Just Give Me A Moment...

I'm intrigued by "moments".  They cause me to imagine, ponder, and wonder.  By themselves, moments frequently seem arbitrary and insignificant.  However, when a series of moments are strung together, they produce an outcome. It doesn't require the mind of a great philosopher to understand that any single moment has the potential to redirect an outcome.

In February 2018, we watched as athletes from around the world competed in the Winter Olympics.  Naturally, the Winter Olympics cannot pass without a reminder of the gold medal winning USA hockey team in 1980.  That legendary team of young college players (what we know as "professionals" were not allowed to compete in the Olympics in those days) captured the hearts of the country at a time when our collective spirits needed a lift.

In 2004, the movie, "Miracle", detailed the story of how coach Herb Brooks assembled  this group and built the team that accomplished the unbelievable objective to win the gold medal.  In the process, they upset the seemingly invincible Soviet national team, who had 

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played together for years and had collected gold medals from the previous four Olympic Games.  The Soviets had defeated a team of NHL All-Stars just a few months earlier, and they clobbered the USA by a score of 10-3 just days before the Lake Placid opening ceremonies.  

"Miracle" is a very special movie for me, because it allowed me to me to relive the story at the theatre with my son, who was about the same age when the movie was released as I was when the event originally took place.  Kurt Russell portrayed Herb Brooks as sort of an evil mastermind. His brutally punishing training tactics were intended to assure that no other team would be in better physical condition at the critical sequences.

" Great moments are born from great opportunities."
     - Herb Brooks

The captain of that 1980 hockey team was Mike Eruzione, a young man with a memorable name out of Boston University, whose solid leadership and character were perhaps more valuable to the team than his actual hockey skills.  But at the moment that mattered most, it was Eruzione who was in position to score the go-ahead goal against the Soviets.  He made his moment count, as he guided the puck past the goalie and into the back of the net, followed by the now familiar on-ice celebration that was a little bit like an over exuberant drum major leading the marching band - that is, if the rest of the band members spontaneously pounced on the drum major in celebration.

Mr. Eruzione has become a fixture on the celebrity golf circuit in the years that followed his unforgettable goal.  One of my favorite sporting events to attend is the American Century Celebrity golf tournament at Lake Tahoe, and I have had the good fortune to meet Mr. Eruzione on several occasions.  One year, I asked him how closely the movie "Miracle" followed the actual events.  Without hesitation, he said it really was pretty close, but he then conceded that the movie made Herb Brooks look soft.  I felt the movie had portrayed Brooks as a heartless taskmaster so obsessed with his philosophical approach to coaching that he cared little about either the physical or emotional stress that he inflicted upon his players.  Hard to fathom, but as it turns out, the real Herb Brooks was actually much worse than portrayed.

One year at the American Century tournament, my son and I had been watching Wayne Gretzky practicing on the driving range, which is located next to the first tee.  As each group would begin their round on the first tee, an announcer would read a summary of the celebrity's particular accomplishments, followed by something like, "Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear a big round of applause for (insert celebrity name here)".  At the announcer's mention of the name, Mike Eruzione, when the crowd began to applaud, Wayne Gretzky jokingly erupted from across the way with, "It was one goal!  It was just one goal!"

Now Gretzky is the most personable, unassuming superstar that you could imagine.  He has long been a great ambassador for the sport of hockey, and he is also debatably the single most dominant player in his sport of all time.  His point was obvious.  Yes, as a hockey player, Eruzione doesn't come close to Gretzky's life time of achievements and accolades.  We all clearly understand this.  Still, it might be interesting to consider just how many of Gretzky's numerous goals exceeded Eruzione's single goal in significance.  But as much as I admire Gretzky (and I really love Gretzky), his comments directed toward Eruzione didn't sit well with me.  Even though this took place over 10 years ago, I still recall it quite clearly.  It felt a bit like the school bully picking on Mickey Mouse or some other universally loved character.

I'm for the Eruziones in this world.  I pull for those that fight through challenges with determination to improve their lot in life.  People that can shut out the nonessential distractions around them to zoom in with complete clarity on the critical factors for success achieve legendary status in my mind.  Anyone can simply admire amazing accomplishments in hindsight. However, people who seek to make an impact when given the chance believe that they can change their corner of the world.

Though Eruzione had actually scored many goals throughout the entirety of his playing career, he really is famous for "just one goal".  But what a goal.  What an unbelievable, magnificent, and significant goal.  And while broadcaster Al Michaels was asking, "Do you believe in miracles?" as the game clock was counting down to zero, and the glorious celebration was taking place on the ice of Lake Placid and in the TV Land homes across America, I missed it all.  

If the operative word in Al Michaels' question is believe, I had fallen way short of belief.    I hadn't even shown up to hear the question.  Somehow that team of college boys came to believe that they could in fact dethrone the legendary Soviets, even though the same team had brushed them aside and left the ice with a 10-3 victory just a couple weeks prior.  Sometimes it just makes a difference to know that someone believes in you.  Herb Brooks got the players to believe in themselves, and the nation aligned their support and excitement.  That inspired hockey team had the guts to go out and play the game in spite of their underdog status, and when the game was at its most critical point, a young man named Eruzione skated out from the shadows and into the spotlight.  Make no mistake.  Moments matter!  In that moment, Eruzione became the name no one will forget.