USA Hockey Foundation

There’s an inseparable bond between hockey teammates. Countless hours of practice, and hundreds, if not thousands, of games together inevitably creates a friendship that is as close as family. 

But when you play for your country, the camaraderie is on another level. USA Hockey brings together players from across the nation to share a special experience that few have the privilege of ever knowing. Even after players hang up their national-team skates and settle in their respective states, that teammate and friendship link is never lost.

Just ask U.S. Olympians Ken Morrow and Natalie Darwitz. Both continue to reunite with their teammates since they’ve retired.

“It becomes more important as you get older to reconnect with these guys,” said Morrow, a member of the legendary 1980 U.S. Olympic Team. “You accomplished something together. Anytime you can get together and reminisce about that time, and what’s going on in your life today, it’s a blast.”

Some Things Never Change
Hair has thinned and beards have been peppered with grey since 1980, but when Morrow steps into the room with the likes of Mike Eruzione, Buzz Schneider or Phil Verchota, it’s the same as it was 35 years ago.

“It’s like time reverts back to 1980 when we’re all together,” said Morrow, who joined his Miracle on Ice teammates twice this year to celebrate the team's 35th anniversary. “It’s like we’re a group of young kids, except we really are all getting older.”

Despite recently retiring from playing the game in 2010, Darwitz couldn’t agree more with Morrow. 

“It sounds cliché, but even if you don’t talk to them for a while, you see them and you pick up right where you left off,” said the three-time Olympian and 12-year Team USA veteran. “We know each other inside and out. It’s a comfortable thing where you can just be yourself around some of the people who know you the best.”

“Remember That One Time …”
This past summer at USA Hockey’s Annual Congress, 1980 goaltender Jim Craig recalled a story about a puck machine to his teammates. Morrow had no idea what Craig was talking about.

“It’s funny, even 35 years later, when we are all together I’m sitting there and hearing stories that I’d never heard before,” he said with a laugh. “What I’ve found, when you’re all together, one things spurs the memory of another. Some things I don’t remember at all and then suddenly I hear someone else talk about it and it triggers a memory, so that alone makes it worthwhile when we all get together.”

The best part of team reunions is the storytelling and reminiscing. But as time goes on, game stories no longer take center stage in conversations. Even with team success, for Morrow and Darwitz, discussion these days has shifted from on-ice plays to off-ice families.

“It’s very little about hockey anymore,” admitted Darwitz, who became a first-time mom this past July to son, Joseph. “It’s more about what we are doing for work, what our families are up to.“

She adds that if hockey does come up, it’s not likely about a game-winning goal or gold-medal win. Instead it’s about the trips, the experience and the people. 

“You don’t really remember the faceoff that you won or lost,” she said, “It’s those goofy times with people around you that make you smile and chuckle 10 years later.”
 
Social Media Reunions
Facebook, Twitter and texting – Darwitz said she and her teammates have used them all to stay in touch. The surplus of ways to communicate today has made connecting with the hockey family easier than ever.

“Social media makes it so easy for us all to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in each others’ lives,” she said. “Katie King posts pictures of her little girl that we get to see on Facebook, and Krissy (Wendell-Pohl) has three little girls that she shares on Facebook, too. It’s a great way to see what they’re doing in everyday life after hockey. 

Morrow and his teammates dabble with social media but stick to the basics of email and phone calls for most of their interactions.

“Someone might be doing something, like for instance Dave Silk just finished a triathlon recently, so someone sent out an email and everyone went back and forth, so those types of things happen a lot,” said Morrow. 

No matter the means of communication, Morrow says the important thing is that you stay in touch. A team won’t stay together forever and at some point your professional playing career comes to an end, too. But the friendships made throughout the course of the year, or 10, last a lifetime.

“Being a hockey player – the commitment, the tournaments and the effort – it’s unlike any other sport. Because of that, the bonds are tighter,” said Morrow. “You’ll always be a part of that team of guys.”

Share this story and newsletter with your former teammates. To get more involved with the USA Hockey Foundation and USA Hockey alumni email brennap@usahockey.org.