Page 45 - Tom Steyer Issue

upsetting all three medalists from the 1998 Nagano Games. They outscored their opponents 22-3 heading into the gold medal game, and they never trailed until facing defending champion Norway for gold.
Norway scored first, but USA came back to take a 3-1 lead behind a pair of goals from team captain Joe Howard within 67 seconds. Norway responded to tie and send the match into an overtime period where nei- ther team scored. A five-round shootout would decide the gold medal.
Howard, Chris Manns, and Kip St. Germain scored for the Americans during their rounds to give them a 3-2 advantage heading into the final round. Lonnie Hannah took his turn in the fifth round, but the puck was wide.
Norway’s last hope was Atle Haglund, but his shot was deflected by goalie Manny Guerra, and 8,000 chanting fans exploded as the team piled onto the ice in celebra- tion, hugs, and waving flags.
The United States won the gold medal in sled hockey.
The payoff was more than a gold medal. The average age of the 2002 U.S. national sled hockey team was 34 years old, so most of the players had been grinding through the sport seeking success. And when it came, it poured out like a waterfall not just for them, but for the entire sport and country.
USA earned a bronze medal four years later in 2006, but has won the gold medal in sled hockey each of the last three Paralympic Games. The Americans have earned a medal in each of the world championships since then,
too. Beyond that, it put sled hockey firmly on the United States map, as youth programs began to be established and a pipeline of younger players complemented pro- grams for injured veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Brandt hopes that sharing this story will be a step toward an inclusion transformation, where high school and youth hockey programs across the country will con- sider integrating sled hockey for training and education purposes. Use the sleds to train core strength, but also educate a younger population of all abilities about the sport of sled hockey.
Brandt is targeting the release of Tough Sledding: The Movie prior to the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing to commemorate the 20th anniversary.
The fire was sparked by that 2002 rags-to-riches run.
“If it wasn’t true, it would be corny because they won the gold medal on a save on the last shot of a shootout,” Kaplan said. “But it’s true.”
“You can’t make this stuff up,” Middleton added. “Emo- tionally, it was the most exciting because we won and it was so unexpected. It was totally different from any- thing else I’ve done in my life in hockey.” by Joshua Pate
Tough Sledding: The Movie https://www.toughsleddingthemovie.com
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