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20 // MARCH 2018 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS That wasn't entirely true for the 25 men who proudly wore the USA uniform on Olympic ice. They were also playing for the name on the back of the jersey that hung in an empty stall inside their locker room inside the Gangneung Hockey Centre. It was part of a solemn tribute to the man whose vision was the driving force that brought together these players and coaching staff. As they prepared for their first practice together as the U.S. Men's Olympic Team, each player quietly sat staring at the makeshift shrine, thinking back to the first time they met Jim Johannson and how it changed their lives. "He cared about the person you were first, and that goes a long way," said Jonathan Blum, who was wearing the colors for the fifth time. " We w a n t e d t o p l a y o u r b e s t f o r h i m because he believed in every one of us. We wanted to go out and make him proud." Johannson, the general manager of the team who had put his heart and soul into USA Hockey for the last 17 years, passed away suddenly on Jan. 21 at the age of 53. And so it was, with heavy hearts and a fierce determination to show the world the same traits that Johannson saw in each of them that this team of relatively unknowns set out to honor their fallen friend by bring- ing home an Olympic medal. Leading the charge was longtime friend a n d f o r m e r O l y m p i c t e a m m a t e , To n y Granato, who made sure everyone knew whose handiwork it was that brought them all here to South Korea. U.S. Men Give It All They Have In Memory Of Their Fallen Friend // By Harry Thompson For 35-year-old Jim Slater, representing the U.S. at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games was the highlight of a long and distinguished hockey career. IT'S BEEN SAID MANY TIMES THAT YOU PLAY FOR THE CREST ON THE FRONT OF THE JERSEY AND NOT THE NAME ON THE BACK. PHOTOS BY Jeff Cable and Getty Images