By ANTHONY PUCIK
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

“Do you believe in miracles? Yes!”

These famous words Al Michaels uttered will always give me goosebumps and put a smile on my face, and I was not even there; in fact, I was not even born. Feb. 22 was a cold day in Lake Placid, N.Y. The year was 1980, and the Winter Olympics were being held upstate. The United States men’s hockey team was playing the Soviet Union’s team in the semifinal game. In this game there was a major disparity between the two sides: the United States was a team composed of college kids who had never played together prior to the Olympics and the Soviet team was made up of professional athletes who had played together for years before and dominated nationally for nearly a decade.

The U.S.S.R. decimated the United States when they came over to play a friendly game at Madison Square Garden before the Olympics, and many thought the U.S. had no chance to pick up the victory. Yet, somehow, some way, they did it. A team made up of college kids managed to defeat one of the most dominant teams in hockey history, and it did so to go on and win the gold medal in its home country against Finland. What made this game even more important was that it took place during the Cold War when the U.S.S.R. and U.S. were at a standstill, with no country taking an advantage. This game allowed the United States to beat the Soviets in a dramatic fashion, with the entire country cheering them on. This is why I love Olympic hockey.

At 7:30 a.m. eastern time this Thursday, the United States will begin another quest for Olympic gold in Sochi.

A lot of things may have changed since the 1980 games — every team is now composed of professional athletes, and there is no war going on between two of the major countries in the midst of the games — but it is still exciting to watch.

The ramifications of these games may not be as dire, and the odds might not be as imbalanced for the United States, but that does not make Olympic hockey any less exhilarating. I look forward to this every four years because, if there is one sport that has extremely passionate fans, it is hockey, and they show it most during the Olympics. You may not see it from everyone because not everybody is an extremely passionate hockey fan. At the same time, when you see the kid in front of you in class has a laptop linked to a Russian network showing the Czech Republic vs. Sweden game or your roommate waking up at 7 a.m., donning an O’Callahan jersey from the 1980 Olympic games, tuning to live coverage of a hockey game being played halfway across the world, you will know why.

Olympic hockey is one of the most exciting, nerve-wracking sports to watch. I remember jumping up and down when Zach Parise scored the game-tying goal with under a minute left in the Olympic semifinals at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. I also remember the complete sadness I felt when Canada’s Sidney Crosby netted the game winner, beating the U.S. for the gold medal. You never know what is going to happen, but you know that you are going to be sent on a roller coaster ride of emotions, one that might make you scream, cheer and even cry.

Even if you are not a fan of hockey but like the Olympics, I suggest you catch at least one of the games. It doesn’t have to be one of the 3 a.m. or 7:30 a.m. starts; you can catch one of the noon games if you have the time. Although the United States does not play any of their group round games at a time other than 7:30 a.m., catching a team like Canada, Russia or Sweden will definitely be enough to make you sit down and watch for a while.

I have no idea what is in store for this year’s Olympic games. Will Russia have the major advantage since they are playing on their home ice? Will Canada be able to repeat? Will the United States be able to go from silver to gold? Will teams like Austria and Latvia surprise us all?

These questions, the suspense, the action, the emotions: these are all the reasons Olympic hockey is the greatest.

Categories: From the Desk, Opinion

Tags: ANTHONY PUCIK, From the Desk, Opinion