington scored to give the Bulldogs an overtime win. A little over four years later, Harrington would be a key contributor for the American skaters who shocked the world with a gold medal in Lake Placid.

That Miracle On Ice victory spurred what was perhaps the most infamous tour for a U.S. hockey team when the 1984 squad endured a publicity-driven, 65-game stretch that resembled more of a victory lap for the 1980 win than a schedule readying them for the Sarajevo Olympics. Banquets and public appearances were the norm, as seemingly everyone wanted to re-live the glory of Lake Placid. This included President Ronald Reagan, who hosted the team at the White House months before the Games. 

Not surprisingly, that team could not live up to the expectations. Two quick losses to Canada and Czechoslovakia ended any medal hopes, making the Americans an afterthought for the rest of the tournament.

This year, with the NHL opting out of the Olympics, the U.S. is sending a group consisting of minor leaguers, college players and a few playing professionally overseas to compete in PyeongChang. The format will be the same, with eight qualifiers from pool play battling to determine the medal winners. It’s impossible to predict a champion, as virtually every participating country has question marks as to how they will perform.

Minus the lengthy tour, this group of players brings back memories of past American teams. They are relatively unknown, and like those in the past, are ready to make a name for themselves on a world stage.

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Tag(s): State Of Hockey  News  David LeGarde