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I never subscribed to astrology or numerology or anything like that because I always attributed it to human nature and trying to make sense of a huge mess of information.
We just decided over time that “7” was lucky and “13” was unlucky, and all kinds of nonsense that doesn’t really mean anything.
But when I found out that the long-awaited Olympic gold medal clash between the United States and Canada would take place on February 22, I nearly fell off my chair.
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Jim Craig celebrates Team USA’s victory over the USSR on February 22, 1980. (Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
It’s almost too perfect.
While that’s not a date that stands out for many people, it is for hockey fans. Specifically, American hockey fans.
It is the anniversary of the “Miracle on Ice.”
We all know the story, and as the years go by, it’s starting to sound more and more like some kind of great American legend.
There was the Soviet Union, a giant on the international stage, which dominated the Olympics for nearly two decades.
At the time, the Olympics were for amateurs, and that classification only broadly applied to the Soviets. Names like Boris Mikhailov, Sergei Makarov and Vladislav Tretiak would be NHL superstars if they played in another era.
But then again, they were “amateurs.”
As for the Americans, they formed a team of true amateurs from the university ranks led by Herb Brooks. They put aside the grudges of their NCAA days and overcame off-ice difficulties in their personal lives (such as goalie Jim Craig, who was dealing with the loss of his mother) to become a cohesive and highly talented team.
Of course, the game took place at the height of the Cold War. So, in addition to the standard David and Goliath showdown, a healthy dose of geopolitics was added to the mix.
That set the stage for the medal round at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.
On February 22, the Americans and Soviets hit the ice and, well… I think we all know the rest.
That earns immortalized names like Eruzione, Craig, Johnson and Schneider.
American hockey player Mike Eruzione #21 of Team USA shakes hands with the Russian team during a 1980 exhibition game against the Soviet Union on February 9, 1980 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. (Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images)
The United States didn’t win gold that day due to the round-robin format used in the Games back then, but that meant that if they beat Finland in their next game, they would be gold in every sense of the word.
KAILLIE ARMBRUSTER HUMPHRIES, JASMINE JONES EARN BRONZE IN TWO-WOMAN BOBSLED FOR TEAM USA
They made it, but unfortunately, that was the United States’ most recent men’s Olympic gold. One of two, along with a victory at the 1960 Games in Squaw Valley, California.
They came close, specifically in 2010, when Sidney Crosby stole the gold from the Americans’ necks with a winner in overtime.
However, one Olympic cycle later, NHL players were left out of the Olympics, cooling the rivalry between the United States and Canada.
Thanks in large part to the Four Nations Showdown, the rivalry between the United States and Canada is hotter than ever.
And it seems like we’re in 1980 once again. The Americans are the underdog, despite having almost indisputably the most talented American roster of all time.
On the American side, you have Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Quinn and Jack Hughes, Charlie McAvoy, Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, and more, all backed up by three-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck.
Brock Nelson celebrates scoring with Matthew Tkachuk and Jack Hughes by his side in a 5-1 win over Latvia on February 12, 2026 at the Milan 2026 Cortina Games. (RvS.Media/Robert Hradil)
But then there are the Canadians who have the best player on the planet, Connor McDavid, as well as superstars like Nathan MacKinnon, Macklin Celebrini, Brad Marchand, Mitch Marner, Cale Makar and more. And then there’s goalie Jordan Binnington, who miraculously seems to rise to the occasion and play his best hockey on the international stage.
Oh, and if he’s healthy, they’ll also have Sidney Crosby in their lineup, one of the best players to ever do it.
Just like in 1980 (though not as much as in 1980, when there were nuclear warheads pointed in every direction), there’s a bit of geopolitical animosity between the two nations that makes the game mean a lot more.
It’s going to be crazy.
February 22 is already the date of the greatest achievement in the history of American hockey. Hell, I’d argue the history of American sports, period.
So how about Team USA?
Let’s add to the legend of February 22.
