USA’s gold medal is no ‘Miracle on Ice’ — but its impact on the nation could be the same

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MILAN — A “Miracle On Ice,” it certainly was not.

The United States had long ago rivaled Canada in NHL talent.

But the impact of Team USA finally beating Team Canada at best on best for Olympic gold may very well rival 1980 for generations to come.

“I can’t start to explain what this will mean to the game of hockey in the U.S.,’’ Mike Modano, one of the greatest American players ever, told The Athletic. “This is a legacy team. …  I’m speechless. What a feeling they must have.’’

Sunday’s 2-1 overtime win by Team USA came 16 years after Zach Parise forced overtime in the gold medal game in Vancouver. Only to see Sidney Crosby score the “Golden Goal” in overtime.

This time, Team USA finished the job.

“Best hockey game I’ve ever seen. That was incredible,’’ Parise told The Athletic after Sunday’s game. “What a win for the U.S. Hockey is in a great spot here, but this will put it on another level. These guys inspired a young generation of kids, including my own, over the past two weeks. It’s awesome.’’

Joe Pavelski nearly won it in overtime in 2010, his shot from in-close stopped by Roberto Luongo. Moments later, Crosby ended it.

Sunday was a long time coming, Pavelski said.

“It was incredible to watch them to win today,” Pavelski told The Athletic. “You could feel the energy of game day when I woke up and just a special moment and couldn’t be more excited for USA hockey and how it will grow the next generation.”

That, in a nutshell, is what Sunday’s win might do for the sport in America. Could it raise it to another level in the American consciousness, where the sport is no longer an afterthought? Could Sunday’s win, witnessed by so many non-hockey fans, convert many new ones?

“I hope we grow the game, the kids back home can — kind of like we did watching the ‘Miracle on Ice’ movie — be able to gain inspiration from us,’’ said superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes.

As special as 1980 was for Americans, those were college kids. The reality is that the most important hockey achievement in terms of an NHL flex, the best versus the best, happened at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey in Montreal. When Keith Tkachuk and current Team USA GM Bill Guerin and the rest of that team stunned a superstar-filled Team Canada, that was the first time USA Hockey announced itself in terms of being part of the NHL powerhouse penthouse.

What’s truly surprising, in that context, is that it took until Sunday for the U.S. to capture another best-on-best tournament. It should not have taken 30 years.

“1980 set up that next generation, ’96 World Cup set up our generation, we just won and hopefully will create some more superstars,’’ Brady Tkachuk, American flag draped around him, said postgame Sunday.

So yeah, Sunday was hardly a miracle given the American talent in the NHL, but it was a giant relief for USA Hockey.

“It’s special,’’ said captain Auston Matthews. “It feels like it’s been too long. I think over the last 10, 15 years, there’s been a very big upcharge of American hockey players coming through in the NHL. They’re world-class players. This is the first time in my NHL career we’ve been allowed to compete in the Olympics. To have this opportunity it meant a lot to put USA hockey on the map. We did that.’’

Added center Jack Eichel: “It’s incredible. I think this just means so much to all of us and USA Hockey, just so much pride in wearing this jersey and being able to do something special and create our own story here. It’s been a long time since USA Hockey was on top of the hockey world.’’

And now, because of Sunday’s win, there’s a five-year-old somewhere in Arizona or Florida or California who wants to pick up a hockey stick. That’s the impact that’s possible.

“I sure hope so,’’ said Dylan Larkin. “… I hope it inspires. I hope that kids want to put this jersey on someday. Because it’s the best feeling in the world. What we just did, nothing will ever match it.’’

Somewhere in America, there’s a future Jack Hughes pretending to score the “Golden Goal.”

“I’m sure this is going to be a moment that younger kids are talking about, to see Jack score that OT winner, and they’ll try to recreate, to try to envision themselves in that spot,’’ said Brock Nelson. “Hopefully this keeps the sport the way it’s been going the last 10, 20 years.”

The “Miracle on Ice” is a unique achievement that can’t ever be duplicated because Team USA won’t ever ice a bunch of college kids again in the Olympics.

Sunday’s win will help USA Hockey turn the page on having to continually live off that 1980 story. Respectfully, it’s time to turn the page now. Mike Eruzione can retire now.

“Sully (head coach Mike Sullivan) talked about it right away, as soon as we got here, that there was the ’60 team, the ’80 team, so 34 guys total in all of USA Hockey history to win a gold medal,’’ said Charlie McAvoy. “That’s what we were playing for. And s—, man, two weeks later, we did it. We did it. We’re a part of that history. No one could ever take it away from us. This group’s gonna walk together forever. I’ve never been so proud in my life.”

Added Eichel: “I know what the 1980 team did and what that meant for generations that came after in USA Hockey. We wrote our own story here. It’s a really proud moment for every guy in that room, every person that’s a part of the team.’’

There will be some hyperbole now about USA Hockey owning the sport, and I mean, they just won men’s and women’s Olympic gold medals in Milan.

Bragging rights, they have for sure. Owning the sport? No way.

What we do have is a rivalry that’s unparalleled. Two countries that are as even as possible now in hockey.

“It’s been close for a while. You know, they’re an amazing, skilled group of players,’’ Team Canada superstar Nathan MacKinnon said postgame. “Just, yeah. I just felt like it wasn’t going to be. You guys can be the judge of who the better team was tonight. But they won. We lost.’’

That’s not sour grapes. MacKinnon is always one to simply state the facts. Team Canada dominated Team USA for the last two periods of regulation, outshooting them 42-28 overall. They had the better chances.

But Connor Hellebuyck stole one for Team USA. That’s part of hockey. The goalie is part of the team.

“Hellebuyck was insane, you saw the looks they had. Canada is an insane team out there,’’ said Quinn Hughes. The game’s never been faster, it’s never been more skilled. And they got some special players, Hall of Famers, all over their team.’’

Deep down, Team USA knows that could easily have been a different result.

“The Canadians played a hell of a game and somehow the puck stayed out of our net,’’ said Larkin. “The gold medal game is so intense and so many things going on, so many superstar players flying around the ice, the fact there’s multiple times that puck didn’t go in for them, Connor Hellebuyck was unbelievable in a game, the biggest of them all. And then we got the one that counted, the one that mattered in the end. It’s incredible.’’

And that’s just it. Team USA, finally, scored the goal that mattered.

Somewhere there’s a kid wanting to buy goalie pads. Because that’s going to be Hellebuyck’s legacy from this gold medal game. He made that Hughes overtime goal possible by standing on his head in regulation.

“I was that kid. Being a kid, watching TV, watching my heroes,’’ said Hellebuyck. “I can’t put it into words yet. This gold is a nation’s gold. It’s not just a Team USA gold, it’s a whole nation’s gold.”

Is hockey finally going to be cool in the United States? Sunday’s win might give it a chance.