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Saturday, February 20, 2010

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Miracle on Ice endures

Golden moment 30 years ago still bright for Brainerd doctor

By MIKE BIALKA

Sports Editor

Their achievement was voted the greatest sports moment of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated.

The team lit the Olympic cauldron at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.

In 2004, a movie was made about their historic accomplishment.

Despite the fanfare that has been showered upon Team USA winning the men's hockey gold medal in 1980 the 30-year anniversary of the feat seems to be slipping under the radar as the Winter Games in Vancouver reach their midway point.

And, that's just fine with Brainerd oral and maxillofacial surgeon Bill Baker, a defenseman on the "Miracle on Ice" team.

Bill Baker was a defenseman for Team USA in 1980 when it won the gold medal.
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United States Hockey Hall of Fame

"I thought there might be something at 30," Baker said last week at his south Brainerd office. "There was a company that inquired about doing something but it was kind of late, around Christmastime, the first of the year.

"I thought maybe the Lake Placid (N.Y.) Organizing Committee might bring everybody back at 30. Maybe every five years isn't a big deal but 25 was a big thing."

Baker, a lakes area resident for 17 years now, won a state championship at Grand Rapids High School and two NCAA titles at the University of Minnesota. It's been 30 years since a team of college kids shocked the seemingly invincible Russians 4-3 in the semifinals of the medal round, then beat Finland 4-2 for the gold.

"It just flew by," Baker said of the last three decades. "If I would have known what was going to happen I would have taken better mental notes.

"It really doesn't seem like 30. You just get busy doing your thing. We've had a good run here in Brainerd, too, but it goes fast. My kids are grown up and off to college and here we are."

Baker answered a few other questions about Team USA's titanic drive to the gold, a subject he doesn't tire talking about.

Dr. Bill Baker relaxed in his south Brainerd office to reminisce about the 30-year anniversary of the "Miracle on Ice."

Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls

Q. Coach Herb Brooks' grueling practices were legendary. How difficult were they?

A. "Everybody talks about that, how tough it was in 1980. I think he was actually easier in '80 than he was in 1975-79 at Minnesota. He was tough there, really tough. It was a pretty grueling year, he worked us hard, but he didn't just beat us into the ice like he did at Minnesota. Mondays and Tuesdays at Minnesota you dreaded going to practice almost because you knew what was coming.

"With the Olympic team he was a little mellower. He worked us hard but he kind of knew when to back off a little bit."

Q. Do you still follow the Olympic tournament?

A. "To me, it's lost a little bit of the fun part of it. These guys now are all high-paid professional athletes who just take two weeks off to play for their country. It was a little different in 1980. Maybe it's sour grapes because we weren't (getting paid), but it's a little different now.

"Certainly, I will watch (the tournament). They've done a good job trying to clean it up, speed up the game, make it more fun for people to watch. You can't argue with the talent, the talent is phenomenal. Some of these players are just incredibly talented.

"In '80, we would go watch the Czechs practice and watch the Russians practice. Sitting there was probably the worst thing we could have done. We couldn't believe what we were watching. How can we be on the same ice sheet as those guys? I had never watched us practice but I knew we weren't playing at that kind of level."

Q. Some members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins celebrate the fact no NFL team has finished unbeaten since. Does the 1980 team hope another Team USA doesn't strike gold?

A. "Not really. It's one of those things that will never be duplicated because of us being strictly amateurs. We were unknowns, a bunch of college kids. It's not going to happen again unless they go back to (college players) but I don't think they will.

"It could happen again, and it probably will at some point. We certainly don't celebrate it. I don't think it will ever quite be duplicated like '60 or '80."

Q. Do you ever wonder, "Was I actually a part of this?

A. "Sure. I've always wondered about other people that were part of something historical, did they think the same way? Like 'wow, how did this happen? How was I part of that?' It wasn't something you dwelled on, it just happened.

"We just feel real fortunate to have been part of something so big in U.S. sports history. It seems kind of weird. It just got bigger as time went on.

"It's fun to talk about, but the fun part about it is that it just goes to show you that if the kid next door works hard, things can happen. If you can dream it, it can happen."

Q. Did "Miracle on Ice" change your life?

A. "I don't think it changed my overall direction. It maybe changed a few things, like how I look at things, being thankful for what I've been able to do. I'm kind of a cynical, maybe bordering on a sarcastic individual at times, but I'm really thankful for what I was able to accomplish.

"I consider myself to be an overachiever. I don't know if it was the right breaks, the right timing, or what. It just happened. I'm thankful for having the opportunity, for having been in that spot. I think all of us are."

Q. Does the team stay in touch?

A. "We try to. It seems like every year or two there's something that comes up, or we're asked to do something. It's always been the same, right from Day One. It seems like we get 12 to 15 guys, we never get everybody. That was what was so special about the 2002 All-Star Game in Los Angeles. We had everybody there. Then we had everybody at Herb's funeral, but not at the same time. It's hard to get everybody to one spot. Maybe, as people start to retire, they will have more time.

"Phil Verchota's in Bemidji, he was my roommate in college. He's one of my best friends. We're in contact a lot. We get together quite a bit. (Wild assistant coach) Mike Ramsey, I talk to him still. The other night I did an interview with David Christian and Neal Broten. Otherwise, I see people here and there, like Rob McClanahan at Gophers games."

Q. Do you think people ever tire of hearing about 1980?

A. "I think most people like to hear the stories because it was just a bunch of neighborhood kids, basically the kids next door, going out and winning the gold medal. I think everybody would sit down and pour their heart out if you wanted them to.

"None of us is going to sit there and tell you we were the most talented team but we were on a roll. We were motivated, we had a lot of energy, and it happened. You get a few breaks along the way, and the next thing you know you're standing up there, getting a gold medal, and it's like 'wow.'

"It's a good thing we didn't realize ahead of time, how much pressure there was, how much people were talking about it. We had no idea because we were kind of shut in at Lake Placid. We had a lot of support, and boom, boom, boom, the next thing you know we're playing the Finns Sunday morning for the gold."

MIKE BIALKA may be reached at mike.bialka@brainerddispatch.com or at 855-5861.

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