Chris Chelios, Gary Suter and Keith Tkachuk will be forever linked as members of the U.S. team that upset Canada in Montreal to win the 1996 World Cup.
By Ryan Remiorz, AP
Chris Chelios celebrates the USA's victory in the 1996 World Cup.
By Ryan Remiorz, AP
Chris Chelios celebrates the USA's victory in the 1996 World Cup.
Monday, the players were elected together to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, along with Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider and longtime hockey play-by-play man Mike Emrick.
Down 2-1 with 3:18 to go in the third and decisive game of the championship series, the USA rallied to score four goals.
"That memory's always going to be there," Chelios said. "Doing it with Gary and Keith ? that has to be one of the best experiences of my career."
That team's core also helped the USA win a silver medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Nine other members of the 1996 team have already been inducted into the Eveleth, Minn., hall.
"This team has mentioned the influence of the 1980 (Miracle on Ice) team on them," said Emrick, who has called 13 Stanley Cup Finals in nearly 40 years of announcing. "That '96 team has had an influence on subsequent players, including those who played (in the Olympic gold medal game against Canada) in 2010."
Nursing an injury, Chelios contemplated not even joining the World Cup team. But thanks to the persistence of teammates Suter, Tkachuk and 2009 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Tony Amonte, he became an integral component of the championship run.
Chelios and Suter had been teammates at the University of Wisconsin. Chelios showed Suter around on his recruiting trip in Madison, and grew into what Suter called a "big brother in hockey" as the two climbed the NHL ranks. Eventually, the the former Badgers ended up on the same defensive pairing with Chicago ? the city that will host the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame's induction later this year.
Tkachuk and Chelios are the only U.S. men's hockey players to take part in four Olympics.
In addition to their international accomplishments, the three players were stars in the NHL:
?Chelios holds the NHL record for games played by a defenseman (1,651), won three Norris trophies and finished with 948 points, 10th best among blueliners.
?Suter was the first American to win rookie of the year (1985-86 with the Calgary Flames) and finished with 844 points.
?Tkachuk is one of four U.S.-born players to score 500 goals and was the first to lead the league in goals (52 in 1996-97 with the Phoenix Coyotes). He finished with 538 goals and 1,065 points.
As Chelios, Suter and Tkachuk were changing the American hockey landscape on the ice, Snider was doing the same off it. He seized on an expansion opportunity in 1966 and founded the Flyers, who won back-to-back titles in 1974 and 1975. He also founded the Ed Snider Youth Hockey foundation, which recently saved three rinks in inner-city Philadelphia from closing.
Snider inducted in 1988 into the builders category of the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Emrick won the Foster Hewitt Award in 2008. Suter retired from the NHL in 2002 and Tkachuk and Chelios last played in 2009-10.
"I hope that '96 team inspired more kids to play hockey, because we have to keep the game growing," said Tkachuk. "Our jobs are not done here. ? I feel like I owe USA Hockey and the game of hockey to get more kids involved. It's been a great ride. I've enjoyed it tremendously."
football news cricket news golf news baseball news soccer news
No comments:
Post a Comment