I realized today that I actually remember where I was for several previous Olympic team announcements. In 1998, I was in West Edmonton Mall in a Jersey City or something similar. They were announcing the team alphabetically and a guy in the store was helpfully jotting down the names of players as they were announced. A angry murmur ran through the crowd as Joe Nieuwendyk’s name was announced - Mark Messier’s international career was at end. As the name Steve Yzerman was announced and it became apparent that that wasn’t enough players, confusion reigned for a brief period before crystalizing into one burning question: “Who the fuck is Rob Zamuner?” Glory was inevitable.

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