The impossible happened
on February 22, 1980: a
group of young men, who
played hockey for various
colleges throughout the
U.S, beat a team full of
amazing athletes, one that
was considered the greatest
hockey team in the world.
The passing of the thirtieth
anniversary of this
momentous event passing
is a perfect time to revisit
this event and remember
what it did for a country
that was in despair.
In 1980, the tension of the
cold war against the Soviet
Union was a constant
source of concern for many
Americans. The cold war,
and the Iranian Hostage
Crisis, in which the Iranian
government held 52
hostages taken from the
U.S. embassy in Tehran,
had caused Americans to
undergo significant despair,
even fear and paranoia.
The 1980 Winter
Olympics, held in Lake
Placid, New York, was a
welcome distraction.
The U.S. men’s hockey
team was full of young and
talented players such as:
Jim Craig in goal, Mike
Ramsey, Ken Murrow, and
Jack O’Callahan on
defense, Mark Johnson,
Dave Silk, Rob
McClanahan at forward,
and the team’s electrifying
captain, Mike Eruzione.
The team was coached by
Herb Brooks. Nine of the
20 members of the team
played for Brooks at the
University of Minnesota.
No one expected the U.S.
to win. The Soviet Union,
our bitter rival at the time,
was the overwhelming
favorite to win.
The Soviets were a tough,
no nonsense team, whose
players could have been
great NHL players. The
Soviets were lead by their
captain, Boris Mikhailov.
Vladislav Tretiak, the
Soviet’s goalie, was considered
the best goalie in the
world.
Both teams made it
through the preliminaries
undefeated. U.S. was 4-0-
1, beating Norway,
Czechoslovakia, Romania,
West Germany, and tying
Sweden. The Soviets were
5-0, lopsidedly beating
almost everyone they had
faced.
The stage was set for the
match up of the global enemies.
The sports writers
predicted that America had
no shot to win, a belief that
was held worldwide.
Before the game began,
the crowd, a sea of red,
white, and blue, began
their deafening chant,
“U.S.A., U.S.A., U.S.A.
…” The players on both
teams were nervous; none
wanted to disappoint their
respective country.
The Soviets started off
fast, netting the first goal.
When the U.S. stormed
back to tie the game, the
USSR quickly scored
again. The first period didn’t
look good for the U.S.
until the very last second,
when the U.S. scored to tie
the game.
The second period was all
USSR, which led 3-2 going
into the third period.
However, in the third, the
magic started, and the miracle
began to take shape.
With the USSR in the
penalty box, the U.S.
stormed back to tie the
game. Following that,
Captain Mike Eruzione
netted U.S.’ fourth goal,
and the U.S. had the lead
for the first time.
For the last ten minutes of
the game, the U.S. team
played “keep-away,” eating
up time and running down
the clock to prevent USSR
from scoring.
Al Michaels was calling
the game and, with only 11
seconds left, the game in
hand for the U.S., he began
the greatest sports call in
history.
“Eleven seconds, you’ve
got ten seconds, the countdown
going on right now!
… Morrow, up to Silk. …
Five seconds left in the
game. … Do you believe in
miracles? … YES!” The
legend of the “Miracle on
Ice” had begun.
The U.S. men’s hockey
team had pulled off a
tremendous upset over its
arch-enemy, perhaps the
greatest upset ever in the
history of sports. Those
young college kids became
instant American heroes,
making an entire nation
believe in miracles and
reigniting its spirit.