| Jim Craig | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Craig in 1981 | ||||||||||||||
| Born | (1957-05-31)May 31, 1957 (age 68) Easton,Massachusetts, U.S. | |||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | |||||||||||||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | |||||||||||||
| Position | Goaltender | |||||||||||||
| Caught | Left | |||||||||||||
| Played for | Atlanta Flames Boston Bruins Minnesota North Stars | |||||||||||||
| National team |  United States | |||||||||||||
| NHL draft | 72nd overall,1977 Atlanta Flames | |||||||||||||
| WHA draft | 79th overall,1977 Cincinnati Stingers | |||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1980–1984 | |||||||||||||
Medal record
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James Downey Craig[1] (born May 31, 1957) is an American formerice hockeygoaltender who is best known for being part of theU.S. Olympic hockey team that won the gold medal at the1980 Winter Olympics. Craig had a standout Olympic tournament, including stopping 36 of 39 shots on goal by the heavily favoredSoviet Union in the 'Miracle on Ice', as the U.S. won 4–3, in what is widely considered one of the greatest upsets in sports history. Two days later, the U.S. defeated Finland, 4–2, to clinch Olympic gold. Craig went on to play professionally in theNational Hockey League for theAtlanta Flames,Boston Bruins, andMinnesota North Stars from1980 to1983. He was inducted intoIIHF Hall of Fame in 1999.
After starring atOliver Ames High School in his hometown, Craig spent one year atMassasoit Community College inBrockton, Massachusetts. He then transferred toBoston University, leading the Terriers to theNCAADivision I championship in 1978[2] and was an NCAA All-Star in 1979. He was inducted into the BUHall of Fame in 1989.[3]
After Craig was selected to be the goaltender for theUnited States men's national ice hockey team at the1980 Winter Olympics, he wanted to live with a family during national team training, and chose to live with the team's doctor,George Nagobads and his family.[4][5]
Craig played a key role in one of the landmark moments in United States sports history, as the goalie for the United States in theMiracle on Ice, when the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team defeated the favored Soviet Olympic hockey team, which was led by veterans including greatsBoris Mikhailov andVladislav Tretiak. In that game, Craig stopped 36 of 39 shots from the Soviet team. His composure was evident in the final moments of the game and allowed the unheralded U.S. team to protect their one-goal lead and win 4–3. TheAmerican flag that Craig draped over his shoulders after the upset was displayed at theSports Museum of America inNew York City.[6] Two days later, he led the U.S. to the gold medal in a 4–2 victory over Finland.[2]
Originally drafted by theAtlanta Flames with the 72nd pick in the1977 NHL Entry Draft, Craig joined the Flames shortly after the Olympics and won his first game as an NHL player. However, he found it difficult to duplicate his magic in the NHL. The following season, theBoston Bruins brought him home toMassachusetts in a trade with Atlanta.[7] He served as the Bruins'backup goaltender during the 1980-81 regular season but again failed to make an impression and he did not participate in the 1981 NHL Playoffs. Craig returned to the U.S. national team for the1981 Canada Cup but missed the tournament due to injury and the following season was spent in the minor leagues with theErie Blades. Craig's final moment of glory was in 1983 when he again played very well for the United States in the 1983IIHF Pool B tournament. Craig was named goaltender of the tournament and theMinnesota North Stars promptly signed him to a free agent contract.[8] He would make a final three NHL appearances for the North Stars in 1984 before retiring from hockey.[9]
Two years after the Lake Placid victory, he was issued a citation charging him with "driving to endanger after an accident on a rain-slicked highway that left one woman dead and another critically injured".[10] Although neither alcohol nor drugs was a factor in the accident, the charge was later changed to motor vehicle homicide.[11] He pleaded not guilty and waived his right to a jury trial, electing to go before a judge instead. He was found not guilty by a Wareham District Court judge in September 1982.[12][13]
Craig is employed as a motivational speaker, spokesperson, marketing and sales strategist. He is president of Gold Medal Strategies,[14] a Boston-area based promotions and marketing firm that also manages and represents Jim and his appearance business. For more than 30 years, Craig has provided strategic direction for employees and associates from more than 300 organizations.[15]
His daughter Taylor is married to NHL playerJayson Megna.[16]
MusicianDave Grohl has mentioned being an admirer of Craig over the years, as evidenced by the #6 entry of the "47 Things You Might Not Know About Dave Grohl" list on TeamRock.com, which stated, "Dave’s first hero was Jim Craig, the 1980 American ice hockey team goalie from Easton, Massachusetts. After the team beat Russia, he found the phone numbers of all the Jim Craigs in that area, phoned them up and congratulated them. Dave and the real Jim Craig met years later at a Winter Olympics."[17]
In the1981 made-for-TV movie filmMiracle on Ice, Craig is portrayed bySteve Guttenberg.
In the2004Disney filmMiracle, he is portrayed byEddie Cahill, who considers Craig to be one of his childhood heroes.[18]
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 1974–75 | Oliver Ames High School | HS-MA | 57 | 54 | 2 | 1 | 3420 | 118 | — | 2.11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Massasoit Junior College | NCAA-II | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Boston University | ECAC | 27 | 25 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Boston University | ECAC | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 967 | 60 | 0 | 3.72 | — | 5 | 5 | 0 | 305 | 17 | 0 | 3.34 | — | ||
| 1978–79 | Boston University | ECAC | 19 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 1009 | 60 | 1 | 3.57 | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 120 | 8 | 0 | 4.00 | — | ||
| 1979–80 | United States | Intl | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 206 | 13 | 0 | 3.79 | .841 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 23 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 1270 | 78 | 0 | 3.68 | .861 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Erie Blades | AHL | 13 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 742 | 57 | 0 | 4.61 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | United States | Intl | 26 | — | — | — | 1385 | 61 | 2 | 2.64 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 110 | 9 | 0 | 4.92 | .839 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | CHL | 27 | — | — | — | 1532 | 108 | 1 | 4.23 | — | 3 | — | — | 177 | 12 | 0 | 4.07 | — | ||
| NHL totals | 30 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 1586 | 100 | 0 | 3.78 | .857 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | United States | WC | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 280 | 10 | 0 | 2.14 | |
| 1980 | United States | OLY | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 420 | 15 | 0 | 2.14 | |
| 1983 | United States | WC-B | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Senior totals | 13 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 700 | 25 | 0 | 2.14 | |||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
