Good News Friday: The 40th anniversary of the “Miracle on Ice” is here, and it’s still an amazing moment. A son writes a heartfelt message to his mom in the snow. And a woman plays the violin during her own brain surgery

Some sports moments grow bigger and bigger with time, and take on outsized importance because they happened so long ago.

What I mean is, some sports moments weren’t that momentous at the time, but they grow in myth as the years go by.

The 1980 U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team’s victory over the Soviet Union in the semifinals of the Lake Placid Olympics isn’t one of those moments.

It was enormous then. It was enormous a year later, 10 years later, 20 years, 30 years later, and it’s still enormous now, as Saturday is the 40th anniversary of the greatest upset in team sports history.

I don’t need to tell you why, unless you are under 30 years old and/or lived under a rock in 1980. A bunch of scraggly-faced college kids from mostly from Minnesota and Boston rose up and defeated the greatest hockey dynasty of all time, the professionals from the USSR, 4-3.

It was an absolute stunner for many reasons, including that the Russians had destroyed all competition at the last several Olympic games, the American team had lost to the Soviets in a warm-up game 143-4 (OK it wasn’t that bad, only 10-3) and the mood of America in February, 1980 was less than stellar.

And so these baby-faced kids went out there, inspired by an amazing Herb Brooks speech (yeah you can watch Kurt Russell do it in “Miracle” but it’s not the same ) and did the impossible.

I’ve watched the fantastic HBO documentary on the victory (it’s on YouTube, I can’t recommend it highly enough), seen “Miracle,” and watched and read countless other stories about that game.

And still, when I put that final minute of the game clip up at the top of this post a few minutes ago, I watched it for the 353rd time and still got chills when Al Michaels asked if I believed in miracles.

Happy 40th anniversary to the greatest upset in sports. It will never, ever get old.

**Next up today, this was a beautiful moment that probably meant so much to one woman going through a struggle.

At the famous Cleveland Clinic hospital recently, a son snuck onto the grounds and wrote a heartfelt message to his mom, in the snow.

I really hope she saw it, and I really hope she got a smile knowing a kid she brought into this world really, really loves her.

What a special, sweet gesture.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/02/19/brain-surgery-violin/

**And finally today, an absolutely remarkable story and piece of video that made me smile in awe.

A woman named Dagmar Turner had brain surgery in London recently. Turner is an accomplished violinist, and doctors (and she) were concerned that the delicate surgery might affect the motor skills she needs to play the instrument so beautifully.

So, and this blows my mind just typing this, they kept her slightly awake during the operation and had her play the violin during the surgery.

According to this story in The Washington Post, “Surgeons working close to parts of the brain that control important functions such as speech or movement routinely keep patients awake to best determine where tumor gives way to something vital.

King’s College Hospital, which treated Turner, often gives people language tests during such surgeries, said Keyoumars Ashkan, the neurosurgeon who oversaw Turner’s delicate operation, and who also happens to be a musician. But last month’s procedure marked the first time he’d presided over a private serenade.”

“Turner went under general anesthesia while they opened her skull. But the brain itself does not have pain receptors, and she was wide-awake for the tumor’s removal, playing Gershwin, Mahler and more”

This is wild. I mean, I’ve heard of surgeons humming music while they operate, but this is a live concert! In the OR!

I would guess at her next performance, no distraction from the audience wold throw her off, you know?

 

A fantastic piece on Ebert, Boner Stabone missing? And 30th anniversary of “Miracle on Ice.”

I don’t link to enough great writing on this blog. I’m going to try do it more often, because in my non-blog life, I’m constantly telling the people I know and love, “You have to read this newspaper article/magazine feature/book.” I’m quite the nag, constantly emailing great stories.

My first step toward highlighting amazing journalism and writing is this Chris Jones feature in this month’s Esquire, on the brilliant, but cancer-ravaged Roger Ebert. I’ve written about Ebert before; the man is truly a brilliant wordsmith, and his genuine goodness and upbeat spirit shines through this piece. Ebert hasn’t been able to eat, drink or speak for years, but his brain and his way with words still carry him through.

Jones is a brilliant writer, and this is a wonderful article. Take 10 minutes and read it if you can. (I posted an old photo of Ebert above here, just so you can see how jarring it is, looking at him now in the photo with Jones’ story.)

**I know this isn’t a funny story, but I’m sorry, part of me had to laugh. If you haven’t heard, a classic sitcom character from my youth, “Boner” Stubone of “Growing Pains” fame, is missing. His parents are looking for him, and say they haven’t heard from him in weeks, and that he’s been depressed for a long time.

That’s not the funny part, of course. This is the funny part; Kirk Cameron, aka Mike Seaver, tried to reach out to Andrew Koenig through Access Hollywood Monday night. And Cameron’s final quote just slayed me: “Andrew, if you’re reading this, please call me. Mike and Boner could always work things out when they put their heads together.”

First of all, as one who watched nearly every episode of the show, NO, that last statement is patently false, Mike and Boner never could work things out.

Mike and Boner were constantly screwing up, getting in trouble or doing bad things to Carol, and it never worked out for them. Mike, Boner and Eddie (the Fredo Corleone of that group, quite frankly) were a bunch of bumbling fools.

And second, please, please, PLEASE tell me Kirk Cameron didn’t really say that. Please tell me he wasn’t trying to liken his old friend’s serious depression with CHARACTERS FROM A TV SHOW that the two were on together 25 years ago! In the tone of Chandler Bing, could you BE more patronizing there, Kirk? Ugh.

I hope Koenig is found safely, and that he gets the help he needs. And that he stays far, far away from Mike Seaver. And Ben, too; I never liked that punk.

One final “Growing Pains” thought: I’m going to say that between characters named “Boner” and Ben’s friend “Stinky Sullivan,” that show had the greatest nicknames of any sitcom, ever. Seriously, tell me what show beats that combo?

**With the hockey buzz in America hopefully growing after Sunday’s remarkable U.S. win over Canada Sunday (and I watched the highlight of that Ryan Kesler diving, clinching goal a few more times Monday, and still don’t know how he did it), I thought this might be nice:

Monday was the 30th anniversary of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” game. Here’s some original game footage from the ABC telecast. Gave me chills. Good stuff starts at about 1:55 mark:

And you can bet all the tea in China that the fantastic HBO “Do You Believe in Miracles?” documentary on that 1980 will be viewed by your blogger this week.