USA TODAY International Edition
Granato hoping for another hockey ‘miracle’
MADISON, Wis. – When the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team roster is announced on New Year’s Day, there will be names on it unfamiliar to all but the most ardent followers of the game.
The National Hockey League is not allowing its players to participate in the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, so there will be no Patrick Kane, no Ryan Suter, no Phil Kessel. The roster will be a hodgepodge of college players, minor leaguers and players competing professionally in Europe.
Wait a second. Wasn’t America’s most famous Olympic hockey team a bunch of no-names?
“If we had pros playing in 1980, we wouldn’t know who Mike Eruzione was and who Jim Craig was and we wouldn’t have the ‘miracle’ story,” Tony Granato said.
Granato, head coach of the U.S. team and in his second season as the University of Wisconsin’s coach, isn’t predicting another Miracle on Ice. But he does think his team will have some of the attributes that drove Herb Brooks’ team nearly four decades ago.
“We’re going to win by the emotion and the energy and the pride that we’re going to have being selected to represent our country,” Granato said. “That’s us. That’s what the Americans are.”
Granato will be the first to admit his team will go into the 12-team Olympic tournament as an underdog. On paper, Russia probably is the favorite to win gold. Slovakia will be strong, too. Both teams are in the USA’s group to determine seeding, along with Slovenia.
In its only pre-Olympic tournament, last month in Germany, Team USA lost every game. Though it outshot its three opponents by a combined 95-60, the USA lost to Slovakia (2-1), Russia (5-2) and Germany (5-1).
Granato cautioned not to read too much into the results, especially since he, his assistant coaches and general manager Jim Johannson used the tournament mostly to evaluate players. USA Hockey started with a pool of 100 potential players and has to narrow that to 25 by Monday.
“We’ll have skilled, energized players that will give us an opportunity to have success,” Granato said. “I don’t want to say we plan on being favorites and we should win the gold medal. We’ve got tons of challenges in front of us as far as who we’re playing. But I think we can put together a team that can be competitive.”
Granato, a two-time All-American at Wisconsin and a native of Downers Grove, Ill., brings a wealth of experience to Team USA.
He competed in the 1988 Winter Games, played 13 seasons in the NHL, had two stints as head coach of the Colorado Avalanche and was an assistant coach of the 2014 U.S. Olympic team.
In his first year at Wisconsin, the Badgers went 20-15-1 after going 8-19-8 in then-head coach Mike Eaves’ final season. Granato was named Big Ten coach of the year. This season, the Badgers are 10-9-2.
Granato was in his office at Wisconsin when he got the phone call from Johannson, who asked him if he would like to coach Team USA in South Korea.
“I don’t know if you can get a better call than that,” he said.
“For an athlete, for a fan, for a coach, for anyone who’s ever participated in or been around the Olympics, there’s no better place to be.”
After the U.S. roster is announced, the players will continue to play for their respective college or professional teams and will gather as Team USA for the first time when they arrive in Pyeongchang. Then they will have the benefit of only a few practices before the Olympic tournament starts Feb. 14.
A lot of people think the tournament, without NHL players, will be watered down, that the level of play will leave something to be desired.
“That’s the opposite of what we think,” Granato said.
There should be more parity. Which means a team that is overlooked, that is lightly regarded — that on paper shouldn’t win a medal — could shock the world.
Sound familiar?