Jim CraigBirth Place: North Easton, Massachusetts, USA Date of Birth: May 31, 1957 Heritage: American Contact Jim Craig |
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Miracle on Ice Team Background: “If anybody in here is surprised we won the gold, let me know. This team put out every game and all I ever tried to do was keep them in it,” Jim Craig. American professional ice hockey goaltender-turned-successful businessman and consultant Jim Craig is best known as one of the stars of the U.S hockey team that won a surprising gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics by beating the powerful Soviet Union team in the semifinals and the Finland team in the finals. The memorable moment is widely known as the “Miracle on Ice.” After the games, Craig made his marks on the NHL by playing 30 regular season games for the Atlanta Flames, Boston Bruins and the Minnesota North Stars, He left professional hockey in 1984. His final great moment in hockey occurred when he again joined the U.S. National team in the 1983 IIHF Pool B tournament, which resulted in him being named the goaltender of the tournament. Craig was inducted into the international Ice Hockey Federation's Hall of Fame in 1999. In his post-hockey career, Craig has become a flourishing consultant and businessman and collected several awards while working with Valassis Communications. He is currently an entrepreneur and calls his approach to marketing and sales the “Gold Medal Strategies for Success.”
Childhood and Family: Professionally known as Jim Craig, James Downey Craig was born on May 31, 1957, in North Easton, Massachusetts. He received a degree in business and marketing from Boston University, in which he became an All-American goalie. He has been married to his wife, Sharlene, for over twenty years and they have two kids together.
Career: Jim Craig played ice hockey at Massasoit Community College for a year before joining the Boston University team, where they won the Division I NCAA championship in 1978 and Craig was added to the NCAA All-Star list in 1979. Following his college career, Craig served as starting goaltender for the U.S. national team at the 1979 Ice Hockey World Championships in Moscow, in which he compiled a 2.14 goals-against-average in five games. However, Craig did not experience real glory until the following year when he and the U.S. hockey team surprisingly won the gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics after defeating Finland 4-2. Along the way, the underdog U.S team beat the favored Soviet Olympic hockey team in one of the landmark moments in United States sports’ history that is known as the “Miracle on Ice.” In the game, the goalie deflected an incredible 36 of 39 shots from what was perhaps the greatest attacking unit ever headed by the great Boris Mikhailov. Shortly after the Olympic, Craig turned professional and made his National Hockey League (NHL) debut with the Atlanta Flames. He was triumphant in his first game for the Flames, but was unable to hook another win to his record in the remaining three games he played at the end of the 1979/1980 season. As a result, he was traded to the Boston Bruins the next season in exchange for two draft picks. As a backup goaltender for the 1980/1981 regular season, Craig took part in 32 games and put up a 9-7-6 record, but again failed to make an enduring impression and did not play for the 1981 NHL Playoffs. After young Marco Baron and Rogie Vachon took over his duties the next season, Craig found himself in the minor leagues. Craig was supposed to participate in the 1981 Canada Cup but missed the tournament because of an injury. In 1983, he was outstanding for the national team during the 1983 IIHF Pool B tournament and was named goaltender of the tournament, a success that soon brought the hockey star back to the NHL. Craig then signed a free agent contract with The Minnesota North Stars that as the time were being led by former “Miracle on Ice” player Neal Broten. It was with the North Stars that Craig would make a final three of his NHL performances in 1984 before retiring from hockey. Following his retirement, Craig, who holds a degree in business and marketing from Boston University, began working as a marketing service consultant. In 1996, he coached at Northeastern University and also formerly coached his daughter's team in Massachusetts. He then worked Valassis Communications before becoming an entrepreneur and developing his approach to marketing and sales, which he calls the “Gold Medal Strategies for Success.” In the 2004 movie “Miracle,” based on the true story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic ice hockey team winning the gold medal by defeating the powerful Soviet Union and Finland teams, Craig was portrayed by actor Eddie Cahill.
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