The 1980 Soviet Union hockey team wasn’t just the best hockey team of all time; they were arguably the best athletic team ever assembled. They had just dismantled the NHL All Stars in the third game of a best of three series in a stunning 6-0 blowout victory. The unfair rules of Olympic competition at the time allowed Communist countries like the USSR to use professional players (pretending them to be amateurs) while the USA could only use college players for the most part. The odds for the USA in the 1980 winter Olympics hockey against the Soviets were horrible at best. No one could withstand the Soviet juggernaut, least of all a collection of college kids.

But that 1980 team didn’t get the memo. And neither did their star defenseman, Ken Morrow.

The Herb Books-led squad went on to defeat the vaunted Soviets 3-2, and Morrow was on the ice during those final frantic minutes of that iconic win, including Al Michaels's famous question that framed a generation of hockey in America, “DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?” Two days later Team USA defeated Finland to capture the Gold medal in Lake Placid, a feat not matched again for 46 years when the USA triumphed with the Gold in 2026.

Morrow's Flintstone roots are strong, Ken's dad, Don, was a Flint Central Indian, and a great athlete and baseball player there. Strong family ties shaped Morrow’s youth, and so did playing sports in Flint. Born and raised on Kellar Avenue on the city’s West Side, he played his hockey in backyards and on Flint city rinks like Memorial Park, Lincoln Park, and Whaley Park on the East Side, evolving to the Greater Flint Hockey Association at the IMA. Morrow says, “I am a product of my Flint childhood - a working-class mindset and a solid work ethic that set a foundation for me at a young age.”

His family later moved to Davison where he a graduated from Davison High School, though he never played hockey in Davison or for the school. That’s because Morrow was so good he was focused on travel hockey and competing against the best metro Detroit could throw at him. That experience led him to college hockey at Bowling Green where he was the school’s first hockey All American, and the 1979 Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) Player of the Year.

That success led him to Coach Herb Brooks and the 1980 US Olympic Hockey squad, the Miracle on Ice Team. Immediately following his Olympic triumph, Morrow signed with the New York Islanders, who had drafted him in 1976. In doing so, he made history by becoming the first hockey player to win an Olympic Gold medal and an NHL Stanley Cup championship in the exact same season. He became an indispensable defensive anchor for the Islanders' historic 1980s dynasty, helping the franchise capture four consecutive Stanley Cups from 1980 to 1983. Ken was known for his reliability and clutch playoff goals.

Morrow was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995. He has spent over three decades working in executive and coaching roles, serving as the Islanders' Director of Pro Scouting since 1993.

You can also visit this episode at Fish's website: https://www.flintchronicles.com/

Geena Gall Levoe is an elite American middle-distance runner and Olympian whose remarkable career solidified her status as one of the greatest track and field athletes in Michigan history. Born in Flint and raised in Grand Blanc, Michigan, Levoe was naturally athletic from a young age. At Grand Blanc High School, she initially excelled as a standout point guard on the varsity basketball team before a freshman knee injury shifted her primary focus toward track. Under the guidance of her coaches, she transitioned from sprinting to the 800-meter event, ultimately capturing back-to-back state championships and setting a long-standing state record.

Levoe took her talents to the University of Michigan, where she assembled a legendary collegiate career from 2005 to 2009. Running for the Wolverines, she earned national acclaim as a 10-time NCAA All-American and a dominant force in the Big Ten Conference, capturing 10 individual and relay Big Ten titles. Her crowning collegiate achievements came in 2008 and 2009, when she secured back-to-back NCAA Outdoor Championship titles in her signature event, the 800-meter run. She was also a vital member of Michigan's famed "Fab Four" relay team, which shattered two collegiate records at the Penn Relays.

Following her collegiate success, Levoe transitioned into a highly competitive professional career on the international circuit. In 2012, she realized her lifelong dream by placing second at the U.S. Olympic Trials with a personal best time of 1:59.24. This performance punched her ticket to the 2012 London Olympic Games, where she proudly represented Team USA and advanced to the Olympic semifinals in the 800-meter event.

In recognition of her athletic excellence, Levoe was inducted into the Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame as one of its youngest-ever members. Following her retirement from elite track racing after the 2016 Olympic Trials, she shifted her passion toward trail running. She currently works for Nike and resides in Oregon with her family.

You can also visit this episode at Fish's website: https://www.flintchronicles.com/

Another year conversing with the CANUSA fellas is always a reason to cheer! In its 67th year, it's the last of its kind in the country, this international Olympic-style rivalry between two cities: Flint, Michigan, USA and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

​Let the games begin!

You can also visit this episode at Fish's website: https://www.flintchronicles.com/