COLORADO SPRINGS — The trifecta of gold medal hockey wins at this year's Olympic and Paralympic Games in Italy has ignited a lot of interest in the game of hockey.
Women, men, and Paralympic teams dominated at the Olympics. Now USA Hockey is back home in Colorado Springs, and while the Olympics are over, the momentum continues.
Gold medal team photos went up quickly at USA Hockey headquarters.
"It was unprecedented success in the Olympics and Paralympics for USA Hockey. Never before have we won all three gold medals," Dave Fischer with USA Hockey said.
It is a thrill that remains vivid in the minds of hockey fans in Colorado Springs.
"I woke up early, you know, 6 a.m. to watch the game here," Jace Addy, a hockey league player in Colorado Springs, said.
"Obviously hockey is in our blood. So, whenever we see, our team's doing well, it always gets us riled up," David Rash, who also plays league hockey, said.
"Just for all three, all three teams to come through, super exciting," Addy said.
The excitement continues beyond the Olympic and Paralympic wins.
"The publicity that the US has gained through this has definitely brought more of a spotlight to youth," Rash said.
"With success on the world stage, obviously people start to pay attention, and I feel like such a huge thing there, you hear a lot of the guys on the Olympic teams saying that, you know, their idols are the guys who won Miracle on Ice in 1980," Addy said.
That Miracle on Ice win is also on display at USA Hockey. It was the last time the U.S. men had won gold at the Olympics. Then and this time, players play for more than themselves.
"All of our athletes would tell you they certainly played for each other within the team structure, but they played for our country," Fischer said.
The wins, sportsmanship, and personalities of players have resulted in momentum for USA Hockey. Right after the Olympics, annual Hockey Week events happened.
"We had more than 10,000 kids come out in communities across America," Fischer said.
One of the fastest-growing groups getting into hockey is young women.
"During the course of the Olympic Winter Games. We hit 100,000 female players for the first time ever at USA Hockey," Fischer said.
Longtime players promise the newcomers will love it.
"It's fast paced. It's exciting. Like I said, it's a community," Rash said.
One of the standout images from the men's hockey side is Jack Hughes and his broken tooth. At USA Hockey, they have taken quite a few calls from dentists saying they would be happy to fix that tooth for free.
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