nutbar
Registered User
- Jan 19, 2011
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How come he could beat the Soviets in 1980 but couldn't make it in the NHL?
Craig was a notoriously streaky player. You don't stick on an NHL roster without consistency.
The guy only played what, 30 games over 3 season with Atlanta, Boston & Minnesota, a handful of games in the AHL?. Ive always wondered about him; was it as suggested, he was undisciplined, a party animal?. Or did he figure having stoned the Soviets at Lake Placid anything more would just be second best?. Whatever the case, I for one wouldve liked to have seen a lot more from him.
What I was saying was that Herb picked him in the hopes of catching him on one of his hot streaks for a short tourney like the Olympics.
Janaszak was Herb's goalie the previous two years at the U of Minnesota after all.
... Herb picked Craig because Craig was the better goalie, period. Which isn't saying much because neither man was all that good, but on every level - on the U.S. national team, in the CHL, in the NHL - Craig was simply better.
How come he could beat the Soviets in 1980 but couldn't make it in the NHL?
Fun story about Jim Craig.
He was more than a little bit high on himself coming off the 1980 Olympics. Playing for the Atlanta Flames as the Edmonton Oilers were coming to town. Asked about facing the young phenom Wayne Gretzky, Jim Craig told reporters, "I'm going to put him in my hip pocket."
Gretzky hung, I think, 5 points on Craig that night. 4 goals and an assist. After the hat trick goal, Gretzky skated by Craig and tapped the back of his own hip, letting him know that who had put whom in their hip pocket.
I loved young Gretzky for that sort of thing.
Funny how no one compares Craig to Jack McCartan, who led the US to an Olympic gold 20 years before, then found few good moments in the NHL.
Later, though he did play in the WHA
The guy only played what, 30 games over 3 season with Atlanta, Boston & Minnesota, a handful of games in the AHL?. Ive always wondered about him; was it as suggested, he was undisciplined, a party animal?. Or did he figure having stoned the Soviets at Lake Placid anything more would just be second best?. Whatever the case, I for one wouldve liked to have seen a lot more from him.
The story above is accurate, except it wasn't Jim Craig. It was Richard Sevigny prior to the 1981 playoff series between Montreal and Edmonton.
Gretzky dominated and the Oilers swept the Habs 3-0.
Competing with the past and the resulting expectations is not for everybody.
Very true. The annals of hockey are littered with the wreckage of One Game & Series Wonders who couldnt quite grasp the concept that your only as good as your next shift or game..... Its' a Cruel World C58. And then you just die.
Except Craig wasn't always better than Janaszak at the collage level and that's all Herb would of had to go on now wouldn't he.
Craig did play much better than Janaszak at times but he also played much worse.
The scene in "Miracle" when Herb tells Craig that he's going to go with Janaszak because he doesn't feel Jim "has it" was not made up.
as i recall, the "hip pocket" comment was from guy lafleur in that playoff series.
there is a jim craig story that i remember from gretzky's autobiography, though. can't remember it off-hand.
No, the "back pocket" comment was from Habs goalie Richard Sevigny who claimed Guy Lafleur was going to put the 20 year old Gretzky in his back pocket in the 1981 playoffs. Was he ever off.
The Craig comment against Gretzky was after the Olympics and Craig either said directly to Gretzky or through second hand information "who the $(%($ do you think you are?" Or along those lines. He was coming off a high from the Olympics for sure.