Hockey is back! Normally we’d be closing in on the NHL trade deadline for the final push of the season. However, we’re in a different world. Last Word on Hockey is still going to look back at each date’s historical significance to the game. We’ll remember the moments that shaped the sport of hockey that happened on this day. Here’s our look at this date in hockey history for February 22nd, featuring the Miracle on Ice.
Today in Hockey History
Team USA Makes Miracle on Ice
1980: The United States men’s hockey team stuns the world with a 4-3 win over the vaunted Soviet Union in the medal round at Lake Placid, N.Y. Few gave the Americans any chance of winning due to their age and inexperience. The Soviets had beaten the U.S., 10-3, in a pre-Olympic exhibition game.
Mark Johnson scored twice and Mike Eruzione got the game-winner with 10 minutes left. Jim Craig stood tall in goal to give the U.S. the improbable win. The Americans would finish the job and win gold by beating Finland two days later.
Other Notable Events
1928: Duke Keats of the Chicago Blackhawks scores 15:50 into the second period to end Ottawa Senators goalie Alec Connell‘s shutout streak. Connell goes 460:49 without allowing a goal and Ottawa wins 3-2 as he misses out on his seventh straight shutout.
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1964: The Toronto Maple Leafs send Arnie Brown and Rod Seiling, Bill Collins, Dick Duff and Bob Nevin to the New York Rangers for Andy Bathgate and Don McKenney. Bathgate and McKenney power the Leafs to a Cup while Duff and Neff lead a Rangers rebirth.
1981: Brothers Peter Stastny and Anton Stastny each get eight points in the Quebec Nordiques 11-7 win over the Washington Capitals. Peter gets four goals and four assists while Anton tallies three goals and five assists.
1983: Los Angeles Kings forward Marcel Dionne becomes the league’s first nine-time 40-goal scorer. He scores in a 5-3 victory over the Boston Bruins.
1984: Edmonton Oilers centre Wayne Gretzky gets his 10th hat trick of the season. He ties his own record from 1981-82 with four goals in a 9-2 rout of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
1998: Dominik Hasek made 20 saves and Petr Svoboda scored the only goal as the Czech Republic beat Russia, 1-0, in the Olympic gold medal game. It’s the first Olympic tournament to have NHL players in history.
2018: The United States women’s hockey team beats Canada, 3-2, in a shootout. Twin sisters Monique and Jocelyn Lamoureux helped the Americans by getting the tying goal and shootout winner, respectively. It’s the first Olympic gold for the United States in 20 years.
Happy Birthday to You
1890: Eddie Gerard
1918: Sid Abel
1952: Lorne Henning
1955: Tim Young
1965: Pat LaFontaine; Joe Reekie
1997: Ilya Samsonov
