One that sent an entire nation into frenzy

In two seasons at BU, Craig posted a 29-4-2 record with a 3.65 GAA. He also helped the Terriers capture a NCAA championship in 1978. After college, Jim Craig chose the US Olympic team over the NHLs Atlanta Flames. His sick mother wanted him to play for his country and he kept that promise to her. Unfortunately, she succumbed to her illness and never got to see Jim play for the United States. Craig was playing with a heavy heart. Craigs play in the Winter games in LakePlacid was nothing short of phenomenal. The Soviets embarrassed the US team a few weeks earlier, 10-3 in an exhibition game at MadisonSquare Garden. The U.S.S.R had the best ice hockey team on the planet. But not on this night. The Soviets dominated most of the game by outshooting the Americans 42-16.

Craig pushed away 39 of those shots and gave his upstart teammates a chance to scratch away.Scratch and claw they did on route to a one of the biggest upsets in sports history. One that sent an entire nation into frenzy.Craig and his teammates did not lose focus of the task at hand. They still had a matchup against the Fins for the Gold. Jim Craig kept his stellar play and backstopped his team to a 4-2 victory. However, he would only play four games for the Flames before being traded to his hometown; Boston Bruins for two draft picks (one who became long time Flames and Red Wings goalie, Mike Vernon).In Boston, Craig didnt have much of an impact. He started just 23 games for the Bruins with 9-7-6 record before Rogie Vachon and Marco Baron took over the goalkeeping duties for good. Jim Craig was sent to the minors.In 1982, Jim Craig would make a return to the US national team where he played 26 games. He would impress his former Olympic teammate, Neal Broten who was playing for the Minnesota North Stars at the time. Since his retirement, Craig has been enshrined in the Boston University Athletic Hall of Fame, the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame, the United State Hockey Hall of Fame, and the United States Olympic Hall of Fame.Jim Craig still resides in his hometown of North Easton, Massachusetts.

He works as a successful businessman and motivational speaker. He has helped inspire and instruct employees from over 300 corporations including Coca Cola, Bayer, Dunkin Donuts, Walt Disney, and John Hancock.Joe Gill is a featured blogger for Boston Sports Then and Now, Rootzoo and Trufan . One of the biggestcliches in football is that defense wins championships. But the way I look atit, you win in the trenches (both sides of the ball) and in the turnovergame.The Vikings'defensive line is star-studded, no question. What team wouldn't want to haveJared Allen and the Williams Wall On the other hand, the team's OL hasreceived some pretty harsh reviews this season, including fromme.Here's why my stanceon the OL has changed of late.PassingGameMy biggest worry,early on, was the porous pass protection Every QB needs time to throw theball. But a 40-year-old QB can least afford to get hit.Brett Favre is awarrior who's played more consecutive games than any other position player inhistory, but the wear-and-tear during the long season has drastically reducedhis effectiveness at the end of three of the last four years. In the preseason,Favre got whacked a lot, and hard.

One particularly vicious hit was when Chiefs LB Corey Mays shot cleanly through the strong side A gap between new C JohnSullivan and RG Anthony Herrera, and drilled Favre at full speed as the ball wasbeing released.Might that have been the hit that prompted Favre to mention hissore ribs a few days laterAt that time, Favrehimself suggested he was still getting into the flow of things and was holdingonto the ball too long But a month later, the trend continued. After tworegular season games, Favre had been sacked once every seven times he'd dropped backto pass.That's threetimeshis career rate, which was one sack every 21 drops before thisseason. The OL now has the 12th lowest sack rate in the NFL, not bad consideringwhere they were headed after the first two games.Another factor isthat with Favre in the game, he is allowed to survey the whole field whenlooking for secondary or later options. Using the whole field might meanholding onto the ball an extra quarter or half-second, something the OL has hadto get accustomed to this year.Since Favre turned37-years-old, the only year in which he has finished strong was in 2007. Notcoincidentally, his protection that year was excellent: One sack every 37drops.Favre's protectionthis year won't equal 2007's.