Los Angeles Kings general manager Dean Lombardi was introduced as the general manager of the United States hockey team for the 2016 World Cup of hockey on Thursday afternoon and celebrated the moment by delivering what can only be described as a passionate speech about the history of USA hockey and America in general.
During his seven-minute introductory speech, Lombardi referred to the 1980 USA Olympic Hockey team as the founding fathers of USA hockey, talked about George Washington as America's "first great teammate," and told us how the spirit of 1980 Olympic captain Mike Eruzione was with the 1996 World Cup team when Tony Amonte scored the game-winning goal.
Thursday's press conference took place at Lake Placid, site of the 1980 Olympics where the United States won the Gold Medal and pulled off what was perhaps the greatest upset in sports history when they defeated the heavily favored Soviet Union team in the Miracle on Ice.
Lombardi used all of that as inspiration for his speech.
Here are some of the highlights. Remember. All of this is about a hockey team.
On what means to be a team player
"This team will be constructed on the basis of of two overriding themes. One is the complete emphasis upon team. And team will be defined as burying your ego, and its nefarious agents power, fame and fortune. Team will be defined as accepting your role. And team will be defined as the pursuit of a higher cause."
"Fortunately, this country has been blessed from its inception with one of the greatest role models for this definition of team. Until the late 1800s, every military commander that had achieved significant success on the battle field, that saved or established a country, went on to become king or emperor. All of them of fell prey to ego, and fame, and fortune, and power, regardless of the consequences. All except two. The great roman general Cincinnatus. And our founding father George Washington.
"Washington could have easily made himself king and fell prey to his ego. But he said no. He recognized there was a higher cause. Accepted a lesser role in pursuit of a republic which became the foundation of this great country. It is safe to say that Washington might have in fact been this country's first great teammate. If our players can learn a small percentage oft his definition of the word team, then we cannot help but be successful."
The second important theme: Understanding their legacy and building on it
"It is only fitting that this announcement takes place in Lake Placid, New York. The site of the greatest spiritual victory in the sport of ice hockey for this country. It is an illustrious example of the power of team. An example of the power of burying your ego. The power of accepting roles. And the power of the pursuit of a higher cause. It was powerful enough at that time to galvanize an entire country and what were dangerous times in this country's history. And it was powerful enough to transcend generations. It lives today, and it must continue in the future.
"I would submit that Johnson, Broten, Ramsay, Craig, Pavelich, are the founding fathers of the greatest American team ever assembled. They were instrumental in inspiring a generation of impressionable youths that became the 1996 World Cup team.
"The team with the talent, and the will, that knocked off all the great hockey powers."
On the 1996 USA World Cup hockey team
"The 1996 World Cup hockey team. Oh my God. The grace of Leetch, Modano and Weight. The toughness of Guerin, TKachuk, Deadmarsh, Hatcher. The goal scoring prowess of Hall and Leclair. The speed of LaFontaine and Amonte. The relentlessness of Chelios. The timeliness of Richter. This group of athletes compiled a startling collective resume. Six Hall of Famers. Twenty-three Stanley Cups. Eighty-seven All-Star games. Thirteen First All-Star selections. Sixteen second team All-Star selections. Five Norris Trophies. One Hart Trophy. A Vezina Trophy. Seven players with over 1,000 points in the National Hockey League. And if people think that team was soft, seven players with over 1,000 penalty minutes.
"But despite this startling record of individual accomplishments, like their forefathers in 1980, they buried their egos, they accepted their roles, and they pursued a higher cause. You can rest assured, in the last five minutes of that deciding game, in a hostile environment, when Tony Amonte scored that game-winning goal, that somewhere. Somewhere in the building was the spirit of Mike Eruzione."
[Note: Mike Eruzione was not dead in 1996 and is still alive today]
If nothing else, you have to give Lombardi credit for being passionate about USA hockey. I mean, he is really into this stuff.
Lombardi has been the Kings' general manager since 2006 and has built two Stanley Cup winning teams during his time with the team.
His staff for the 2016 World Cup team will also include Philadelphia Flyer team president Paul Holmgren who will take on the role of assistant general manager, and Calgary Flames president Brian Burke who will be a senior advisor. Jim Johansson will also serve as the director of hockey operations.
Holmgren and Burke also have a lengthy history with the USA hockey program, while Holmgren served as an assistant coach on the 1996 team that won Gold in the first Wold Cup of hockey.
The 2016 World Cup of hockey will take place between Sept. 17, 2016, and Oct. 1, 2016, in Toronto. It will feature teams from the United States, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Russia, the Czech Republic and two All-Star teams made up of young stars from North America and Team Europe, which will be made up of players from the countries that will not have teams participating in the tournament.
