USA Hockey Magazine

EVER ONE TO SHY AWAY FROM HYPERBOLE, long- time USA Hockey coach Lou Vairo called it "one of the great lines in U.S. hockey history." A n d a f t e r a l m o s t f o u r decades of reflection mixed w i t h n u m e r o u s a c c o l a d e s, hall of fame inductions and awards, there's little doubt that he was right. T w o f i r s t - r o u n d N H L d r a f t p i c k s a n d a f u t u r e first-rounder, all teenagers at the time, would form the top line for a team hoping to produce another Olympic miracle. Following the success of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team, a new wave of American players was suddenly catching the eye of NHL teams. Many were drafted and signed to pro contracts, leaving them out of the mix for the 1984 Olympic Winter Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. That forced Vairo and his coaching staff to dip even deeper into the well for players. W hat he u ltimately d iscovered wa s the fou nt a in of youth in the for m of talented teens Pat LaFontaine, Eddie Olczyk and David A. Jensen. "They were three extremely smart hockey players, three of the smartest kids—hockey players with hockey sense—that I've ever coached," Vairo recalled of the "Diaper Line," the nickname he labeled the trio because of their age. "They played well beyond their years." The trio did in fact play way beyond their years, leading the team in scoring during the pre- Olympic tour and accounting for more than half of Team USA's goals during their Olympic run in Sarajevo. "To play four years later was a dream come true, and it happened so fast," said LaFontaine, who turned 15 on the day the U.S. beat the Soviets in Lake Placid. "We realized it was deemed a miracle, but at the same instance, we were inspired by what they did." Olczyk, the young est player on the team, was six weeks shy of his 17th birthday when the final roster was announced on July 4, 1983. There was no threat of losing the Chicago native to the pros—he wasn't even eligible for the NHL Entry Draft. Jensen was in between his junior and senior year a t L a w r e n c e A c a d e m y, a p r i v a t e h i g h s c h o o l i n Massachusetts, and was selected No. 20 overall by the Hartford Whalers in the 1983 Draft. LaFontaine was the seasoned veteran of the bunch at age 18. Coming off a banner year in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League where he broke a multitude of scoring records, the third overall pick of the New York Islanders was perhaps the top player on the team. There was no question as to the Diaper Line's ability. LaFontaine scored 104 goals and 234 points in 70 games during his first season in the QMJHL, breaking league rookie records set by NHL standouts Guy Lafleur and Mike Bossy, and was pretty much a lock for the 20-man Olympic roster. "Pat was always a major focal point of the other teams and a dynamic player, not only as a Major Junior player but Olympic player as well," said Olczyk, who faced off against PHOTOS BY USA Hockey Magazine Archives Youth Was Well Served By Top U.S. Line At 1984 Olympics /// By Zac Clark N DANDIES Diaper AUGUST 2021 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 33

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