February 23, 2026 • 18 mins
Chris Egan of King 5 joins Dick Fain and Hugh Millen live from Milan at the Olympics to talk about USA Hockey’s gold medal wins in the last week including the men’s win over Canada yesterday, what it was like in the building, and overall thoughts on the games.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
From the R and R Foundation Specialist Broadcast Studio. Now
back to Softie and Dick on your Home for the Huskies,
Kraken and the twelfth Man Sports Radio ninety three point
three kJ r FL.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Here's the Pavit movie, beget Out, Jack Hughes practice long down,
puck watch.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Up behind the deck and it's Warensky Now.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Jack Hughes books around mccark the United States with numbers
walk across. It comes Jack.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Hugh's Whitey the gold goal for the United States.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
For the first time since the nineteen eighty Barracle, the
United States.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Takes the goll.
Speaker 4 (00:41):
Jack Hugh's been in Jordan, Pennicck.
Speaker 5 (00:43):
And welcome back on a Monday afternoon. What an unbelievable
day in Milan yesterday as team USA gets it done
against Canada in overtime and Hugh, we had to find
a man that was in the building and we have
done it. My friend Chris Egan, who has been twenty
five days in Italy probably feels more like a hundred Chris,
(01:07):
thanks for joining us, man.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
How you doing you.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Dick and Hugh, What what a moment, what a game.
It's once in a lifetime and to be honest with you,
it was a span of about three days because I
was there for the women's game, to watch the USB
candidate overtime for that one, which was a historic game
in a great battle, but to watch that game yesterday,
(01:37):
to be there to see the goal, to feel the crowd,
and you knew right from the beginning the first ten
minutes these teams were coming out to play. They were
hitting each other hard. A couple of the guys told
me before the game that this could be the greatest
hockey game ever because their legs were so fresh, they
were playing for so much. There was so much talent
on the ice, and when you get to the playoffs
and the Stanley Cup sometimes you know the guys are tired,
(01:59):
there's injury east. So you were seeing the best in
hockey go head to head for the gold medal with
two countries just battling out. It was It was amazing.
I mean, it just was absolutely incredible.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
It had all the drama of a game seven obviously,
and then some just kind of take us into the
building and some of your senses and what you saw
and experience that maybe we didn't see on TV.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Well, good question, Hugh, because a lot of times. I'm
seeing these videos today of all these bars in the
United States just going crazy when the goal is scored
and everybody's watching it and the place is rocking. Early on,
we got there three hours before the game because there
was only so many immediate slots, so you had to
be there early to get your spot. You could tell
that this was going to be a big Canadian crowd.
(02:49):
You just had a feeling. And once the place was packed,
once it was sold out, it was it was anywhere
from seventy five to twenty five, you know, Canadian to US.
I will give credit to the US fans and attendance
because early on the US gets that goal and they
were louder. I mean, the USA chants were rolling. But
(03:09):
when Canada ties it up, I mean you could just
feel the momentum switch to Canada and there anytime the
USA chance would start going up, the Canadian crowd would
take over and try to overshadow them. And that's what
I think is the biggest thing. You is when I
look back at that game winning goal and you see
all these shots of people in bars watching going crazy
(03:32):
at the venue there in Milan, it was like seventy
percent of the crowd was in shock, and then half
the American crowd I think didn't know what happened. So
it was almost like a little bit of a silence
in that arena when it happened, and the US crowd
doesn't actually start celebrating until you see all the guys
clearly the benches start celebrating on the ice. It was
just an interesting ending there, for sure.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
Absolutely.
Speaker 5 (03:55):
I mean I felt the same way because I think
the put kind of got stuck in the low bar.
It didn't hit the back of the net, so I
had I just had to wait for the call where
they where they said it was a goal, and and
like you, like you said, all the the US team
just streaming onto the ice. But uh, you know what
a job in net for Team USA? Was that the
(04:16):
greatest I mean people are calling it the greatest considering
the stakes, the greatest goalie performance in hockey history, just
considering the talent Hillbuck was playing against and the stakes
of the game.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Dick, he makes it save early, and this is where
you know I love you, because he breaks down games
and he makes his save early and he just kind
of puts puts it up there and just snags it,
and somebody to the ride of me, a big, big
hockey fan, just looks at me and goes, this guy's on,
this guy's on. And I actually chatted with Connor after
the game and and he said it. He goes, I
(04:50):
was in the zone, and if you get a goalie
in the zone, uh, it's just they're gonna stay in
the zone. And in what he did in goal, I
mean it was just between you know, Celebrini and Connor McDavid.
I mean, they were firing hollitzer's at him all night long,
and what he just continued to do. I mean, the
(05:11):
first day of the Olympics, Canada has a practice and
i was there for the MiG zone and I'm looking
at these guys going hall of famer, hall of famer,
hall of famer, hall of famer, hall of famer. And besides,
you know, said the kid, they were all there on
the ice last night and they're all firing shots at them,
and what Connor did was just absolutely incredible. And I'll
say this, Hugh and Dick. You know, a couple of
(05:31):
people have asked me today, was that the greatest sports
you know event you've ever witnessed. And I've i was at,
you know, the Seahawks Super Bowl championship, you know in
New Jersey. I missed this latest Super Bowl championship, and
those are huge, you know, shout out to the Seahawks
and what they've done in those titles. I was not
there in seventy nine when the Sonics won their title.
(05:53):
I've been with the Storm for several of their titles,
and they're all great, but it's one city and one
base basically coming together the roots of that team. When
I watched the US women win gold, and I watched
the US men win gold, you sit there and you
look through the left of you and there's a sports
reporter from New York. There's a sports anchor from Boston.
(06:13):
There's a news anchor from Chicago. There's a sports reporter
from Los Angeles. There's a morning news anchor from Atlanta.
There's somebody from Philadelphia. And you realize they're all, you know,
reporting for their area, and you realize everybody's there for
this one team, rooting on Team USA. And it's just
until you cover an Olympics, you just you don't get
(06:34):
that feeling in any other sporting events that everybody's coming
together to root for one cause, one team, one nation,
and I think that's what makes it just so special.
And then when those guys go up in the stand
and you hear the national anthem, I mean, if you
don't get goosebumps, you sick. I just if your hair
is not sticking up, and then then something's wrong. We
(06:55):
did because you know, I'm fifty two and I was
crying last time. Man, I'm fifty two and I was
ball in my eyes up because it was just something
very very special.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Good on you. Chris Egan with US Live from Italy.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
He was in the building yesterday with the United States
stunning defeat of Canada. Chris, I want to ask you
a question. I suppose it's in two parts, but let's
let's put the spotlight on the the overtime format, three
skaters versus three skaters, Maybe thoughts you have about that,
you know, strategically, the fairness, and then I guess, Kama.
(07:29):
The second portion would be, is that a source of consternation?
You said it's about seventy percent Canadian fans in the building.
Is that something kind of in the aftermath that that
people were decrying and denouncing the format?
Speaker 3 (07:44):
What's the give us a take on that.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
One hundred percent. I mean you leave the venue after
you're done getting all your interviews and you head back
on these trains that take you throughout Milan, and we
were around a lot of Canadian fans and pissed off.
Yes they were. I mean, let's be honest. This was
their super Bowl, this this was their Game seven, this
was everything. And I think that the hockey purists just
(08:11):
think it's it's just going to three on three is
just kind of cheating in it. Why why would you
do that? Why do you need to do that? So
I think there was some concerns there. I mean there
was throughout these games, there was some concerns about that.
We saw that three on three, you know, with with
the women's game too. I do appreciate.
Speaker 6 (08:29):
Honestly that they don't go to a shootout. I'll be
honest there guys just like, thank god, they don't go
to a shootout. But yeah, a lot of the Canadian
fans were upset with that. But at the same point,
you as you say that, anybody that knows hockey and
looks at that Canadian roster would say, there are three
players that they're gonna put out there are way better
(08:50):
than the Free Americans, right, I mean, if you're gonna
put their best three against our best three, the Canadians
not only have the edge on the first line, they
got the edge on the second line, the third line,
and the fourth line.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
So it's three on three, it's on the ice. But yeah,
there's some old school purists. We were sitting next to
a guy that grew up with Gretzky, and he told
us about it every five minutes, and he was upset
about it the whole night. But you know, it's in
the end. They had their best three and they couldn't score,
and Connor McDavid tried to do everything he could, but
Connor wasn't letting anything by on last night, and luckily
(09:23):
we had the right Conor.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
Yes we did.
Speaker 5 (09:25):
Chris Eagan joining us after midnight his time in Milan
after an unbelievable event that he had got to witness
yesterday with Team USA beating Canada, and I just want
to go to the post game.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
You alluded to it.
Speaker 5 (09:40):
How awesome that was like when a game's over, even
the Super Bowl, Chris, I mean I stayed in the
in the building for maybe five ten minutes, you know,
watched a couple of speeches and they're like, all right,
I'm gonna head out and get ready to do the
postgame show. But I was locked onto that post game.
I watched Jack Hughes's very patriotic message on NBC and
(10:03):
you don't hear that very often in sports anymore. The
way the team honored Johnny Gudreau and his family on
the ice, I mean, I didn't think the post game
could have been more perfect than it was.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Well, and then you see a lot of the post
game that the NBCs are getting dick and then I'm
I'm kind of backstage in funny story here al it
works is the silver medalist will come first. Usually it's
the bronze medalist. But Finland played the night before, had
a couple of seattle cracking on that cop of cocco.
Elie told it, and that won the bronze. They got
their bronze the night before and actually got on planes
that got out of there. So the only medals they
(10:37):
handed out last night were the silver and the gold.
So Canada is coming out first, and there's you get
a lot. It's a mix of sports reporters and sports
akers and newspeople. And so I told all the news people.
Do not do not smile at the Canadians. Do not
laugh here. Don't just let them walk by. You're not
gonna interview. You're gonna get You're gonna get jumped. Somebody's
(11:01):
gonna go over. They were not in a good mood.
They did not want the little uh, they did not
want the little team at Teddy Bear, and they did
not want that silver medal. But then, Dick to your point,
when the Americans came through, it was a party. They
were grabbing beer, they were having fun. They were talking
about just how great it was. And I think the
word is unite, and it was great to see these
(11:24):
Olympic Games kind of bring people together, put politics aside
and just enjoy sports, Enjoy rooting for the Red, white
and blue. And I think Mike Turco said it best
last night in the broadcast Sports as a way of
bringing people together, and that's exactly what the US hockey
team did during these Olympic Games. And you know, you
learn a lot of lessons during these games from a
(11:45):
lot of these athletes that have battled a lot of
trials and tribulations to get here. And some of them
get here and you know, fail but they keep battling
and some of them get a gold medal and it
will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Speaker 4 (11:58):
It will, and as will we they everybody asked to
kind of process. Okay, what does this mean in relation
to forty six years ago?
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Right?
Speaker 4 (12:09):
And and we want to put it in its proper place. Uh,
you know the nineteen eighty the miracle team in some
ways that that there's no chance that could everbly be duplicated.
But what's the sense from the players, the atmosphere there,
your own thoughts.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
How do we position this relative to that nineteen eighty game?
Speaker 2 (12:31):
I should so, Yeah, I think a lot of people
will talk about that. You know that that eighty team
was a miracle because you know it was a bunch
of kids coming together, non professional players and you know
you've brought you know, the pros back and you know
we we've heard that from Herb Brooks. You know, how
do you call it a dream team when the professionals
and then you know you're not really dreaming. But I'll
(12:52):
be honestly, you know, the Olympics has got to the
point where you put the best athletes on the court,
on the ice. You know, in play, and for me
this was just as big because those were the best
athletes in the world out there on the ice last night,
and Canada had arguably, you know, five to six Hall
(13:15):
of famers, future Hall of famers out there, and to
get that win to you know, look back at that
eighty team. I think that's the other cool story about this, Hugh,
is that what have we done the last three years,
you know, last three days, we've just sat back and
revisited that nineteen eighties team and what they did, and
(13:36):
it's brought those great memories back. And so for them
to complete it like they did last night, I think
I think it's just as special not to mention, Hugh,
A lot of us, uh don't remember that nineteen team,
And there's a lot of people, a lot of people
alive that that weren't watching that. And to hear stories
of people getting up at four in the morning, five
in the morning, churches canceling, you know, services moving them late,
(14:00):
you know, to hear the stories of people up in Alaska,
why you know the bars are open early in New York.
I mean a lot of people were watching that game
last night.
Speaker 4 (14:09):
You well, you and I are gonna have to have
a couple of beers and a and a long debate
about this because I'm gonna push back hard on this
is just as big.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
Now.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
Uh, there's nobody I like in Seattle sports media as
as as much or better than Chris Egans. So I
love you, but you and I are going to have
a deep arm wrestle about this one.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
But that's okay. I want you to rethink.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
I want you to rethink that one. But you know, uh,
you different. But I'm gonna I'm gonna fight you on
the beach on this one.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Well, and your your point is that one was a
lot bigger because the amateurs in the you and.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
The politics uh uh, and the Warsaw Pact, the the
Cold War was just pervasive. It was ubiquitous. It was
something way beyond anything that anybody could understand.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Sure, well, you throw all that, yet, Hugh, you throw
all that in. It's hard to argue with you. It's
also tough, you know how sports work. Since Dick knows
how this is. I wasn't there at that eighty game.
I was at this one from start to finish, So
I'm kind of flying high with this. The emotions of
being there, being being surrounded by this one. So it
(15:23):
may take a little bit of time for this one
to digest and for me to sit back and yeah,
when we have that beer, I think you're probably gonna
win that arm resclute argument. But I mean, here's the thing,
you It's been an emotional drain, which has been awesome.
I went from that women's game to the next day, Hugh,
And I'm gonna tell you a quick story here Krin
(15:43):
Stoddard from Feduay, Washington. Her first day at the Olympics.
She came in these Olympics as the number three ranks
beat short track speedch skater in the world. She fell
three times in two events on the first day. Two
days later she's in another event, she falls on the ice.
Another day later she's in a they fall on the
ice again. This is a girl I've been covering for
(16:03):
over ten years from Feduay that has put her entire life,
her family has put their investments into. This girl's a
short track speed skater. She's done four events and has
failed to make it to the finals of any of them.
She came in as the number three ranked short track
speed skater in the world and was told by everybody
she's gonna meddle. She goes on Instagram apologizes she just
(16:24):
couldn't handle the pressure. I didn't think she was even
gonna show up for her final race, h the fifteen
hundred meter. I say to myself, I gotta be there
if she's gonna be there, Hugh. That night, before the
US wins the goal, Karenna is on the ice and
skates the best she has done during the Olympics. She
brings home a bronze medal. It's not a gold, but
(16:46):
when she comes around the mix own smiling, I'm in
tears of that night too, And I think that's what
the Olympics do. They just they embrace you, because here's
the story of a girl that was just kicked, knocked
down to the ice, could have given up, quit, could
have walked away, and she said, you know what, No,
I'm gonna try it. I'm gonna battle. And she got
(17:08):
back out there and she won the first Olympic medal
for women's in short track speed skating in sixteen years.
Grew up training at Pattison's West in a better way.
And you know what, it's his stories like that that
I just love being here and love sharing them. Because
it's pretty cool stuff. Well, you're at fifty two. I'm
still learning you and I'm gonna learn more about the
(17:29):
eighties team when you and I have a beer.
Speaker 5 (17:31):
I love it, Chris. We really appreciate you do such
an awesome job. And you know my eyes have been
locked on NBC for the last two weeks.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
It's it's been phenomenal from afar.
Speaker 5 (17:41):
I'm sure it's been even better up close for you,
and we really appreciate it. It and get some sleep, get home,
hopefully you get a couple of vacation days and safe
travels to you back to Seattle. All right, you guys,
have a great day, A great stuff from Chris Eagan.
Love his passion, no question about it. You and I'd
be back right after this. On ninety three point threeree
k j R FM
From the R and R Foundation Specialist Broadcast Studio. Now
back to Softie and Dick on your Home for the Huskies,
Kraken and the twelfth Man Sports Radio ninety three point
three kJ r FL.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Here's the Pavit movie, beget Out, Jack Hughes practice long down,
puck watch.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Up behind the deck and it's Warensky Now.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Jack Hughes books around mccark the United States with numbers
walk across. It comes Jack.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Hugh's Whitey the gold goal for the United States.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
For the first time since the nineteen eighty Barracle, the
United States.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Takes the goll.
Speaker 4 (00:41):
Jack Hugh's been in Jordan, Pennicck.
Speaker 5 (00:43):
And welcome back on a Monday afternoon. What an unbelievable
day in Milan yesterday as team USA gets it done
against Canada in overtime and Hugh, we had to find
a man that was in the building and we have
done it. My friend Chris Egan, who has been twenty
five days in Italy probably feels more like a hundred Chris,
(01:07):
thanks for joining us, man.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
How you doing you.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Dick and Hugh, What what a moment, what a game.
It's once in a lifetime and to be honest with you,
it was a span of about three days because I
was there for the women's game, to watch the USB
candidate overtime for that one, which was a historic game
in a great battle, but to watch that game yesterday,
(01:37):
to be there to see the goal, to feel the crowd,
and you knew right from the beginning the first ten
minutes these teams were coming out to play. They were
hitting each other hard. A couple of the guys told
me before the game that this could be the greatest
hockey game ever because their legs were so fresh, they
were playing for so much. There was so much talent
on the ice, and when you get to the playoffs
and the Stanley Cup sometimes you know the guys are tired,
(01:59):
there's injury east. So you were seeing the best in
hockey go head to head for the gold medal with
two countries just battling out. It was It was amazing.
I mean, it just was absolutely incredible.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
It had all the drama of a game seven obviously,
and then some just kind of take us into the
building and some of your senses and what you saw
and experience that maybe we didn't see on TV.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Well, good question, Hugh, because a lot of times. I'm
seeing these videos today of all these bars in the
United States just going crazy when the goal is scored
and everybody's watching it and the place is rocking. Early on,
we got there three hours before the game because there
was only so many immediate slots, so you had to
be there early to get your spot. You could tell
that this was going to be a big Canadian crowd.
(02:49):
You just had a feeling. And once the place was packed,
once it was sold out, it was it was anywhere
from seventy five to twenty five, you know, Canadian to US.
I will give credit to the US fans and attendance
because early on the US gets that goal and they
were louder. I mean, the USA chants were rolling. But
(03:09):
when Canada ties it up, I mean you could just
feel the momentum switch to Canada and there anytime the
USA chance would start going up, the Canadian crowd would
take over and try to overshadow them. And that's what
I think is the biggest thing. You is when I
look back at that game winning goal and you see
all these shots of people in bars watching going crazy
(03:32):
at the venue there in Milan, it was like seventy
percent of the crowd was in shock, and then half
the American crowd I think didn't know what happened. So
it was almost like a little bit of a silence
in that arena when it happened, and the US crowd
doesn't actually start celebrating until you see all the guys
clearly the benches start celebrating on the ice. It was
just an interesting ending there, for sure.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
Absolutely.
Speaker 5 (03:55):
I mean I felt the same way because I think
the put kind of got stuck in the low bar.
It didn't hit the back of the net, so I
had I just had to wait for the call where
they where they said it was a goal, and and
like you, like you said, all the the US team
just streaming onto the ice. But uh, you know what
a job in net for Team USA? Was that the
(04:16):
greatest I mean people are calling it the greatest considering
the stakes, the greatest goalie performance in hockey history, just
considering the talent Hillbuck was playing against and the stakes
of the game.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Dick, he makes it save early, and this is where
you know I love you, because he breaks down games
and he makes his save early and he just kind
of puts puts it up there and just snags it,
and somebody to the ride of me, a big, big
hockey fan, just looks at me and goes, this guy's on,
this guy's on. And I actually chatted with Connor after
the game and and he said it. He goes, I
(04:50):
was in the zone, and if you get a goalie
in the zone, uh, it's just they're gonna stay in
the zone. And in what he did in goal, I
mean it was just between you know, Celebrini and Connor McDavid.
I mean, they were firing hollitzer's at him all night long,
and what he just continued to do. I mean, the
(05:11):
first day of the Olympics, Canada has a practice and
i was there for the MiG zone and I'm looking
at these guys going hall of famer, hall of famer,
hall of famer, hall of famer, hall of famer. And besides,
you know, said the kid, they were all there on
the ice last night and they're all firing shots at them,
and what Connor did was just absolutely incredible. And I'll
say this, Hugh and Dick. You know, a couple of
(05:31):
people have asked me today, was that the greatest sports
you know event you've ever witnessed. And I've i was at,
you know, the Seahawks Super Bowl championship, you know in
New Jersey. I missed this latest Super Bowl championship, and
those are huge, you know, shout out to the Seahawks
and what they've done in those titles. I was not
there in seventy nine when the Sonics won their title.
(05:53):
I've been with the Storm for several of their titles,
and they're all great, but it's one city and one
base basically coming together the roots of that team. When
I watched the US women win gold, and I watched
the US men win gold, you sit there and you
look through the left of you and there's a sports
reporter from New York. There's a sports anchor from Boston.
(06:13):
There's a news anchor from Chicago. There's a sports reporter
from Los Angeles. There's a morning news anchor from Atlanta.
There's somebody from Philadelphia. And you realize they're all, you know,
reporting for their area, and you realize everybody's there for
this one team, rooting on Team USA. And it's just
until you cover an Olympics, you just you don't get
(06:34):
that feeling in any other sporting events that everybody's coming
together to root for one cause, one team, one nation,
and I think that's what makes it just so special.
And then when those guys go up in the stand
and you hear the national anthem, I mean, if you
don't get goosebumps, you sick. I just if your hair
is not sticking up, and then then something's wrong. We
(06:55):
did because you know, I'm fifty two and I was
crying last time. Man, I'm fifty two and I was
ball in my eyes up because it was just something
very very special.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Good on you. Chris Egan with US Live from Italy.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
He was in the building yesterday with the United States
stunning defeat of Canada. Chris, I want to ask you
a question. I suppose it's in two parts, but let's
let's put the spotlight on the the overtime format, three
skaters versus three skaters, Maybe thoughts you have about that,
you know, strategically, the fairness, and then I guess, Kama.
(07:29):
The second portion would be, is that a source of consternation?
You said it's about seventy percent Canadian fans in the building.
Is that something kind of in the aftermath that that
people were decrying and denouncing the format?
Speaker 3 (07:44):
What's the give us a take on that.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
One hundred percent. I mean you leave the venue after
you're done getting all your interviews and you head back
on these trains that take you throughout Milan, and we
were around a lot of Canadian fans and pissed off.
Yes they were. I mean, let's be honest. This was
their super Bowl, this this was their Game seven, this
was everything. And I think that the hockey purists just
(08:11):
think it's it's just going to three on three is
just kind of cheating in it. Why why would you
do that? Why do you need to do that? So
I think there was some concerns there. I mean there
was throughout these games, there was some concerns about that.
We saw that three on three, you know, with with
the women's game too. I do appreciate.
Speaker 6 (08:29):
Honestly that they don't go to a shootout. I'll be
honest there guys just like, thank god, they don't go
to a shootout. But yeah, a lot of the Canadian
fans were upset with that. But at the same point,
you as you say that, anybody that knows hockey and
looks at that Canadian roster would say, there are three
players that they're gonna put out there are way better
(08:50):
than the Free Americans, right, I mean, if you're gonna
put their best three against our best three, the Canadians
not only have the edge on the first line, they
got the edge on the second line, the third line,
and the fourth line.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
So it's three on three, it's on the ice. But yeah,
there's some old school purists. We were sitting next to
a guy that grew up with Gretzky, and he told
us about it every five minutes, and he was upset
about it the whole night. But you know, it's in
the end. They had their best three and they couldn't score,
and Connor McDavid tried to do everything he could, but
Connor wasn't letting anything by on last night, and luckily
(09:23):
we had the right Conor.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
Yes we did.
Speaker 5 (09:25):
Chris Eagan joining us after midnight his time in Milan
after an unbelievable event that he had got to witness
yesterday with Team USA beating Canada, and I just want
to go to the post game.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
You alluded to it.
Speaker 5 (09:40):
How awesome that was like when a game's over, even
the Super Bowl, Chris, I mean I stayed in the
in the building for maybe five ten minutes, you know,
watched a couple of speeches and they're like, all right,
I'm gonna head out and get ready to do the
postgame show. But I was locked onto that post game.
I watched Jack Hughes's very patriotic message on NBC and
(10:03):
you don't hear that very often in sports anymore. The
way the team honored Johnny Gudreau and his family on
the ice, I mean, I didn't think the post game
could have been more perfect than it was.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Well, and then you see a lot of the post
game that the NBCs are getting dick and then I'm
I'm kind of backstage in funny story here al it
works is the silver medalist will come first. Usually it's
the bronze medalist. But Finland played the night before, had
a couple of seattle cracking on that cop of cocco.
Elie told it, and that won the bronze. They got
their bronze the night before and actually got on planes
that got out of there. So the only medals they
(10:37):
handed out last night were the silver and the gold.
So Canada is coming out first, and there's you get
a lot. It's a mix of sports reporters and sports
akers and newspeople. And so I told all the news people.
Do not do not smile at the Canadians. Do not
laugh here. Don't just let them walk by. You're not
gonna interview. You're gonna get You're gonna get jumped. Somebody's
(11:01):
gonna go over. They were not in a good mood.
They did not want the little uh, they did not
want the little team at Teddy Bear, and they did
not want that silver medal. But then, Dick to your point,
when the Americans came through, it was a party. They
were grabbing beer, they were having fun. They were talking
about just how great it was. And I think the
word is unite, and it was great to see these
(11:24):
Olympic Games kind of bring people together, put politics aside
and just enjoy sports, Enjoy rooting for the Red, white
and blue. And I think Mike Turco said it best
last night in the broadcast Sports as a way of
bringing people together, and that's exactly what the US hockey
team did during these Olympic Games. And you know, you
learn a lot of lessons during these games from a
(11:45):
lot of these athletes that have battled a lot of
trials and tribulations to get here. And some of them
get here and you know, fail but they keep battling
and some of them get a gold medal and it
will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Speaker 4 (11:58):
It will, and as will we they everybody asked to
kind of process. Okay, what does this mean in relation
to forty six years ago?
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Right?
Speaker 4 (12:09):
And and we want to put it in its proper place. Uh,
you know the nineteen eighty the miracle team in some
ways that that there's no chance that could everbly be duplicated.
But what's the sense from the players, the atmosphere there,
your own thoughts.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
How do we position this relative to that nineteen eighty game?
Speaker 2 (12:31):
I should so, Yeah, I think a lot of people
will talk about that. You know that that eighty team
was a miracle because you know it was a bunch
of kids coming together, non professional players and you know
you've brought you know, the pros back and you know
we we've heard that from Herb Brooks. You know, how
do you call it a dream team when the professionals
and then you know you're not really dreaming. But I'll
(12:52):
be honestly, you know, the Olympics has got to the
point where you put the best athletes on the court,
on the ice. You know, in play, and for me
this was just as big because those were the best
athletes in the world out there on the ice last night,
and Canada had arguably, you know, five to six Hall
(13:15):
of famers, future Hall of famers out there, and to
get that win to you know, look back at that
eighty team. I think that's the other cool story about this, Hugh,
is that what have we done the last three years,
you know, last three days, we've just sat back and
revisited that nineteen eighties team and what they did, and
(13:36):
it's brought those great memories back. And so for them
to complete it like they did last night, I think
I think it's just as special not to mention, Hugh,
A lot of us, uh don't remember that nineteen team,
And there's a lot of people, a lot of people
alive that that weren't watching that. And to hear stories
of people getting up at four in the morning, five
in the morning, churches canceling, you know, services moving them late,
(14:00):
you know, to hear the stories of people up in Alaska,
why you know the bars are open early in New York.
I mean a lot of people were watching that game
last night.
Speaker 4 (14:09):
You well, you and I are gonna have to have
a couple of beers and a and a long debate
about this because I'm gonna push back hard on this
is just as big.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
Now.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
Uh, there's nobody I like in Seattle sports media as
as as much or better than Chris Egans. So I
love you, but you and I are going to have
a deep arm wrestle about this one.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
But that's okay. I want you to rethink.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
I want you to rethink that one. But you know, uh,
you different. But I'm gonna I'm gonna fight you on
the beach on this one.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Well, and your your point is that one was a
lot bigger because the amateurs in the you and.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
The politics uh uh, and the Warsaw Pact, the the
Cold War was just pervasive. It was ubiquitous. It was
something way beyond anything that anybody could understand.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Sure, well, you throw all that, yet, Hugh, you throw
all that in. It's hard to argue with you. It's
also tough, you know how sports work. Since Dick knows
how this is. I wasn't there at that eighty game.
I was at this one from start to finish, So
I'm kind of flying high with this. The emotions of
being there, being being surrounded by this one. So it
(15:23):
may take a little bit of time for this one
to digest and for me to sit back and yeah,
when we have that beer, I think you're probably gonna
win that arm resclute argument. But I mean, here's the thing,
you It's been an emotional drain, which has been awesome.
I went from that women's game to the next day, Hugh,
And I'm gonna tell you a quick story here Krin
(15:43):
Stoddard from Feduay, Washington. Her first day at the Olympics.
She came in these Olympics as the number three ranks
beat short track speedch skater in the world. She fell
three times in two events on the first day. Two
days later she's in another event, she falls on the ice.
Another day later she's in a they fall on the
ice again. This is a girl I've been covering for
(16:03):
over ten years from Feduay that has put her entire life,
her family has put their investments into. This girl's a
short track speed skater. She's done four events and has
failed to make it to the finals of any of them.
She came in as the number three ranked short track
speed skater in the world and was told by everybody
she's gonna meddle. She goes on Instagram apologizes she just
(16:24):
couldn't handle the pressure. I didn't think she was even
gonna show up for her final race, h the fifteen
hundred meter. I say to myself, I gotta be there
if she's gonna be there, Hugh. That night, before the
US wins the goal, Karenna is on the ice and
skates the best she has done during the Olympics. She
brings home a bronze medal. It's not a gold, but
(16:46):
when she comes around the mix own smiling, I'm in
tears of that night too, And I think that's what
the Olympics do. They just they embrace you, because here's
the story of a girl that was just kicked, knocked
down to the ice, could have given up, quit, could
have walked away, and she said, you know what, No,
I'm gonna try it. I'm gonna battle. And she got
(17:08):
back out there and she won the first Olympic medal
for women's in short track speed skating in sixteen years.
Grew up training at Pattison's West in a better way.
And you know what, it's his stories like that that
I just love being here and love sharing them. Because
it's pretty cool stuff. Well, you're at fifty two. I'm
still learning you and I'm gonna learn more about the
(17:29):
eighties team when you and I have a beer.
Speaker 5 (17:31):
I love it, Chris. We really appreciate you do such
an awesome job. And you know my eyes have been
locked on NBC for the last two weeks.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
It's it's been phenomenal from afar.
Speaker 5 (17:41):
I'm sure it's been even better up close for you,
and we really appreciate it. It and get some sleep, get home,
hopefully you get a couple of vacation days and safe
travels to you back to Seattle. All right, you guys,
have a great day, A great stuff from Chris Eagan.
Love his passion, no question about it. You and I'd
be back right after this. On ninety three point threeree
k j R FM
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