Dave Silk
A speedy winger on the 'Miracle on Ice' team whose relentless forechecking embodied the workmanlike grit that stunned the world.
Born 1958 (age 68)·American ice hockey player·Birthday: January 1·Baby Boomers
Biography
Dave Silk wasn't the most famous name on the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, but he was a vital component of its engine. A product of Boston University, where he won a national championship, Silk brought a blue-collar, two-way game defined by speed and tenacity. Coach Herb Brooks valued his relentless forechecking and defensive responsibility, slotting him onto a line that provided crucial energy and secondary scoring. In Lake Placid, Silk's contributions were woven into the fabric of the miracle: he assisted on the first U.S. goal against the Soviets, a pivotal moment that signaled the Americans would not be intimidated. After the gold medal victory, he embarked on a solid professional career, playing parts of several seasons in the NHL. His legacy is that of the quintessential role player, the kind of unheralded talent whose hard-nosed play made the extraordinary possible for a team that captured a nation's imagination.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Dave was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dave Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Dave's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won an Olympic gold medal as a member of the 1980 U.S. 'Miracle on Ice' hockey team.
- Recorded an assist on Mike Eruzione's historic game-winning goal against the Soviet Union.
- Won an NCAA national championship with Boston University in 1978.
- Played 249 regular-season games in the NHL over six seasons with four different teams.
Did You Know?
He was drafted by the New York Rangers but made his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins.
He is the cousin of former NHL player, coach, and executive Mike Milbury.
After hockey, he worked for many years as a financial advisor in the Boston area.
“You don't wait for the game to come to you; you go take it.”
