John Harrington John " Bah " Harrington ( born May 24 , 1957 in Virginia , Minnesota ) is a American former ice hockey forward and is currently a head coach for HC Asiago . Playing career . John Harrington was a stand - out high school hockey athlete for Virginia High School in Minnesota ' s hockey - rich Iron Range under head coach Dave Hendrickson . After Harrington ' s senior season at Virginia , University of Minnesota Duluth ( UMD ) assistant head coach Mike Sertich urged Harrington to try out for the hockey team . With Sertich ' s backing , Harrington won a walk - on spot on UMD ' s roster . He lettered for four seasons at UMD from 1975 - 79 . Following his collegiate playing career , Harrington was invited to try out for the 1979 - 80 US National team coached by the Minnesota Golden Gophers ' Herb Brooks . Harrington made every cut and was placed on the Olympic roster for the 1980 Lake Placid games . The team went on to defeat the highly favored Soviet Union 4 - 3 in the first game of the Medal Round in an event named the “ Miracle on Ice . ” The team defeated Finland 4 - 2 two days later to capture the Gold Medal for the US . Harrington is credited with an assist on Mike Eruzione ' s go - ahead game - winning goal against the USSR . Undrafted by the NHL , Harrington had a try - out with the Buffalo Sabres following the Olympics . The Sabres immediately assigned him to the Rochester Americans of the AHL , where he scored seven points in twelve games despite being a marked man . " Some Canadian - born kids resent the fact that the Americans did so well in the Olympics and they ' re a bit jealous of them , " claimed Buffalo defenseman Jim Playfair . In one game Harrington was struck in the face and needed six stitches to close a bloody gash on his chin . In another game against the Hershey Bears Harrington was attacked from behind by Lou Franceschetti and knocked unconscious for five minutes , laying in a pool of blood on the ice . He had to spend the night in hospital with a concussion , fractured jaw , broken nose and four loosened teeth . Franceshetti was not penalized , insisting it was a " clean " check . " My shoulder just connected with the back of his neck . " " If it was a clean check , how did I get it in the back of my head ? " asked Harrington . " Laying in my hospital bed , I had all sorts of mixed emotions , especially when my teeth ached and my heart throbbed . I kept thinking of the cleaner game in Europe , that I could have gone to Switzerland to play hockey . Something like this can ' t help but discourage you . But this is the way it is in the pros and I ' ll make it one way or the other . . . even if I have to face a few goofballs . " Harrington played the 1980 - 81 season for Lugano in the Swiss league before returning to the US to play with the US National team from 1981 - 83 on a full time basis . He was a member of the United States team at the 1981 , 1982 and 1983 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments . Between brief stints in the Central Hockey League , Harrington rejoined the Olympic hockey team for the 1984 Winter Olympics . Coaching career . Following 1984 , Harrington retired from playing and rejoined his college roots as an assistant coach under former Montreal Canadiens star Ralph Backstrom at the University of Denver . The highlight of Harrington ' s time at Denver was 1985 - 86 when Denver won a school record 34 games and advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four . In 1990 Harrington returned to Minnesota as an assistant coach for St . Cloud State University . From 1993 - 2008 , Harrington was the head hockey coach at Saint John ' s University in Collegeville , Minnesota . Harrington turned around a listless program at Saint John ' s . By his fourth season he had guided SJU to a school - record 26 - 6 - 1 mark , the school ' s first conference championship since 1950 , the school ' s first conference playoff championship , the school ' s first NCAA tournament berth and an NCAA third place victory . In 15 seasons at Saint John ' s he has a career record of 241 - 142 - 31 ( . 620 ) . He has won five Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles , four MIAC playoff championships and has advanced to the NCAA tournament five times . Harrington is the school leader in career wins . In addition to his coaching duties , Harrington was the assistant athletic director at Saint John ' s . It was announced onMarch 31 , 2008 that Harrington would step down as head coach at Saint John ' s to become head coach for HC Ambri - Piotta of the Swiss National League . On December 16 2008 he was fired . On January 19 2009 Harrington signed a contract as head coach for the Slovenia national ice hockey team , then on May 11 , 2009 , Harrington signed a contract with HC Asiago .