quote:

Eric Heiden



Eric Arthur Heiden (Madison, 15 juni 1958) is een Amerikaanse schaatser die vijf gouden medailles won tijdens de Olympische Winterspelen in 1980 in Lake Placid New York.

In alle 5 de afstanden bereikte hij een olympisch record; hij was bovendien de eerste sporter die erin slaagde om 5 gouden medailles te winnen op individuele nummers tijdens dezelfde Spelen. Eerder nam hij op 17-jarige leeftijd al niet onverdienstelijk deel aan de Winterspelen van 1976 in Innsbruck.

Heiden stopte vrij abrupt met schaatsen; hij ging wielrennen en nam in 1986 zelfs deel aan de Ronde van Frankrijk. Daarna werkte hij als commentator voor verschillende televisiestations. Na afronding van zijn opleiding tot orthopeed aan Stanford University is Heiden tegenwoordig weer betrokken bij de Amerikaanse schaatsploeg, nu als arts.

Bron: wikipedia

quote:

Wayne Gretzky



Wayne Douglas Gretzky, OC (born January 26, 1961) is a former professional ice hockey player and current head coach and part owner of the Phoenix Coyotes. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, he is known as The Great One, and considered by many to be the greatest player of all time.

* Position: Centre
* Shoots: Left
* Height: 6 ft (1.83 m)
* Weight: 185 lb (84 kg)


Taught by his father Walter, Gretzky was seen as a classic prodigy. At age 6 he was skating with 10-year-olds. At 10 he scored 378 goals and 120 assists in 85 games, and the first story on him was published in the Toronto Telegram. At 14, playing against 20-year-olds, he left Brantford to further his career. He also signed with his first agent.

He played one year in the Ontario Hockey League, at the age of 16, with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. There he began wearing the number 99 on his jersey. He had wanted 9 — for his hero Gordie Howe — but it was already being worn by another teammate. At Coach Muzz MacPherson's suggestion Gretzky settled on 99. The next year (1978-79) he signed with the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association (WHA) as an underaged player.
[edit]

WHA career

The NHL did not allow the signing of players under the age of 18 (nor does now), but the WHA had no rules regarding such signings. Nelson Skalbania, the owner of Indianapolis Racers, signed the 17 year old future superstar, Wayne Gretzky to, at that time, a whopping personal contract worth between $1.125 and 1.75 million US over 4 to 7 years. Skalbania, knowing that the WHA was fading, felt owning the young star was more valuable than owning a WHA team. But, needing cash, only eight games into the 1978-79 WHA season, Skalbania liquidated his greatest asset to his old friend and former partner Peter Pocklington, owner of the Edmonton Oilers. Pocklington purchased Gretzky and two other Indianapolis players, goaltender Eddie Mio and forward Peter Driscoll, paying $700,000 for the contracts of the three players, although the announced price was actually $850,000. On Gretzky's 18th birthday, the 26th of January, 1979, Pocklington signed him to a 21-year personal services contract, the longest in hockey history, worth $4-5 million US. Gretzky would go on to capture the Lou Kaplan Trophy for rookie of the year, finish third in league scoring (110 points), and help the Oilers to first overall in the league. That would be Gretzky's only season in the WHA, as it folded following the Avco World Trophy finals.

Gretzky played on four different NHL teams over a 20 year period: The Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, and New York Rangers

After the World Hockey Association folded in 1979, four teams, including the Edmonton Oilers, joined the National Hockey League. The success enjoyed on the ice by Gretzky in the WHA carried over into the NHL despite critics expecting otherwise. The critics expected him to fail in the bigger, tougher, more talented NHL. But in only his first NHL season, 1979-80, Gretzky proved his critics wrong and was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the League's Most Valuable Player (the first of eight in a row) and tied for the scoring lead with Marcel Dionne with 137 points (Dionne was awarded the Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the league's leading scorer because he had scored more goals, even though Gretzky played fewer games). Gretzky, though, was not eligible for the Calder Memorial Trophy, given to the top NHL rookie, because of his previous year of professional experience. The rule, however, was changed a few years later. Teemu Selänne is a case in point of this rule change.

In his second season, Gretzky won the Art Ross Trophy (the first of seven consecutive years) with a single-season record 164 points, and won his second straight Hart Trophy. He also broke both Bobby Orr's record for assists in a season and Phil Esposito's record for points in a season. In Gretzky's third season, 1981-82, Gretzky surpassed one of the game's most cherished records — 50 goals in 50 games — set by Maurice "Rocket" Richard during the 1944-45 NHL season and tied by Mike Bossy during the 1980-81 NHL season. On December 30, 1981, in Edmonton's 39th game, Gretzky scored his 50th goal of the season (and fifth of the game) into an empty net in the final seconds of a 7-5 win against Philadelphia. On 24 February, 1982, Gretzky continued his record-breaking tear by breaking Esposito's record for most goals in a season (76), when he scored four goals to help beat the Buffalo Sabres, 6-3. He ended that 1981-1982 season with records of 92 goals, 120 assists, and 212 points in 80 games.

The following seasons would see Gretzky break his own assists record three more times (125, 135, and 163) and his point record one more time (215). He would also go onto break dozens of records and set standards that to this day still stand. By the time he finished playing in Edmonton, he held or shared 49 NHL records, which in itself was a record.

The Edmonton Oilers finished their last WHA season first overall in the regular season. When they came to the NHL, they didn't find the same success right away. But within 4 seasons, the Oilers were competing for the Stanley Cup. The Oilers were a young, strong team featuring forwards Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, and Jari Kurri, defenceman Paul Coffey, goaltender Grant Fuhr, and Gretzky as its captain. In 1983, they made it to the Stanley Cup finals, only to be swept by the three-time defending champion New York Islanders. The following season, the Oilers met the Islanders in the Finals again, this time winning their first of five Stanley Cups over the next seven years. Gretzky was part of 4 Cup wins with the Oilers.

Bron: wikepedia

quote:

Johann Olav Koss



Johan Olav Koss was dé schaatser van het begin van de jaren '90. Bij de Olympische Spelen van 1992 won hij goud op 1500 meter en zilver op de 10.000 meter. Bij de Olymische Winterspelen in 1994 won hij goud op zowel de 1500, 5000 als 10.000 meter, allen met een nieuw wereldrecord. Hij werd wereldkampioen allroud in 1990, 1991 en 1994.

In totaal heeft Koss 10 wereldrecords gereden op de 1500 meter, 3000 meter, 5000 meter (5 keer), 10000 meter (2 keer), en allround.

Koss is ambassadeur van Unicef geweest en is nu voorzitter van de organisatie 'Right to play'. Deze organisatie gebruikt sport en spel om kinderen in ontwikkelingslanden kind te laten zijn en ze te helpen bij hun fysieke en sociale ontwikkeling..

Bron: www.noorwegen.org

quote:

Bjorn Daehlie



Cross-country skier Björn Dæhlie holds several all-time Winter Olympics records. Competing in the 1990s, he is still the only winter athlete to win eight gold medals, the only one to win twelve total medals and the only one to earn nine medals in individual events. He is also the only man to win six gold medals in individual events.
The first of Dæhlie's fifteen Olympic races was the 1992 30km classical, in which he earned the silver medal behind fellow Norwegian Vegard Ulvang. After placing fourth in the 10km classical, Dæhlie came from behind in the second half of the combined pursuit to win his first gold medal. He added a second gold in the relay, skiing the anchor leg and celebrating by crossing the finish line backwards. He closed out the Albertville Games by winning the 50km classical by 57.6 seconds. Two years later, at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics, Dæhlie repeated his second-place finish in the 30km, but this time he earned the gold medal in the 10km. At the post-race press conference, he celebrated his victory by sharing with reporters cherry brandy made from cherries he and his father had picked. Dæhlie added another gold medal in the pursuit. Racing the anchor leg again in the relay, he was edged at the finish line by Silvio Fauner of Italy. He closed out the 1994 Games with a fourth place in the 50km race. Dæhlie got off to a bad start at his final Olympics, the 1998 Nagano Games. After choosing the wrong skis and wax for the 30km, he was only able to place 20th. However, he rebounded by winning the 10km race and then taking a silver in the pursuit. Dæhlie picked up another gold medal by skiing the third leg of the 4x10km relay. Dæhlie' final Olympic race - and his final victory - was in the 50km, in what he would later describe as the hardest race of his life. After skiing for more than two hours, he crossed the finish line 8.1 seconds faster than Sweden's Niklas Jonsson. Dæhlie collapsed and was unable to stand up again for five minutes.

Bron: Olympic.org