Striking Silver: The Untold Story of America's Forgotten Hockey Team

Rating:4 ½ of 5 stars (excellent)Review:The United States has won the gold medal twice in Winter Olympics history – the scrappy team of 1960 and the “Miracle on Ice” in 1980. However, there was another improbable medal won by an American hockey team in the Winter Olympics. In 1972, the Olympics were held in a country not in Europe or the US for the first time, in Sapporo, Japan. Expectations were not high for the Americans, as they finished dead last in the top group of teams during the 1971 World Championships and were not expected to do any better in this tournament.Why and how something different happened during those two weeks in Japan is described in the wonderful stories shared to the authors by the players of that team. The Caracciolis blend personal stories from each player and coach Murray Williamson along with brief descriptions of each game together in a wonderful and entertaining manner. The stories told by the players were the best part of this book. They not only talked about their Olympic experiences but also how they felt about their adventures to make the team and how they bonded as a team.The book is also an illustration of how different an era that was, not only for Olympic hockey but for American society as well. An entire chapter is dedicated to how a certain war affected the members of this team, simply titled “Vietnam.” Two players on the hockey team served in combat in Vietnam, goalie Pete Sears and forward Stewart Irving. The others either had served on “temporary duty” by playing on the American team or were able to avoid service because of a high draft number. Something that I felt was sobering was that at the start of each player’s story, the page listed the player’s birthday, jersey number on the USA jersey and his draft number.Something that may surprise many fans, especially those who only know about the 1980 USA win over the Russians, was that the young American squad and the older, experienced Russian team bonded together during the preliminary games and during the Olympics themselves. The Americans and their coach were enthusiastic students to learn the international game, and the Russians were happy to share some lessons. Of course, that didn’t mean they were not rivals during actual game competition, but they did some off-ice socializing as well.The Olympic tournament was different at that time as well. Of the 12 nations that sent teams, they were divided into two pools based on their rankings at the end of the 1971 championships. As the bottom of Pool A, the US had to face the best team of Pool B, Switzerland in the elimination round. That was the first game and each winner of the six games would qualify for the round-robin medal round. The USSR did not have to play an elimination game and automatically qualified for the round. After the Americans beat the Swiss and entered the medal round, they felt good about their chances. That paid off as they pulled off an upset of Czechoslovakia, lost only to Sweden and the USSR and won the rest of their games. They ended their play in a position to win a medal if Finland could beat Sweden, which happened and was the second biggest upset of the tourney. Then one game was left – between bitter rivals Czechoslovakia and the USSR. The Russians not only did not want to lose to their rivals, but if they won, their friends from the US would win the silver medal, as they would win the tiebreaker because they had beaten the Czechs. As expected, the USSR won and the Americans were the silver medal winners in 1972.This book brings all of the experience back from the player’s viewpoint and also by weaving a good description of what the international hockey life was at that time. Any fan of Olympic hockey or hockey history will enjoy this entertaining and fascinating book about an American medal winning team that history has somehow overlooked.Did I skim?No.Pace of the book:Excellent. All of the stories, both those shared by the players and coaches and those of the games themselves were all brief enough to be quick reads, but informative and entertaining as well.Do I recommend?Yes. I would almost want to call this required reading for any fan of Olympic hockey. The stories of each of these players are worth reading, and the humility of them is refreshing. While the title was correct at the time of publication as the accomplishments of this group of young men was forgotten, this book will certainly help fans either remember what this team did or introduce them to a new group of fans.

Love it

This was a great book about a team and I had a great interest in the individual players. This team was ignored and had a wonderful record.I have been able to visit with several of the players and highly recommend the book.

Very interesting story

The 1972 United States Olympic Hockey Team skated to an improbable silver medal in Sapporo, Japan. Besides the accolades from friends and family members - and a telegram from President Richard Nixon - the team returned to chase dreams on and off the ice, with their story soon forgotten.But that moment in time was a triumph of hard work and planning, a real symbol of the American Dream: a head coach making revolutionary changes in practice and game strategy; players from the battlefield of Viet Nam and the workday world, to those chasing dreams on rinks large & small throughout North America, along with a glimpse into the future through pair of teenagers - one, a phenomenal athlete from the East Coast, the other, with the blood of hockey royalty flowing through his veins.Authors Tom and Jerry Caraccioli balance their research and interviews with game summaries to bring this special era to life, as the political Cold War was a backdrop, with friendships forged through that ice.A touching final chapter chronicles a very special moment for head coach Murray Williamson; a January 2002 note which brought a fitting coda to the tireless work that his players never forgot.And with this book, the team that set the stage for the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" receives a long overdue spotlight, all for themselves.

People who have an interest in the US amateur ice hockey program will want to read this book in order to fill gaps in what has become the accepted story of the team before victory in the Lake Placid games(1980). The authors, with the unlikely names of Tom and Jerry, do a good job prsenting their case that the tools used to win an Olympic gold metal were forged by an earlier team and passed on to those who followed. Anyone interested in the deveopment of North American hockey will learn from this tale.

Striking Silver is a great read.For a Hockey team to make the Olympics is a privilege but to win the Silver medal is a tremendous honor.It was hard to realize that we actually had an American Olympic Hockey team that virtually went unnoticed in their victory,and it made me want to read and find out WHY?The authors bring to life the team with the brief biographies of the players.The team work that took total committment to the sport. The brilliance of a coach who "KNEW" his team and what made them tick. How the guys worked together to make this a champion team despite personality differences, etc. brings realism to each page.The authors have given us verbally "the game."If your a hockey fan you will feel the emotions of the players, literally hear the stick hit the puck.This book is one that I am buying for everyone young person I know that plays hockey. Its inspirational and it above all shows our young "Real Heroes" who were unsung until the authors of this book gave them the honor due.