by Wayne Coffey
Frank Brown, a former Daily News colleague and renowned hockey writer who has since gone on to become an NHL VP, covered the U.S.-Soviet game in Lake Placid and offered the expertise anyone who ever read him would expect. John Dellapina, a current Daily News colleague, was always an e-mail or a phone call away, even when he had to write about the latest tumult in the Rangers’ front office and roster. If I were going to be a full-time hockey writer, John is who I would want to be. Brian Walker of the NHL, Jim DeMaria of the Chicago Blackhawks, Chris Botta of the New York Islanders, Kurt Kehl of the Washington Capitals, Keith Wehnert of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Chuck Menke, formerly of USA Hockey and now of the St. Louis Blues, are pros who provided information and helped arrange interviews. Szymon Szemberg of the International Ice Hockey Federation had answers and contacts all over the globe. Mike Moran and Darryl Seibel, the man who replaced him at the U.S. Olympic Committee press office, are superb at what they do, and have been for years.
My editors in the sports department at New York’s Daily News—Leon Carter, Adam Berkowitz, Teri Thompson, and Jim Rich—keep raking in awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors, and are terrific people to work for besides. Scott Browne of the Daily News library is a crackerjack researcher who throws in acerbic commentary for no extra charge. Thanks to head librarian Faigi Rosenthal and her whole Daily News staff: Shirley Wong, Peter Edelman, Ellen Locker, Jimmy Converso, Scott Widener, and Dawn Jackson.
Lou Vairo, a longtime fixture at USA Hockey, was one of the first men in this country to appreciate the genius of the Soviet system and to teach it actively, and was an enormously valuable resource from beginning to end. Robert O’Connor, go-to archivist, let me borrow his entire collection of 1980 Olympic hockey videotapes—surprisingly scarce commodities. Bob Fleming, Hal Trumble, Walter Bush—all former AHAUS and USA Hockey leaders—were generous with their time and their recollections, and so were team USA’s general managers, Ken Johannson and Ralph Jasinski. Jack Parker, Bill Cleary, and Tim Taylor are all renowned college coaches who have devoted much of their lives to amateur hockey, and were kind to share their knowledge. Lou Nanne and Glen Sonmor were immensely helpful sources of information about Minnesota hockey, Herb Brooks, and so much else. A first-rate sports information director is a vital ally for anyone writing about college athletes, and I had the good fortune to be helped by four of them: Ed Carpenter of Boston University, Steve Malchow of the University of Wisconsin, Michael Hemmesch of St. John’s University, and J. D. Campbell of Bowling Green. Thanks, too, to Jessica Burda of the Wisconsin sports-information staff, and to the wonderful Rosenthal family—Vic, Chris, Ben, and Aaron—for providing a base of operations in St. Paul.
Warren Strelow, the goaltending coach; Gary Smith, the trainer; and Dr. V. George Nagobads were with the 1980 Olympic hockey team from start to finish. They’ve never gotten full credit for their contributions, but people on the inside know how much they gave and how good they were at what they did. I know how much they gave me, and it was gold medal material all the way.
Pete Fornatale came up with the idea for the book and came through with his customary sharp insight, even after leaving to hang out his own editing/writing shingle. Andrew Stuart, my literary agent, ably handled the commerce and provided reassurance and big-picture wisdom. Hugh Gorman III has been Jim Craig’s attorney and confidant for a long time, and you find out quickly how capable he is when you deal with him. Charlie Euchner, a dear friend, was a beacon of clarity and encouragement and had the brainstorm for the book’s structure. I had the good sense just to get out of the way. The book got started in a yellow cottage in Round Pond, Maine, the splendor, rocks, and quiet coming courtesy of Ann Swett. It got finished in the library of Union Church of Pocantico Hills, a blessed haven with no telephone and a wonderful rendering of the Sermon on the Mount right over the fireplace. The space was made possible by the kindness of Dr. Rev. F. Paul De Hoff.
This project could not have been completed without the cooperation and patience and support of so many of the players on the team, and of their families and friends, as well. Special thanks to Dan Brooks, Martha Johnson, Peter Johnson, Leslie Johnson, Bill Schneider, Steve Schneider, Gayle Schneider, Lefty Curran, Ron Castellano, Newell Broten, Sally Broten, Aaron Broten, Butsy Erickson, Greg Morrow, Barbara Morrow, Loretta Morrow, Bill Torrey, Gord Lane, Bob Hallstrom, Craig Homola, John Rothstein, Gus Hendrickson, Dave Hendrickson, Keith Hendrickson, Chris Howe, Mike Sertich, Ron Wells, Mary Harrington, Tom Harrington, Chris Harrington, Sharlene Craig, Andy Filer, Bill LeBlond, Gerard Linehan, Eddie Rossi, Joe Micheletti, Don Micheletti, Larry Hendrickson, Don Lecy, Bill Houlihan, Len Lilyholm, Gregg Wong, Kevin Pates, and Chris Miller. Pete Giacomini lent wonderful insights about his friend Mark Johnson, as well as about narrative and goodness and the right way to do things, and embraced the project almost as if it were his own.
Shana Wingert Drehs, my editor at Crown, got married and added a name as we were getting started, and added so much more than that to the entire writing/editing process, both with her astute eye and sunny disposition. This project went as smoothly as any I have ever been a part of. It’s a wonderful thing for a writer to trust his editor implicitly. Shana earned every bit of it. Thanks, too, to the superb design and production team at Crown, among them Jim Walsh, Jennifer O’Connor, Karen Minster, and Leta Evanthes.
My bride, Denise Willi, was as loyal and kind and supportive as ever, and even let my files overtake the dining room table for six months. I couldn’t have done it without her, and wouldn’t have wanted to. Alexandra, Sean, and Samantha are the home team, and a father absolutely cannot do better than that.
Wayne Coffey
Sleepy Hollow, New York
About the Author
Wayne Coffey is an award-winning sportswriter for New York’s Daily News and the author of more than thirty books. He lives in the Hudson Valley region of New York.
ALSO BY WAYNE COFFEY
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Winning Sounds Like This
Grateful acknowledgment is made to Dan Brooks for permission to reprint a note written by his father to the members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team. Reprinted by permission of Dan Brooks.
Copyright © 2005 by Wayne Coffey
Foreword copyright © 2005 by Jim Craig
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Crown Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
CROWN is a trademark and the Crown colophon is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Coffey, Wayne R.
The boys of winter : the untold story of a coach, a dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team / Wayne Coffey.—1st ed.
1. Hockey—United States—History—20th century. 2. Winter Olympic Games (13th : 1980 : Lake Placid, N.Y.) I. Title.
GV848.4.U6C65 2004 2004014163
eISBN 0-307-23731-1
v1.0