Jim Craig

Jim put up an amazing performance in the 1980 Olympics. Against the Soviet Union in the "Miracle on Ice" game, he stopped 36 of 39 shots, as the U.S. shocked the heavily favored Soviet Union 4-3. Two days later, Jim played outstanding once again as the U.S. defeated Finland, 4-2, to capture the Gold Medal.

After his great Olympic performance, Jim Craig played professional hockey in the NHL in the early 1980s, playing for the Atlanta Flames, Boston Bruins and Minnesota North Stars before retiring from hockey in 1984.

College Career

In 1978, Jim led Boston University to the NCAA Division I championship. One year later in 1979, he was selected as an NCAA First Team All American. His tremendous play in college was one of the main reasons Olympic coach Herb Brooks invited Jim to Olympic tryouts for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team.

Jim's career record at Boston University was very impressive, 55 wins, 10 losses, and 3 ties. In 1989, Jim was honored by alma mater Boston University by being selected to the Boston University Hall of Fame.

1980 Winter Olympics

Jim Craig was one of the main stars for the U.S. team during the 1980 Winter Olympics, playing outstanding in net. He played great in the "Miracle on Ice" game against the Soviet Union, stopping 36 of 39 shots. Jim stopped a fury of shots late in the game, to help preserve the U.S. 4-3 lead and ultimately win the game, 4-3. Two days later, Jim played great again helping the U.S. come back from a 2-1 deficit in the 3rd and beat Finland 4-2 in the Gold Medal game.

There is an iconic image of Jim draped in the Stars & Stripes skating around the rink after the U.S. won the Gold. He looked into the crowd trying to find his father. He kept saying "Where's my father?" When the two made eye contact, it created a perfect emotional and magical moment.

NHL Career

Jim Craig was originally drafted into the NHL by the Atlanta Flames with the 72nd pick in the 1977 NHL Entry Draft. However he didn't join the Flames until after his magical Olympic run with Team USA. Six days after winning the Gold Medal at Lake Placid, Jim was in net for the Atlanta Flames in a game against the Colorado Rockies. In that game, he stopped 24 of 25 shots and lead the Flames to a 4-1 win before a rare sellout crowd in Atlanta. Unfortunately this would be the highlight of Jim Craig NHL career.

Because of health problems, Jim would only play four more games for the Atlanta Flames in the 1979-80 season. For the 1980-81 season, Jim had a new home, as the Flames traded him to the Boston Bruins. Originally the Bruins wanted to send Jim to the minors to work on his puck handling skills, but Jim didn't want to go to the minors. So the Bruins made Jim their number 3 goalie, which meant he only played in 23 games in the 1980-81 season, posting a 9-7-6 record with a 3.68 GAA

Jim was realizing that even though he was an American hero, he wasn't going to get any special treatment from the NHL. The NHL was not like the Olympics, the league was mostly dominated by Canadian players and few American players.

Jim's time with Boston was plagued with injuries. He broke his right index finger during the summer while training and fell off a ladder at his home and broke a bone in his ankle. The Bruins wanted him to improve his game and heal from his injuries, so they decided to send Jim to their AHL affiliate, the Erie Blades.

Jim reported to the Erie Blades late in the 1981-82 season. However, he was sidelined by more injuries (back spasms) and didn't play much. The team sent him home to recover. Jim's NHL career was stuck in neutral and wasn't working exactly as Jim planned.

Jim was signed as a free agent by the Minnesota North Stars in 1983-84.. His time with Minnesota was no different then his time with Atlanta or Boston. He would play only 3 games with the North Stars. His time with the North Stars would signal the end of Jim's professional and NHL career, as he would retire from hockey in 1984.

His NHL career stats included 30 games played, with a total of 11 wins, 10 losses, and 7 ties.

Post Hockey Career

Jim left Valassis in 2005 to work as a salesman for the Hat Trick Group, a promotional and incentive company. In 2007, Jim launched a new company called Gold Medal Strategies, a Boston area based promotion and marketing firm.

Today, Jim Craig works as a motivational speaker and a marketing and sales strategist. He is president of Gold Medal Strategies.

Over the past 25 years, Jim has provided strategic direction and motivational programs for employees and associates from more than 300 organizations around the county.

In popular culture, Jim has been portrayed by two different actors in two different movies based on the 1980 U.S. hockey team. In 1981, actor Steve Guttenberg played Craig in a made-for-TV movie about the 1980 U.S. Hockey team called "Miracle on Ice".

In the 2004, actor Eddie Cahill played Craig in the Disney version entitled "Miracle." Interestingly, Jim Craig was Eddie Cahill childhood hero growing up.

To learn more information about Jim Craig and his company, Gold Medal Strategies, please click here.

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1980 Soviet Union Hockey Team | 1980 USA Hockey Team | Miracle on Ice | Herb Brooks | Mike Eruzione | Miracle Movie

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