This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human. Spending time outdoors, then let's talk about skin cancer. Non-melanoma skin cancers, or NMSCs, including basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, are the most common cancers in the U.S. and can become harder to treat if left undetected.
That's why sun protection and timely detection matter. Our sponsor, Regeneron, is raising awareness about advanced NMSCs. Learn more and take the pledge to see a dermatologist annually at let's get real about skincancer.com. Saturday, August 22nd in Tampa. Witness an MMA Legends final fight.
Chris Cyborg, one of the greatest in history. She's an absolute pioneer in the sport. Defends her PFL world title. One last time. Unforgettable and got you marginal.
To an unforgettable career. Saturday, August 22nd, live from Benchmark International Arena. For tickets, visit pfl.info/slash tampa. Hi, I'm Steph, and I work at United Healthcare. When I think about United Healthcare's members, I think of my own family.
My niece was diagnosed with an ultra rare genetic disorder. I know how hard it is for our families at United Healthcare. We can make it easier. I'm Brian. I care because I know what it's like to not speak the language.
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And we tell stories about everything here on this show, from the arts to sports, and from business to history, and everything in between, including your stories. We've told the story of both the 1980 U.S. Olympics Miracle on Ice story and the captain of that team story, Maya Caruzzioni. Here's Greg Hengel with an alternative look. at that miraculous tale.
In his book, Win at Losing, How Our Biggest Setbacks Can Lead to Our Greatest Gains, Sam Wyman explores how failure can often be beneficial. Among the people he profiles is Ralph Cox. A former college hockey star who was squeezed out of arguably the greatest moment in sports history. What you might know about Ralph comes from the 2004 Disney movie Miracle. Which is the true story of the 1980 U.S.
Olympic hockey team that upset the powerful Soviets en route to the gold medal at Lake Placid? One of the movie's big characters is a very likable forward with a thick Boston accent. Ralph Cox had shaggy hair and a handlebar mustache. And in college hockey, he was a prolific goal scorer. The problem is, Cox also suffered an ankle injury in the run-up to the games, and it continued to nag him as the Americans were paring down their roster for Lake Placid.
In one of the movie's most emotional scenes, U.S. coach Herb Brooks calls Cox into his office to relay the news that he had to make one more cut. And Cox was it.
Now Here's Ralph Cox picking up the story following the last day of training camp in Minneapolis, Minnesota. People in Minneapolis were going to give us a going-away banquet for living there. We all lived in Minneapolis and that's where we trained. And I get to the hotel where the banquet hall is and Herb wants to see me and someone says he's downstairs in a small conference room, a small banquet hall. And as I'm walking down the stairs, I'm realizing that this is probably the moment.
I knew Herb, even though no one had said it, I really thought I was going to be on the team. I really thought I would be on the team. and go to Lake Placid. Um I sensed that he was calling me there to tell me otherwise.
So, you know, I tell you, I stayed outside the room for about the door was closed for a good five minutes just trying to. Catch my breath, get my composure, because it was a very Emotional moment. It was very, very hard to think about that possibility.
So your emotions are running high and I open the door. Finally, I just said to myself, You know, have some courage, take a breath, go in there and see what's going on. And when I walked in, Herb was pacing back and forth in the room. When he saw me come in, he just looked at me and he welled up, which I'd never seen that happen. I mean, Herb was a very powerful guy, and it took him a few minutes to be able to catch his breath or get his composure.
And he tried to talk, and again, he was a little emotional. And at that moment, for some reason, I was extremely calm and in control. I looked at him and I said, You know, hey, it's gonna be all right. He sort of smiled at me a little bit and he said, You know, I've really enjoyed having you on the team. You've been great to have around, your enthusiasm, your passion for the game.
I think you're one of the best goal scorers I've ever seen or coached. He said, I think your injury has really slowed you down. It's only been five months. We're going to be playing on a big ice surface. Um and I have to make one of the toughest, if not the toughest, co-fishing decision I've ever had to make, Ralph, and I'm not going to be able to take you.
And again he he he he welled up and stood up and walked around the room a little bit and Um You know, he he sat back down again and we we talked a little bit about uh Um About the Olympics. I told him it was always a dream that I had to actually go there. I said, I really have a. I don't know where this came from, but I said, I really have a funny feeling about this team, that you're going to have a real shot at a medal. And I said, I think you can really win the gold medal.
And he started laughing and he said, geez, I'll be happy if we just have a good showing. There's a lot of people are not sure about that. And he said, it's nice to see you feel like that, you know. He said, if I can ever do anything for you ever in your career, he said it'd be a pleasure to be able to do that. And what I didn't know at that time, and I didn't know for almost 10 years, But it made sense after the ten years because it was an article in Sports Illustrated and The author of the article asked Herb, you know, at that moment.
When the final seconds ticked down and you knew you were going to win the gold medal, what were you thinking about? And he said, I was thinking about Ralph Cox. And I'm reading the article and I'm thinking, that's unusual. And then it went on to talk about Herb being the last cut in the 1960 Olympics, right before the Olympics. And just the ironic moment that, you know, He, when he was probably letting me go, he was thinking of himself.
I knew it was hard for him and it was... obviously a crushing moment for me as an athlete. And I remember when I left there, I thought my life was over, this was going to be it, it would never be the same. And then in the lumi life would be very different, which it has been. Um And it took a few years to uh sort of Adjust who you are in the world because you think, you know, at that point, as an athlete, you think of yourself as a hockey player.
But it uh it really f It forced me and helped me think about myself and the world around me in a much, I think, a much healthier way and a good way. And I went on, I had a great career playing in Europe and a lot of good moments in hockey and a lot of good moments working with the Penguins with Herb. And people used to tell me, don't you hate Herb Brooks? Not for a second. I enjoyed him as a coach.
He was a phenomenal hockey coach, you know, and I don't think people need me to say that, but he was the best bench coach that I think most of us on that team ever had. And um You know, it wasn't easy. I think melding that team together. We were all young and enthusiastic guys and all of us were the captains of our team. We all had big egos and we all wanted to play and we thought we should be playing all the time, killing penalties on the power of play.
And you know, the guys from the East really, that's true, and the guys from the West, they had this culture clash and But he had a way of bringing us together and he certainly was as good a coach as I've ever played for. Ralph Cox was the ECAC Player of the Year in 1979, and he played professionally in Europe before joining the Pittsburgh Penguins as a scout. winning two Stanley Cups. He currently has a successful real estate business and still gets together with the players from the 1980 team. Hey, great job on that, Greg.
The story of Ralph Cox here. on our American stories. Lee Habib here, and I'd like to encourage you to subscribe to Our American Stories on Apple Podcasts, the iHeartRadio app, Spotify, or wherever you get our podcasts. Any story you missed or want to hear again can be found there daily. Again, Please subscribe to the Our American Stories podcast on Apple Podcasts, the iHeartRadio app, or anywhere you get your podcasts.
It helps us keep these great American stories coming. Spending time outdoors, then let's talk about skin cancer. Non-melanoma skin cancers, or NMSCs, including basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, are the most common cancers in the U.S. and can become harder to treat if left undetected. That's why sun protection and timely detection matter.
Our sponsor, Regeneron, is raising awareness about advanced NMSCs. Learn more and take the pledge to see a dermatologist annually at Let's Get RealAbout SkinCancer.com. Saturday, August 22nd in Tampa, witness an MMA Legends final fight. Chris Cyborg, one of the greatest in history. She's an absolute pioneer in the sport.
Defends her PFL world title. One last time. Unforgettable and To an unforgettable career. Saturday, August 22nd, live from Benchmark International Arena. For tickets, visit pfl.info/slash tampa.
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That's why working forest professionals plant over 1 billion seedlings annually in the U.S., ensuring more trees are planted than harvested. But it takes more than planting to sustain these ecosystems. It means caring for everything in the forest, from clean water to thriving wildlife. Because when we take care of our forests, they'll thrive for generations. Learn more at WorkingForestsIniative.com.
