LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Team USA's stunning overtime victory in the Winter Olympics men's hockey gold medal game in Italy is generating excitement far beyond the ice — including right here in central Kentucky.
Matt Damon of the Central Kentucky Hockey Association and Lexington Thoroughbreds team said the historic win has the potential to grow the sport locally.
"I texted the president of our organization and said, 'this is going to be huge for us,'" Damon said. "We're hoping it inspires that new group of athletes."
Damon, who plays hockey himself and has a son now playing in the sport, acknowledged the barriers that can keep new players from getting involved — including costs and limited ice time. But he believes Sunday's gold medal win could help change that.
"Anytime you get as much viewership as this got yesterday, you had bars opening and places opening early for the watch parties. I think that's awesome. It's getting the entire community involved," Damon said.
Damon also highlighted the family nature of the sport, pointing to two sets of brothers on the U.S. roster — Matt and Brady Tkachuk and Quinn and Jack Hughes. Jack Hughes scored the game-winning goal in overtime, doing so shortly after losing teeth to a high-sticking penalty.
"Hockey players are built different. They really are," Damon said. "Jack Hughes, just the photos he has now, draped in the American flag, with his bloody tooth — I think that signifies the grit of that team."
Damon said hockey has already been growing in central Kentucky. The program, which operates out of the Lexington Ice Center, has expanded in recent years, and he is expecting another surge of interest following the gold medal victory.
"This is our generation's miracle, that's what you're going to remember it as," Damon said, referring to the 1980 Miracle on Ice — the last time the U.S. men's team won Olympic gold. "It's great for the sport and great for the community too."
