Top Ten List

Top Ten List: The Boys of Winter

1) Herb Brooks is dead- This is a very important piece of this book because Herb played a huge role, being that he was the head coach. Also, the prologue of this book is about Herb’s funeral and how popular it was. This was an intelligent move by the author because by mentioning Brooks’ death in the prologue, it really sets his legacy as you read through the book.

2) Good book for hockey players- This book is an excellent choice for hockey fans and players, especially in the United States. This is so because it recalls one of the greatest and proudest games in American hockey history, and any real fan of hockey would appreciate it greatly. This game was so great because up to that point the Soviet Union had dominated the hockey world for decades.

3) Soviets defeated the U.S. in a game 2 days before the Olympics- At Madison Square Garden, in New York City, the United States and the Soviets had a pre-Olympic Games game, where the Soviets absolutely crushed the United States. For the United States to rally back to defeat the best team in the world after an immense lost just two weeks prior shows a lot of character implemented by the team and by the coaching staff.

4) Jim Craig- He was the phenomenal goalie for the Americans who stopped a ton of shots. He established his heart as well as his skill throughout the whole game, making save after save after save. Jim Craig’s father, who had not been to any of his other games, was in the stands, which made Jim want to impress him.

5) Mark Johnson- He was a center for the American team, and scored 2 goals in the semifinal game vs. the Soviet Union. Both goals were big rally goals including one that was scored at the end of the second period with 1 second to play. The other goal was with 13 minutes left in the third period to tie the score at 3 to 3.

6) Mike Eurizione- He was the captain and leader of the American team, and was (and still is to this day) famous for scoring the winning goal with just 10 minutes left to play. The final score of the game ended up being 4 to 3. “‘If that’s how people want to remember me, that’s fine,’ Eurizione said once. ‘I have no problem being remembered for one thing. Some people never even have that.’”

7) Teamwork and Hard work- Those two things won the game for the United States. As Wayne Coffee, the author, spoke of the players’ backgrounds, all of them had one particular thing in common: they were all known to be hard workers. It was by coming together as a team, after all the hard work they had put in, that they won that game.

8) Boris Michaelov- The Soviet Union’s captain who was the most dominant player in the world at that point in time. He played a huge role in the Soviet’s goals, scoring one and tacking up an assist. He was truly a great leader, and all of his fellow team member’s looked up to him.

9) The Soviets were the kings of the hockey world- For decades prior to the Olympic Games, the Soviets were the most dominant hockey team in the world. Also, with all the drama between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. and the Cold War, this game was only more important. It is because the Soviets were so dominant and that they were our enemies in the Cold War that this game was labeled the “Miracle On Ice” (that and no one thought the U.S. was actually going to win).

10) The fans gave the players hope- The rink that this game was played was packed to the brim with all the fans who were watching the game. Throughout the whole game, you could hear the fans chanting “U-S-A! U-S-A!” and it gave the players an extra boost of energy, especially after they had just been scored on.