Miracle on Ice

The "Miracle on Ice" was hockey game that was played between the USA and USSR in the 1980 Winter Olympics on February 22, 1980 in Lake Placid, New York. The USA team was made up of amateur and collegiate players and coached by Herb Brooks. They defeated the Soviet Union team, widely considered the best hockey team in the world.

The "Miracle on Ice" is considered the greatest sporting event and upset of all time. It was chosen as the number one hockey story of the 20th century by the IIHF and it is considered the greatest American sporting event of all time.The "Miracle on Ice" victory was voted the greatest sports moment of the twentieth century by Sports Illustrated.

Soviet Union Background

They had won the ice hockey gold medal in 1956 Winter Olympics a and every year since 1964.

The USA team was made up of a bunch of amateur collegiate hockey players from across the country. The team was not expect to do anything in the 1980 games. Fans and hockey analyst were just hoping that the team could be competitive and not get embarrassed on home ice in front of the country and the world.

USA had won the 1960 Gold Medal at Squaw Valley, the last time the games were held on U.S. soil and the last time the U.S. upset the Soviets. However since 1960, the Soviet Union teams had gone 27-1-1 and outscored the opposition 175-44. In head-to-head match ups against the USA, the cumulative score over that period was 28-7.

The players on the Soviet team were classified as "amateurs", but in reality they were professional players and trained in world class facilities. Some of the best players in the world were on the Soviet team. Players such as Boris Mikhailov, Vladislav Tretiak, Valeri Kharlamov, Viacheslav Fetisov, Vladimir Krutov and Sergei Makarov. From that team, Tretiak, Kharlamov, and Fetisov would eventually be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Team USA Background

The political climate of the times were also very heated and unstable. The Soviet and American teams were natural rivals due to the decades-old Cold War. The country was in a big recession, there was the Iran hostage crisis that demoralized the nations spirits, and President Jimmy Carter was at the time considering a U.S. boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics, to be held in Moscow, in protest of the December 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

In September 1980 the USA team played a total of 61 exhibition games in five months against teams from Europe and America. On February 9, 1980 they played their last exhibition game in New York at Madison Square Garden against the Soviet team. The Soviets crushed the Americans 10-3. Viktor Tikhonov later said that this victory "turned out to be a very big problem" because by crushing the Americans in this game, the Soviets took them lightly in Olympic play.

1980 Winter Olympics: Group Stages

However in Olympic group play, the Americans surprised many people with their physical and team play. In its first game against favored Sweden, Team USA earned a dramatic 2–2 draw by scoring with 27 seconds left after goalie Jim Craig was pulled for an extra skater.

Then they easily defeated Czechoslovakia 7–3 in their next game. Czechoslovakia was considered by many people in the hockey world as the second best team in the tournament after the Soviet Union and a favorite for the silver medal. The U.S. cruised to three more victories in their next three games beating Norway 4-1, Romania 7-2 and West Germany 4-2. Along with Sweden, they advanced to the medal round.

In the second group, the Soviets dominated the other teams and won every game in their group. They crushed Japan 16-0, beat the Netherlands 17-4, Poland 8-1, Finland 4-2 and Canada 6-4. Along with Finland, they qualified for the medal round.

"Do you believe in miracles?"

The U.S. and Soviet teams prepared for the medal round in different ways. The Soviet coach rested most of his players and let them study plays, while U.S. coach Herb Brooks had his players practice hard to get ready for the game.

The day before the match, columnist Dave Anderson wrote in the New York Times, "Unless the ice melts, or unless the United States team or another team performs a miracle, as did the American squad in 1960, the Russians are expected to easily win the Olympic gold medal for the sixth time in the last seven tournaments."

The Field House (capacity 8500) was packed to the brim. People in the stands were waving American Flags and singing "God Bless America."

Unfortunately what most people forget about this historic event is that the game was not seen live in the United States. It was tape delayed. The Soviets refused to move the game from 5pm to 8pm because it meant it would be shown live at 4am in the Soviet Union.

ABC decided to broadcast the late afternoon game on tape delay in prime time. Before the game, coach Herb Brooks read his players a statement he'd written out on a piece of paper, telling them that "You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here. This moment is yours." Below is a clip of Kurt Russell from the 2004 Disney movie "Miracle" reciting that famous speech.

FIRST PERIOD

As in previous games, the Americans fell behind early. The Soviets scored the first goal of the game by beating U.S. goalie Jim Craig and took a 1-0 lead. Buzz Schneider tied the game for the U.S. at 1, but the tie didn't last long as the Soviets came back and scored again to take a 2-1 lead. Down 2–1, Craig improved his play, turning away many Soviet shots before the U.S. team had another shot on goal.

In the closing seconds of the first period, Dave Christian fired a slap shot on Soviet goalie Vladislav Tretiak from 100 feet away. Tretiak saved the shot but misplayed the rebound, which bounced out some 20 feet in front of him. The Soviet defensemen, Pervukhin and Bilyaletdinov, quit playing and watched the clock tick off the last few seconds. Tretiak started to move out of goal. Mark Johnson sliced between the two Soviet defensemen, found the loose puck and fired it past a diving Tretiak to tie game at 2-2 with one second left in the period.

The two teams ended the first period in a 2-2 tie. This shocked many people because they were expecting a big lead for the Soviets by the end of the first period just like the last game the two teams played thirteen days ago in New York.

SECOND PERIOD

As the second period start, the Soviet coach Tikhonov replaced Tretiak with backup goaltender Vladimir Myshkin. This moved shocked players on both teams as well as fans and hockey observers. Future Hall of Fame player Viacheslav Fetisov later said this move by Tikhonov was the "turning point of the game.

Tikhonov has admitted now that this decision was "the biggest mistake" of his career. Myshkin allowed no goals in the second period. The Soviets dominated play in the second period, outshooting the Americans 12-2, but scored only once, on a power play goal to take a 3-2 into the third period.

THIRD PERIOD

At the 8:39 mark of the third period, Mark Johnson tied the game at 3-3, just as the U.S. power play was ending.

Only a couple shifts later, Mark Pavelich passed to U.S. captain Mike Eruzione, who was left undefended in the high slot. Eruzione fired a shot past Myshkin to give the U.S. a 4-3 lead with exactly 10 minutes left in the game.

With 10 minutes left in the game, the Soviets attacked furiously. But they couldn't get the puck pass U.S. goaltender Jim Craig who was standing on his head with save after save.

As the clock ticked down below a minute the Soviets got the puck back into the American zone. [The Soviets never pulled Myshkin for an extra attacker, much to the disbelief of the Americans. The reason was that the Soviets were in shocked and weren't use to trailing this late in a game before so they didn't know what to do. And they never practiced 6-5 in practice because they didn't believe in it.

As the U.S. team tried to clear the zone (move the puck over the blue line, which they did with seven seconds remaining), the crowd began to count down the seconds left. Sportscaster Al Michaels, who was calling the game on ABC along with former Montreal Canadiens goalie Ken Dryden picked up on the countdown in his broadcast, and delivered his famous call:

"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!

It was UNBELIEVABLE!! A team of amateur hockey players beat the greatest hockey team in the world. In the locker room afterwards, players spontaneously broke into a chorus of "God Bless America". As his team ran all over the ice in celebration, Herb Brooks sprinted back to the locker room and cried.

For its March 3, 1980 issue, Sports Illustrated ran a cover with just a photograph by Heinz Kluetmeier, without any accompanying caption or headline. Kluetmeir said, "It didn't need (any cover language). Everyone in America knew what happened."

Aftermath: USA

The U.S. needed to defeat Finland to win the Gold Medal. Entering the third period, they trailed 2-1. According to Mike Eruzione, coming into the dressing room in the second intermission, Brooks turned to his players, looked at them and said, "If you lose this game, you'll take it to your graves." He then paused, took a few steps, turned again, said, "Your fucking graves," and walked out."

The team responded and in the third period scored three goals to defeat Finland 4-2 and win the Gold Medal.

At the time, the players ascended a podium to receive their medals and then lined up on the ice for the playing of the national anthem, as the podium was only meant to accommodate one person. Only the team captains remained on the podium for the duration. After the completion of the anthem, Eruzione motioned for his teammates to join him on the podium.

The victory bolstered many American citizens feelings of national pride, which had been severely strained during the turbulent 1970s. The match against the Soviets popularized the "U-S-A! U-S-A!" chant which has been used by American supporters at many international sports competitions since 1980.

Some economist say that the "Miracle on Ice" victory over the Soviets and capturing the Gold Medal help ignite the American economic spirit and help start off economic boom that was seen in the 1980s.

13 out of the 20 players on the USA team that played on in the "Miracle on Ice" game would go on to play in the NHL. 5 of would play over 500 games in the NHL and 3 would play over a 1,000 games. Ken Morrow and Neal Broten would both win Stanley Cups with New York Islanders (Morrow 4 Cups) and New Jersey Devils. (Broten 1)

Mike Ramsey played in 1,070 games over 18 years. Dave Christian spent 14 years in the NHL. Jim Craig appeared in 30 NHL games from 1980 through 1984. Mike Eruzione did not play in the NHL after the Olympics. He felt like that he accomplished all his hockey goals and dreams with the Gold Medal win. Craig Patrick, who was one of Herb Brooks' assistants went on to becoming a successful GM in the NHL and won two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Herb Brooks coached several NHL teams following the Olympics, with mixed results. Brooks then led Team USA to the silver medal in 2002, which included a 3-2 victory over Russia in the semi-finals, the match coming 22 years to the day after their famous "Miracle on Ice" game. Sadly, Herb Brooks died in a car crash near Forest Lake, Minnesota on August 11, 2003 at the age of 66. The ice arena in Lake Placid where the Miracle on Ice took place is now named in his honor.

Al Michaels who broadcast the "Miracle on Ice" game was named "Sportscaster of the Year" in 1980 for his coverage of the event. The entire USA team received Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsmen of the Year" award, as well as being named as Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press and ABC's Wide World of Sports.

Aftermath: Soviet Union

The Soviets did end up winning the Silver Medal in the tournament, but the Soviet players were so upset at their loss that they did not turn in their silver medals to get their names inscribed on them, as is custom.

Despite the loss, the USSR remained the pre-eminent power in Olympic hockey until the country's 1991 break-up. The Soviets did not lose another international hockey game until 1985 and did not lose to the United States again until 1991.

Throughout the 1980s, NHL teams continued to draft Soviet players in hopes of enticing them to eventually play professionally in North America. NHL teams got their wish in the early 1990s with the collapse of the Soviet Union, a flood of young and old talented Soviet and other European players came into the NHL and took the league by storm. A half a dozen or so of the players that also played in the "Miracle on Ice" game for the Soviets eventually made it into the NHL and a few of them won the Stanley Cup. Today the NHL has some of the best Russian and Europeans in the world.

Miracle on Ice Legacy

The "Miracle on Ice" was really a miracle because it happened at at the perfect time. The sports world has changed so much since 1980 and now with professional athletes in the games, there will never be another "Miracle on Ice" or any other type of "Miracle" event like the "Miracle on Ice". NHL players compete in the Olympics now and even though that is exciting, it doesn't have the same flare and magic as the 1980 games did.

The "Miracle on Ice" event has been adapted into two movies by Hollywood.

The first movie called "Miracle on Ice" was made in 1981. It starred Karl Malden as Herb Brooks and Steve Guttenberg as Jim Craig. It incorporates actual game footage and original commentary from the 1980 Winter Games.

The second movie based on the "Miracle on Ice" game came out in 2004 by Disney. It is way better then the 1981 "Miracle on Ice" film. It was called "Miracle" and it starred Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks.

Al Michaels recreated his commentary for most of the games. The final ten seconds, however, and his "Do you believe in miracles? YES!" call, were from the original broadcast and used in the film since the filmmakers felt that they could not ask him to recreate the emotion he felt at that moment. The film was dedicated to Herb Brooks who had recently died in a tragic car accident.

There will never be another American sporting event in history that will capture the magic and emotions of the "Miracle on Ice" game. What happened on February 22, 1980 is something that legends and dreams are made of. The "Miracle on Ice" was a once in a lifetime experience and the people who were lucky enough to be alive in 1980 and witness it either live or on TV witnessed something truly magical and extraordinary.

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1980 USA Hockey Team | 1980 Soviet Union Hockey Team | Miracle Movie | Herb Brooks | Jim Craig | Mike Eruzione

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