I’d like to shake the hand of whoever decided to make Riley Andersen from the “Inside Out” franchise a hockey player when they were doing initial character work on the first film. 

I’d thank them profusely because, sure, everyone came to see “Inside Out 2” (2024) for another peek at the inner workings of Pixar’s version of the human mind. But what they actually, secretly saw was a great hockey movie. 

I think what made Riley’s hockey journey being front and center so fresh and exciting for me was the fact that there are so few mainstream hockey movies. If you can name a single hockey movie outside of a “Mighty Ducks” film or “Miracle” (2004), you get first star of the day honors, courtesy of me. 

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But if you thought that I, a Los Angeles Kings beat writer and longtime writer of the “L.A. on Ice” column, was going to let this new column play out without discussing a hockey movie, well, you were wrong. 

Especially because in the aftermath of the 4 Nations, I haven’t been able to get “Miracle” out of my mind. 

“Miracle” is not only a great hockey movie, it’s easily one of the best sports films ever made, and one of my favorite movies. I am a sucker for an U.S. underdog story, and watching a group of ragtag college boys defeat a mighty Soviet Union team in the 1980 Olympics just strikes the right nerve with me. I would run through a wall for Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell). 

I think the most exciting undertone of the 4 Nations for me is that this tournament made it clear that people in the United States love hockey. The ratings definitely made that clear, as over nine million Americans tuned in for the championship game between the U.S. and Canada. That marked the most-viewed NHL-sponsored hockey game since they started tracking viewership. 

That was also clear from the talent on the ice. While on paper, Canada had the most talented squad of any of the four participating countries and ultimately won the tournament, the U.S. easily handled Canada in their first matchup and took the Canadians to overtime in the championship game. It was clear that the U.S. can field a roster that competes with the world’s best hockey squads in a best-on-best format. 

This is because as more Americans fell in love with hockey, perhaps through “Miracle,” more Americans have succeeded in the dream of making it professionally. While over four-fifths of NHL players were from Canada during the 1980-81 season, Canadian players now make up less than half of the NHL, and Americans nearly one-third. 

This cycle will only continue further; more kids in the U.S. than ever watched this tournament, and now they have more superstar heroes than ever who grew up in their own backyard. The hockey American Dream is more viable than ever. 

As someone who scrounged the internet for hockey players from the Los Angeles area for “L.A. on Ice,” this excites me greatly. Hockey is a wonderful game, and I can’t wait to see more U.S. kids play it and the youth hockey infrastructure improve to match their interest. 

Also, despite the political cloud over the event, the vision for U.S. hockey as an identity was certainly cast. “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd played after every goal, and brawls were pre-planned. The blend of skill and physicality made the U.S. more confident and cohesive than ever before. 

And of course, a U.S.-based team has won the Stanley Cup every year since 1993, so as U.S. NHL franchises soar in success and popularity, it feels more like an “U.S. league” than ever before. 

Look, I don’t have an U.S. superiority complex. I am so happy for the Canadians who won the tournament, and I hope that the NHL continues to have a strong Canadian fanbase for years. I think that Canadian culture is a massive part of what makes the sport what it is today, one of the best in the world. 

But I am passionate about U.S. hockey, because I want people all over my home country to dream big about the sport. I hope that kids in Arizona, Texas and every other place where lakes never freeze over watched this tournament and dreamed of playing hockey one day or making hockey films.

And I hope that at the outset of those dreams, they watch “Miracle.” Even if you’re not the underdog anymore, everyone could use some good old hockey drama and a speech from Brooks to make it through the day. 

Ethan Inman is a senior writing about sports films that have taken on a new meaning compared to when they were released. His column, “The 35mm Yard Line,” runs every other Thursday, and he is also a sports editor for the Daily Trojan.