Two BGSU Hall of Fame hockey players featured in new Netflix documentary

Netflix's "Miracle: The Boys of '80" includes BGSU hockey greats Ken Morrow '79 and the late Mark Wells '79

Two Bowling Green State University Athletics Hall of Fame hockey players are featured in a new Netflix documentary titled, “Miracle: The Boys of ’80.”

Ken Morrow ’79 and the late Mark Wells ’79 were BGSU teammates who played on the 1980 U.S. hockey team, whose upset against the Soviet Union became arguably the single most important sports result in American history.

Just a year removed from playing for the Falcons, the two Michigan natives helped the Americans win a stunning gold medal in Lake Placid, New York, which included a shocking semifinal victory against the heavily favored Russians, who boasted a roster loaded with future NHL stars. The Americans went on to defeat Finland in the gold medal game.

The semifinal game colloquially became known as the Miracle on Ice after broadcaster Al Michaels’ incredulous play-by-play of the third period. As the Americans held onto a 4-3 lead, Michaels cried out, “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” during the final seconds of regulation, which became one of the most iconic highlights in Olympic history.

Morrow, who is interviewed in the Netflix documentary, was the Central Collegiate Athletic Hockey Association’s player of the year as a senior in 1979 on his way to being inducted into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984. Wells, who passed away in 2024, was inducted in 1992.

Both players won spots on legendary coach Herb Brooks’ roster after their senior year at BGSU, an experience that cemented both as American hockey royalty.

Wells played two seasons of minor league hockey before retiring and finding success in the restaurant business, while Morrow parlayed his Team USA experience into being a key part of an NHL dynasty.

Shortly after the Olympics, Morrow became a blue-line fixture for the New York Islanders, who were the most dominant team in American sports in the years to come. Morrow helped the Isles win four consecutive Stanley Cups, including the franchise’s first, later in 1980.

He became the first player ever to win a gold medal and Stanley Cup in the same year, played 550 games — all with the Islanders — and was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995.

After retiring, Morrow stayed in the NHL, first as an assistant coach, then as the Islanders’ director of pro scouting.

He became one of many former Falcons to have success in the NHL, both as players and in front offices.

Among the collection of former BGSU players to enjoy success at the highest level of hockey:

• George McPhee (1978-82) - A Hobey Baker Award winner as a player, McPhee played for parts of six seasons as a player. He became an incredibly successful executive, first with the Washington Capitals and then with the Vegas Golden Knights. Now the Knights’ president of hockey operations, he helped guide the franchise from expansion to immediate success, including a Stanley Cup in 2023.
• Brian MacLellan (1978-82) - A 10-year NHL veteran who won a Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames in 1989, MacLellan has been even more successful as an executive. Now the president of hockey operations for the Washington Capitals, MacLellan helped the franchise win its first-ever Stanley Cup in 2018.
• Garry Galley (1981-84) - Part of the Falcons’ 1984 national championship team, Galley played in more than 1,100 NHL games before retiring to pursue a career in broadcasting, in which he has made a second career. He’s now a color commentator for Hockey Night in Canada.
• Paul Ysebart (1984-87) - A part of the high-flying Detroit Red Wings in the early 1990s, Ysebart scored 30 goals in back-to-back seasons in 1992 and 1993. He appeared in more than 500 NHL games and became the first-ever captain of the expansion Tampa Bay Lightning.
• Nelson Emerson (1986-90) - A three-time finalist for the Hobey Baker Award at BGSU, Emerson played for 13 seasons in the NHL, won a World Championship representing Canada and won two Stanley Cups as an executive in the L.A. Kings organization. Since 2022, he’s been the team’s assistant general manager.
• Rob Blake (1987-90) - One of the most decorated defensemen of his era, Blake is a member of the ultra-selective “Triple Gold Cup,” or hockey players who won the highest honors at every level: a World championship, a gold medal and a Stanley Cup. Blake played in the NHL for 20 years, won the 2002 gold medal with Canada, made eight All-Star teams, won the Norris Trophy and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014. He spent 12 more seasons in the L.A. Kings’ front office, helping the club with the 2014 Stanley Cup.
• Dan Bylsma (1988-92) - After playing in more than 400 career NHL games, Bylsma won more than 350 games as a head coach, which included guiding the Pittsburgh Penguins to a Stanley Cup in 2009. He won the 2011 Jack Adams Award as the top coach in the NHL.
  
• Brian Holzinger (1991-95) - A star player with the Falcons, Holzinger played in parts of 12 seasons in the NHL and represented the United States at the 1992 World Junior Championships.
• Kevin Bieksa (2000-04) - Bieksa was one of the most reliable defensemen of his era, playing in more than 800 career games, including a decade with the Vancouver Canucks, whom he helped win the Western Conference in 2011. He then moved into television and now co-hosts CBC’s iconic Hockey Night in Canada.
  
• Andrew Hammond (2009-13) - The ‘Hamburglar’ had one of the most memorable debut seasons ever for a goaltender. Pressed into action because of injury, Hammond went 20-1-2 as a starter for the Ottawa Senators in 2015, improbably helping the Sens qualify for the playoffs and drawing votes for the Vezina Trophy.
• Sean Walker (2013-17) - A steady defenseman, Walker played in 395 career NHL games and represented Canada at the 2021 World Championships, where he helped the team win a gold medal.