The most recent United States gold medal in Olympic men's hockey was back in 1980.
Yeah, you know the one. "Do you believe in miracles?" Al Michaels asked the nation as the U.S. Stunned the Soviet Union in the semifinal before defeating Finland in the gold medal match.
Since, there have been no more gold medals.
The U.S. Started bringing its best professionals, as did the rest of the world, but has come up short, excruciatingly close a couple of times.
There are theories for why this is. The simplest, of course, is that Canada's player pool is always going to be better than everyone else's.
But there's a fascinating thought circulating Friday from Sean Shapiro, who in his breakdown of the latest U.S. Olympics roster release felt that he recognized what was wrong.
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In leaving off scoring dynamos like Jason Robertson and Cole Caufield this time around, and players like them in the past, Shapiro writes that the Miracle on Ice may actually be clouding the thinking now.
"USA Hockey's crowning moment, back in 1980, set an ethos that a team doesn't need the best players, but rather the 'right ones,'" Shapiro writes. "Forty-five years, and zero Olympic golds later, Team USA still overly embraces the underdog mentality and belief that when building an Olympic team 'roles' are the most important thing."
And here's the thing: Roles do matter.
But you also don't leave the best players home.
In the final spot on the roster, maybe you pick a guy that's a shootout wizard or faceoff expert. But it shouldn't feel like up and down the list, the team is dotted with gritty glue guys as opposed to supreme talents, particularly when players with super skill weren't chosen.
Of course, this is just one theory. And it's obviously not mad that the U.S. Won in 1980.
It's just a reflection on deciphering what matters, and how past glory can cloud future decisions.
Nearly a half-century later, that may still be happening, at least in Shapiro's view.
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