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Jack O'Callahan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Olympic medal record | |||
| Men's Ice Hockey | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 1980 Lake Placid | Team | |
Jack O'Callahan (born July 24, 1957) is a former ice hockey player who was a defenseman on the 1980 Winter Olympics United States national team that upset the Soviet Union in the famous Miracle on Ice game.
O'Callahan is a native of Charlestown, Massachusetts. He graduated from Boston Latin School in 1975 and then attended Boston University from 1975-1979, where he was a team captain during the 1977-78 and 1978-79 seasons and was named All-East twice, All-New England and All-America, team MVP twice, Beanpot MVP, NCAA tournament MVP, and Cochrane award winner twice. The year after he graduated, he played on the Olympic team. He went on to have a distinguished career in the NHL, playing for the Chicago Blackhawks and New Jersey Devils.
O'Callahan was selected to represent the USA in the 1980 Winter Olympics. Three days before the Olympics, in an exhibition match against the Soviet Union, Jack injured his knee. This forced him out of the qualifying round at the Olympics. He returned for the famous "Miracle on Ice" game against the Soviet Union in the first game of the medal round and in his first seconds on the ice, delivered a massive hit on a Soviet player that turned the puck over to the Americans near the Soviet defensive zone. The hit caught the Soviets off guard and set up a goal scored by William "Buzz" Schneider to tie the game 1 all and boost the confidence of the Americans.