Mayasich talks about McCartan’s outstanding performance at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, CA. McCartan, had 39 saves against the Canadians, was called the Olympic MVP by coach Jack Riley.
John Mayasich discusses goalie Jack McCartan from Forgotten Miracle on Vimeo.
This Day in 1960 US Olympic Hockey
Feb. 22, 1960 – Squaw Valley, CA – The USA starts medal round play with a 6-3 win over Sweden. Roger Christian nets a hat trick and goalie Jack McCartan continues his stellar play with 36 saves. Christian’s first goal came 3:26 into the game and the US added three more first period goals to take a 4-0 lead into the intermission. They would be outshot 28-19 in the final two periods, but thanks to McCartan the lead was never in jeopardy. The win puts the US at 1-0 in the championship round robin, with games yet to play against Germany, Canada, USSR and Czechoslovakia.
Box Score
USA vs Sweden | February 22, 1960
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Scoring
| Period 1 | ||
| USA | 3:26 | R. Christian (W. Christian) |
| USA | 10:19 | McVey (W. Cleary) |
| USA | 15:52 | R. Cleary (McVey, W. Cleary) |
| USA | 17:21 | Johnson (unassisted) |
| Period 2 | ||
| SWE | 0:14 | Petterson (Stoltz) |
| SWE | 2:32 | Nilsson (unassisted) |
| USA | 7:41 | R. Christian (Williams, W. Chistian) |
| Period 3 | ||
| SWE | 3:49 | Anderson (Oberg) |
| USA | 13:38 | R. Chistian (Williams, W. Chistian) |
Goalie Saves
| 1 | 2 | 3 | Total | |
| USA, McCartan | 8 | 13 | 15 | 36 |
| SWE, Svensson | 12 | 10 | 9 | 31 |
This Day in 1960 US Olympic Hockey
Feb. 13, 1960 – Squaw Valley, CA – Coach Jack Riley predicts the American hockey team will go undefeated in 1960. In a meeting to determine the schedule of the games, each coach is asked for input on the schedule. None of the teams want to play the two favorites, the Canadians and the Soviets, back-to-back. But, when asked for his opinion, Riley stated that he didn’t care who they played, “we’re gonna go undefeated anyway.” It was more a bit of bluster than a real prediction. Riley would later admit that even he didn’t believe what he said. It wouldn’t be the last time Riley played head games with his opponents and the press.
Vanity Fair‘s Darrell Hartman lists the “Five Biggest Moments” in Olympic hockey history–with video! It doesn’t appear to be an ordered list, but the Forgotten Miracle makes the list along with the Miracle on Ice, Forsberg’s shootout deke in Lillehammer, Dominik Hasek’s shutdown of the Canadians (and everyone else) in Nagano, and finally, the Canadians redemption in Salt Lake City, finally winning gold after a 50 year drought.
Here’s the full article: The Five Biggest Olympic Hockey Moments
Sports Illustrated recently listed their top 15 US Winter Olympic moments and the 1960 gold medal team was ranked #2. To view the entire list and notes about the team visit: SI.com
Check Bill Cleary’s imdb.com listing and you’ll see two lines:
Miscellaneous Crew: Love Story (1970) (hockey technical advisor)
Self: Forgotten Miracle (2009) (V) …. Himself
With the recent passing of Love Story author Erich Segal, we’re reminded that Bill and his brother Bob were not only hockey advisors on the film set in the Boston area, but Bill was the hockey double for Ryan O’Neal’s Oliver Barrett character. Even on the silver screen, these 1960 Olympians made their mark.
According to an article in the Auburn Journal, a once-lost treasure from the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympic Games might be coming back home.
The puck that was scooped up from the ice by a spectator moments after the UA beat the USSR 3-2 in Blythe Arena has been located in the Midwest. Now, officials woring with the Squaw Valley Olympic Museum are trying to bring it back to California.
Blythe Arena itself is long gone, and much of the Olympic village has been lost to time, so a return of one of the great mementos of the game would be a great addition for the upcoming Squaw Valley 1960 Celbration.
Be a Facebook fan of the 1960 U.S. Gold Medal hockey team!