It has been 44 years since the Miracle on Ice took place at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Even the most casual hockey can is well versed in the story of a team of US college kids taking down the Soviet hockey machine. But what happens after a miracle? 12 American players would go on to NHL careers, some of greater significance than others.
Three players would play over a 1000 career games, lead by Neal Broten (1099), Mike Ramsey (1070) and Dave Christian (1009). Two more players had careers of more than 500 games, including Team USA's lead scoring at tournament Mark Johnson (669) and future Islanders defenceman Ken Morrow (550). Morrow is famously remembered for going from the Olympics to the first of four straight Stanley Cups with the Islanders dynasty. Broten would also win a Cup with New Jersey in 1995. Dave Christian, featured below in this week's post, leads all Miracle alumnus in goals (340) and sits second in points to Broten (923) and ahead of Johnson (508). Let's not forget goaltender Jim Craig, who played 30 career NHL games, posting a winning record of 11-10-7.
Card 538 - Carey Wilson
A centre, Wilson was drafted 67th overall by Chicago in 1980. Following the draft he played his sophomore season at Dartmouth, then moved to Finland to play two seasons with HIFK Helsinki, winning a Liiga title in 1983. Wilson joined the Canadian National Team for the 1983-84 season, and played in the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics, scoring six points in seven games.
Following the Olympics he joined the NHL, playing in 15 games with the Calgary Flames, scoring seven points (Wilson was traded in November 1982 for Denis Cyr). In Wilson’s true rookie season he scored 24 goals and 72 points, finishing fifth in Calder Trophy voting. His next three seasons he would score 20+ goals each season, finishing second in the NHL in game winning goals in 1987-88 with nine. In January 1988 he was traded to Hartford in a five player swap, with Dana Murzyn and Shane Churla going to Calgary.
1988-89 was a career best season for Wilson, scoring 32 goals and 77 points. The season would be split between Hartford and the New York Rangers, following a December 1988 trade for Brian Lawton, Norm Maciver and Don Maloney. Wilson played 82 games with the Rangers over two seasons, scoring 30 goals and 81 points before he was traded back to Hartford in the 1990 off-season for Jody Hull.
Wilson’s second stint with Hartford lasted 45 games before a March 1991 trade to Calgary for Mark Hunter. His final two seasons came with the Flames, scoring 34 points in 64 games, and he retired after the 1992-93 season.
In 10 NHL seasons Wilson played in 552 games, scoring 169 goals and 427 points. He made a brief comeback with Manitoba in the IHL in 1996-97, playing in seven games. In retirement he ran a hockey academy in his hometown of Winnipeg.
YouTube clip: scoring the overtime winner in Game 2 of 1984 Smythe Division Final against Edmonton.
Card 539 - Scott Stevens
In September 1991 Scott Stevens was transferred to the New Jersey Devils as compensation for the Devils’ signing of free agent Brendan Shanahan in July 1991.
Scott Stevens - an established star, Stevens became a legend over the 13 seasons he played for the Devils. This includes winning three Stanley Cups (1995, 2000, 2003), plus another Finals appearance in 2001. Stevens won the Conn Smythe in 2000 and was a second team all-star three times and once a first team all star. While a high scorer at the start of his career, Stevens forged a name as a shutdown defenceman and vicious open ice hitter. He still scored 93 goals and 430 points, along with 1007 penalty minutes in 956 career games with Devils. Stevens finished top-10 in Norris Trophy voting 10 ten times and was a two time finalist. The Devils’ captain from 1992 until his retirement, he was enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007
Brendan Shanahan - played four seasons with Blues, scoring 50+ goals twice. During the 1993-94 season he was named a first team all star and led the league in short-handed goals and shots. The Blues did not experience any playoff success during this time, winning only one playoff round. The Blues traded Shanahan to Hartford in the summer of 1995 for Chris Pronger, a defenceman with superstar potential that had grown disgruntled with the Whalers. Pronger would become a legend with Blues, winning the Norris and Hart Trophies in 2000, forging his own Hall of Fame career.
Card 540 - Uwe Krupp
In October 1991, the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres engaged in a blockbuster deal, swapping scoring stars Pat LaFontaine and Pierre Turgeon. Accompanying Turgeon to the Islanders were Krupp, Benoit Hogue and Dave McLlwain, with Randy Hillier, Randy Wood and a fourth round draft pick (Dean Melanson) joining LaFontaine on his trip to Buffalo.
Uwe Krupp - played three seasons with Isles, scoring 30 or more points in two of those seasons. He was traded to Quebec in June 1994 for Ron Sutter and a swap of first round picks. The Islanders selected Brett Lindros and the Nordiques selected Wade Belak.
Benoit Hogue - had three straight seasons of 30 or more goals, the most productive offensive period of his career. In April 1995 he was traded to Toronto with two draft picks for goalie Eric Fichaud.
Dave McLlwain - this was McLlwain’s second trade of the season, having spent just over two weeks in the Sabres’ organization. He played 45 games with Isles, scoring 13 points. McLlwain was traded for third and final time in 1991-92 when was sent to Toronto with Ken Baumgartner for Claude Loiselle and Daniel Marois.
Pierre Turgeon - played four seasons with Isles. 1992-93 was his breakout, scoring 58 goals and 132 points (sixth in the league in both categories), winning the Lady Byng and finishing fifth in Hart Trophy voting. During that season’s playoffs Turgeon scored 13 points in 11 games, missing the first six of games of the Patrick Division Finals against Pittsburgh. Those games were missed as the result of a separate shoulder suffered on a blind side hit from the Capitals’ Dale Hunter in the Division Semi-Finals. During the lockout shortened 1994-95 season he was traded to Montreal with Vladimir Malakhov for Kirk Muller, Mathieu Schneider and Craig Darby.
Randy Hillier - played 28 games with Sabres in 1991-92, recording one assist and 48 penalty minutes. This was Hillier’s final NHL season, followed by one last pro season in Austria before retiring.
Randy Wood - played three seasons with Sabres, scoring 20+ goals twice. In January 1995 he was claimed by the Maple Leafs in the waiver draft.
Pat LaFontaine - played 6 seasons with Sabres, and much like Turgeon, 1992-93 was his best NHL season. LaFontaine finished second in the league in scoring with 53 goals and 148 points, getting caught by Mario Lemieux late in the season. LaFontaine was a finalist for the Lady Byng and Hart Trophies and was named a second-team all-star that season. His career was derailed by concussions afterwards, as he would play in more than 22 games only once in the next four seasons, winning the Bill Masterton Trophy in 1995. In September 1997 LaFontaine was traded to the New York Rangers for a second round pick (Andrew Peters) and future considerations. He retired two seasons later.
Overall this was a pretty even trade. At their peaks, the two superstars were very similar. I’ll give the win to the Islanders as both Turgeon and Hogue played big roles in the 1993 playoff run, and Krupp was a solid defenceman.
YouTube clip: holding his own in a fight with Brendan Shanahan, a future teammate in 2002 with Detroit.
Card 541 - Dave Christian
A right winger, Christian was drafted 40th overall by Winnipeg in 1979 after his sophomore season at North Dakota. He spent the 1979-80 season with the US National Team, playing in the 1980 Olympics at Lake Placid, winning gold as part of the Miracle on Ice team; Christian contributed eight assists during the tournament.
Christian turned pro following the Olympics, scoring 18 points in 15 games with the Jets. During his true rookie season of 1980-81 Christian scored 28 goals and 71 points, finishing ninth in Calder Trophy voting. He played two more seasons with the Jets (one as captain in 1982-83) before a June 1983 trade to Washington for a first round pick (Bobby Dollas).
In seven seasons with the Capitals Christian scored 20+ goals every season, including three 30+ goal seasons and a career-high 41 goals in 1985-86. He twice broke the 80 point barrier, scoring 83 in 1985-86. Christian was a highly durable player during this time as well, playing in 80 games in five seasons.
In December 1989 he was traded to Boston for Bob Joyce. In his second season as Bruin Christian scored 32 goals and played in his first all-star game. He also contributed 12 points in 19 playoff games as the Bruins made it to the Prince of Wales Conference Finals following their Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 1990.
In the summer of 1991 he was transferred to St. Louis along with two draft picks as compensation for Boston signing free agents Glen Featherstone and Dave Thomlinson from the Blues. Christian played one season in St. Louis before being claimed by Chicago in the 1992 waiver draft. He played 69 games with the Blackhawks over two seasons, spending some time in the IHL with Indianapolis. Christian played his final two pro seasons in his home state of Minnesota in the IHL, retiring after the 1995-96 season.
In 15 NHL seasons, Christian played in 1009 games, scoring 340 goals and 773 points. From 1997 to 2000 Christian was head coach and general manager of Fargo-Moorhead in the USHL. As of 2016 he was working as a technical engineer at a glass manufacturer, probably the only one of his co-workers to be a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame (inducted in 2001).
YouTube clip: Christian may not be in the Hockey Hall of Fame, but his Team USA jersey from the 1980 Olympics is there.
Card 542 - Scott Mellanby
A right winger, Mellanby was drafted 27th overall by the Philadelphia in 1984. He went on to play two seasons of college hockey at Wisconsin before appearing in two NHL games with the Flyers in 1985-86. In his rookie season of 1986-87, Mellanby scored 11 goals and 32 points as the Flyers made the Stanley Cup Finals, losing in seven games to Edmonton. During the playoffs he contributed five goals and 10 points along with 46 penalty minutes.
Over the next three seasons in Philadelphia Mellanby would score 20+ goals and record 150+ penalty minutes in each season. In March 1991 he was traded to the rival Edmonton Oilers in a three team swap that saw Jari Kurri briefly become a Flyer before joining Los Angeles. Mellanby played parts of two seasons with the Oilers before he was claimed by Florida in the 1993 expansion draft.
Named an assistant captain, in his first season as a Panther Mellanby set career highs with 30 goals and 60 points. Two seasons later he would best those marks with 32 goals and 70 points, along with 160 penalty minutes and earn some Hart Trophy votes. In the 1996 playoffs the Panthers went on a Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Finals, with Mellanby scoring three goals and nine points; however his biggest contribution to the team that season was his ‘rat trick’, a phenomenon further explored in the YouTube clip below.
Following the Cup Finals run Mellanby played parts of five additional seasons with the Panthers, being named team captain for the 1997-98 season. His offensive numbers declined, but he still put up three seasons with 40 or more points. In February 2001 he was traded to St. Louis for a prospect and a draft pick. During the 2002 playoffs he scored seven goals and ten points in ten games, leading the playoffs with four power play goals.
Mellanby signed with the Atlanta Thrashers in 2004, but did not make his debut until the 2005-06 season due to the lockout. Named team captain, he played two seasons with the Thrashers before retiring at age 40.
In 21 NHL seasons, Mellanby played in 1431 games (32nd all-time), scoring 364 goals and 840 points. He ranks 24th all-time in penalty minutes with 2479 and played in the 1996 all-star game. A power play specialist, Mellanby scored 10 or more power play goals four times in his career, including a career-high 19 in 1995-96.
From 2008 to 2010 he was a scout/advisor with Vancouver, then spent two seasons as an assistant coach with St. Louis. In 2012 he joined the Montreal Canadiens as the director of player personnel, and was promoted to assistant general manager in 2014. Since 2022 he has been a senior advisor with the Blues.
YouTube clip: the aforementioned NHL on ESPN documentary on Year of the Rat, all started when Mellanby killed a rat in the Panthers dressing room prior to the 1995 home opener and then went out and scored two goals that game to complete the ‘rat trick’ in 4-3 win over Calgary.
Card 543 - Peter Ahola
A defenceman, Ahola signed as a free agent with Los Angeles in April 1991. The Finnish born player played two seasons with Boston University before signing with the Kings. In his rookie season of 1991-92, Ahola scored seven goals, 19 points and racked up 101 penalty minutes.
Early in the 1992-93 season he was traded to Pittsburgh for Jeff Chychrun. After 22 games with the Penguins Ahola was traded to San Jose. He finished the season with the Sharks before a trade to Tampa Bay during the off-season for Dave Capuano. Before suiting up for the Lightning Ahola was traded to Calgary for cash. He played two games with the Flames during the 1993-94 season, his final NHL games as he played most of the season in the AHL with Saint John.
In three NHL seasons Ahola played in 123 games, scoring 10 goals and 27 points. He returned to Finland for the 1994-95 season, playing until 2003 before retiring. From 2004 to 2006 he was a European scout for Toronto before working as the assistant general manager with Espoo Blues in Finland. Since 2016 he has been a European scout with Vegas.
YouTube clip: holding his own in a dust up with Gino Odjick during a November 1991 game between Los Angeles and Vancouver.
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