When the final buzzer sounded on the PWHL Minnesota vs. Toronto game on Friday night, confirming Minnesota’s reverse sweep and upcoming matchup against Boston in the Walter Cup Finals, the first thing I thought of was a scene from the film Miracle, which follows the 1980 U.S. Olympic team’s underdog journey to gold against the Soviets at the height of the Cold War.
In the scene, set in Colorado Springs on the opening day of Olympic team tryouts, Jack O’Callahan finds his Boston University teammate, goalie Jim Craig, checking out the tryout roster posted on the bulletin board. They embrace, and Jack asks about the players on the list. Jim informs him that the majority of the players are from Minnesota and Boston. Jack responds sarcastically, “Yeah that’s gonna work”. The rivalry continues to bubble between Boston University and the University of Minnesota players, highlighted by O’Callahan’s frustration with Rob McClanahan, who had cheap-shotted him in the semifinals, leading to BU’s loss to the Gophers en route to them winning the 1976 National Championship. (In real life, it was Russ Anderson who fought Jack in 76’, McClanahan joined the Gophers the following season.)
This rivalry is steeped in history. If the PWHL Boston and Minnesota were to continue this legacy, it would make for entertaining hockey, to say the least. Setting aside the immaturity often associated with this particular college rivalry, their games were fiery, physical, high intensity, and full of offensive brilliance. It sounds similar to a game description of what happens when PWHL Boston and Minnesota collide. The inaugural Walter Cup Finals promises to be quite the show.