Jump to content

Miracle on Ice: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
Psytron (talk | contribs)
Medal round: U.S. vs. Finland: Added the first name of the Finnish goalie and made it a link
 
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|1980 Olympic ice hockey game}}
[[Image:Miracle on Ice - Eruzione goal celebration.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team celebrates the goal that led them to victory over the USSR.]]
{{Infobox ice hockey game
The "'''Miracle on Ice'''" is the popular [[nickname]] for the men's [[ice hockey]] game in the [[1980 Winter Olympics|1980 Olympic Winter Games]], in which a team of [[amateur]] and collegiate players from the [[United States]] beat the [[Soviet Union]] against near-impossible odds on [[February 22]], [[1980]], in [[Lake Placid, New York]]. The United States went on to win the gold medal. USSR received the silver medal, and Sweden received the bronze. [http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/results/search_r_uk.asp?SPO_S_CODE=IH&OLG_I_YEAR=1980&OLGT_I_ID=2&RESULT=TRUE&DIS_S_CODE=IH&SEARCH_TYPE=3&GET_C_ID=W,M,X&MED_I_ID=1,2,3]
|game_name = Miracle on Ice
|image =
|date = February 22, 1980
|city = [[Lake Placid, New York]], U.S.
|visitor = {{ih|URS|1955}}
|home = {{ih|USA}}
|arena = [[Herb Brooks Arena|Olympic Center]]
|attendance = 8,500
|visitor_per1 = 2
|home_per1 = 2
|visitor_per2 = 1
|home_per2 = 0
|visitor_per3 = 0
|home_per3 = 2
|visitor_total = 3
|home_total = 4
}}
[[File:Herb Brooks Arena 2019.jpg|thumb|Herb Brooks Arena (2019)]]
The "'''Miracle on Ice'''" was an [[ice hockey]] game during the [[1980 Winter Olympics]] in [[Lake Placid, New York]]. It was played between the hosting [[United States men's national ice hockey team|United States]] and the [[Soviet Union men's national ice hockey team|Soviet Union]] on February 22, 1980, during the medal round of the men's [[Ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics|ice hockey tournament]]. Although the Soviet Union was a four-time defending gold medalist and heavily favored, the United States achieved an [[Upset (competition)|upset]] victory, winning 4–3.


The Soviet Union had won the gold medal in five of the six previous Winter Olympic Games, and they were the favorites to win once more in Lake Placid. The Soviet team consisted of professional players with significant experience in international play.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Soares |first1=John |title=Amateur vs. Professional in Cold War Hockey: A Consideration of Relative Skill Levels and Their Implications for Professional Hockey Today |journal=Notre Dame Journal of International & Comparative Law |date=2018 |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=2–4 |url=https://scholarship.law.nd.edu/ndjicl/vol8/iss1/5 |access-date=15 January 2024}}</ref> By contrast, the United States team, led by head coach [[Herb Brooks]], was composed mostly of [[amateur]] players, with only four players with minimal minor-league experience. In addition, the United States had the youngest team in the tournament and in U.S. national team history.
Since the 1980 event, the term "Miracle on Ice" has also been used to describe other improbable hockey victories; usually, a direct comparison is made to the 1980 upset. The two most notable examples were the [[Belarusian national men's ice hockey team|Belarusian]] defeat of heavily-favored [[Swedish national men's ice hockey team|Sweden]] in the quarterfinals of the [[Ice hockey at the 2002 Winter Olympics|2002 Winter Olympic Games]] (In [[Sweden]], this is called ''Vitrysslandfiaskot'' ''(The Belarus fiasco'')) and the shocking victory by the Swedish women's team over the United States at the [[2006 Winter Olympics]], arguably the most remarkable hockey upset in the history of international play. In most contexts, however, "Miracle on Ice" still refers to the 1980 event.


In the group stage, both the Soviet and American teams were undefeated; the U.S. achieved several surprising results, including a 2–2 draw against [[Sweden men's national ice hockey team|Sweden]],<ref name=tisedw>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=prssAAAAIBAJ&pg=4554%2C2393873 |work=Wilmington Morning Star |location=(North Carolina) |agency=Associated Press |title=U.S. hockey team ties Sweden |date=February 13, 1980 |page=1C}}</ref> and a 7–3 upset victory over second-place favorite [[Czechoslovakia men's national ice hockey team|Czechoslovakia]].<ref name=asczch>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mLssAAAAIBAJ&pg=2879%2C2921580|work=Wilmington Morning Star |location=(North Carolina) |agency=Associated Press |title=Americans stun Czechs in Olympic ice hockey |date=February 15, 1980 |page=1C}}</ref><ref name=puckcze>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=e0BYAAAAIBAJ&pg=6650%2C273229 |work=The Bulletin |location=(Bend, Oregon) |agency=UPI |title=U.S. pucksters upset Czechs, boost medal odds |date=February 15, 1980 |page=10}}</ref>
== Prelude and group play ==
The United States entered the competition without a great deal of fanfare of favor, having been seeded seventh in the final round of twelve teams which qualified for the Lake Placid Olympics. They were composed of collegiate players and amateurs; only a few had signed a contract to play in the [[National Hockey League]], the world's premier professional league, but none had yet actually played in the League. The Soviet Union, on the other hand, were the favored team going into the tournament. Though classed as amateur, Soviet players essentially played professionally in a well-developed league with excellent training facilities. They were led by legendary players in world ice hockey, such as [[Boris Mikhailov]], a center who served as the team captain, and [[Vladislav Tretiak]], considered by many to be the best ice hockey goaltender in the world at the time, as well as talented, young, and dynamic players such as defenseman [[Viacheslav Fetisov]].


For the first game in the medal round, the Americans played the Soviets. Finishing the first period tied at 2–2, and the Soviets leading 3–2 following the second, the U.S. team scored two more goals to take their first lead midway in the third and final period, then held out to win by a score of 4–3.<ref name=amsusov>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nLssAAAAIBAJ&pg=6346%2C4551880 |work=Wilmington Morning Star |location=(North Carolina) |agency=Associated Press |title=Americans surprise Soviets, 4-3 |date=February 23, 1980 |page=4B}}</ref><ref name=upbbispo>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gkBYAAAAIBAJ&pg=5996%2C1748754 |work=The Bulletin |location=(Bend, Oregon) |agency=UPI |last=Shalin |first=Michael |title=U.S. ices spot in hockey history |date=February 23, 1980 |page=15}}</ref> Two days later, the U.S. secured the gold medal by defeating [[Finland men's national ice hockey team|Finland]] 4–2 in their final game, while the Soviet Union claimed the silver medal<!--Please do not change to Bronze. the USSR won silver it was a round robin medal round--> with a dominant 9–2 victory over [[Sweden men's national ice hockey team|Sweden]].<ref name=dftfin>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lrssAAAAIBAJ&pg=5233%2C4934402 |work=Wilmington Morning Star |location=(North Carolina) |agency=Associated Press |title=U.S. defeats Finland, clinches hockey gold |date=February 25, 1980 |page=5B}}</ref><ref name=uswwuup>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=g0BYAAAAIBAJ&pg=6332%2C1987440 |work=The Bulletin |location=(Bend, Oregon) |agency=UPI |last=Richman |first=Milt |title=U.S. win was ultimate upset |date=February 25, 1980 |page=9}}</ref>
[[Image:Miracle on Ice - Herb Brooks.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Coach [[Herb Brooks]] calms his players' nerves during the game.]]
The two teams were natural rivals because of the [[Cold War]]. In addition, [[President of the United States|President]] [[Jimmy Carter]] was at the time considering an American [[boycott]] of the [[1980 Summer Olympics]], to be held in [[Moscow]], in protest of the [[Soviet invasion of Afghanistan]], which began the year before. Carter eventually decided in favor of the boycott.


The victory became one of the most iconic moments of the Games and in U.S. sports. Equally well-known was the television call of the final seconds of the game by [[Al Michaels]] for [[Olympics on ABC|ABC]], in which he declared: "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" In 1999, ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' named the "Miracle on Ice" the top sports moment of the 20th century.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=December 3, 1999 |title=The 20th Century Awards: Sports Illustrated honors world's greatest athletes |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/cover/news/1999/12/02/awards/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000903090546/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/cover/news/1999/12/02/awards/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 3, 2000 |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |access-date=June 11, 2011}}</ref> As part of its centennial celebration in 2008, the [[International Ice Hockey Federation]] (IIHF) named the "Miracle on Ice" as the top international ice hockey story of the past 100 years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://webarchive.iihf.com/iihf-home/the-iihf/100-year-anniversary/100-top-stories/story-1/index.html|title= Top Story of the Century |publisher= International Ice Hockey Federation |access-date=April 4, 2010}}</ref>
On [[February 9]], the two teams met for an exhibition match in order to practice for the upcoming competition. The Soviet Union won, 10-3.


==History==
In group play, the United States surprised many observers with their physical, cohesive play, including a 7-3 victory against a very strong team from [[Czechoslovakia]], and finished with 4 wins and 1 draw to advance to the medal round. In the other group, the Soviets stormed through their opposition, defeating, among others, [[Japan]] 16-0, the [[Netherlands]] 17-4, and [[Poland]] 8-1, and easily qualified for the next round. [[Sweden]] and [[Finland]] also qualified for the medal round.
===The Soviet and American teams===
[[File:Vladislav Tretiak.JPG|alt=Shoulder high portrait of smiling man wearing a suit and tie|thumb|upright|The Soviet team's Vladislav Tretiak (pictured here in 2008) was considered the best goaltender in ice hockey in 1980. The Americans scored two goals against him before he was pulled from the game at the end of the first period.]]
The Soviet Union entered the Lake Placid games as the heavy favorite, having won four consecutive gold medals dating back to the [[Ice hockey at the 1964 Winter Olympics|1964]] games. In the four Olympics following their [[1960 Winter Olympics|1960]] bronze-medal finish at [[Squaw Valley, Placer County, California|Squaw Valley]], Soviet teams had gone 27–1–1 (wins-losses-ties) and outscored their opponents 175–44.<ref>Coffey, p.&nbsp;35</ref> In head-to-head matchups against the United States, the cumulative score over that period was 28–7.<ref>Coffey, p.&nbsp;17</ref> The Soviet team had not lost a game in Olympic play since [[Ice hockey at the 1968 Winter Olympics|1968]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Miracle on Ice: the U.S. Beats the Soviets |url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/u-s-hockey-team-makes-miracle-on-ice |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=HISTORY |language=en}}</ref>


The Soviets were led by legendary players in world ice hockey, such as [[Boris Mikhailov (ice hockey)|Boris Mikhailov]] (a top line [[Winger (ice hockey)|right winger]] and team captain), [[Vladislav Tretiak]] (the consensus best goaltender in the world at the time), the speedy and skilled [[Valeri Kharlamov]], and talented, dynamic players such as defenseman [[Viacheslav Fetisov]] and forwards [[Vladimir Krutov]] and [[Sergei Makarov (ice hockey, born 1958)|Sergei Makarov]]. From that team, Tretiak, Kharlamov, Makarov, and Fetisov were eventually enshrined in the [[Hockey Hall of Fame]]. Many of the Soviet players had gained attention in the [[Summit Series]] eight years before and, in contrast to the American players, were ''de facto'' professionals with long histories of international play,<ref>Podnieks, ''Andrew: Team Canada 1972: The Official 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Summit Series'' {{ISBN|978-0771071195}} p.212</ref> employed by industrial firms or military organizations for the sole purpose of playing hockey on their organization's team.<ref>{{cite journal| url = https://www.csmonitor.com/1980/0415/041531.html| title = How the Russians break the Olympic rules - CSMonitor.com| journal = Christian Science Monitor| date = 15 April 1980}}</ref> Western nations protested the Soviet Union's use of full-time athletes, as they were forced to use amateur (mainly college) players due to the [[International Olympic Committee]]'s (IOC) amateur-only policy.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/07/21/archives/soviet-amateur-athlete-a-real-pro-dr-john-nelson-washburn-is-an.html|title=Soviet Amateur Athlete: A Real Pro|work=[[The New York Times]]|author=J. N. Washburn|date=July 21, 1974}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP80-00810A005900310006-0.pdf|title=Central Intelligence Agency Information Report: SOVIET CONTROL OF SPORTS ACTIVITIES AND SPORTS PROPAGANDA|website=Cia.gov|access-date=2022-02-17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Soares |first=John |date=February 21, 2018 |title=Amateur vs. Professional in Cold War Hockey: A Consideration of Relative Skill Levels and Their Implications for Professional Hockey Today |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/268221813.pdf |journal=Notre Dame Journal of International & Comparative Law |volume=8 |issue=1}}</ref> The situation even led to Canadian withdrawal from the 1972 and 1976 Olympics, but the IOC did not change the rules until the late 1980s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://webarchive.iihf.com/iihf-home/the-iihf/100-year-anniversary/100-top-stories/story-17/index.html|title=PROTESTING AMATEUR RULES, CANADA LEAVES INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY|author=IIHF|date=2008|publisher=IIHF.com|access-date=2017-08-25}}</ref><ref name="auto">Coffey, p.&nbsp;59</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp80-00810a005800260002-1 |title=Soviet Sports As An Instrument Of Political Propaganda|website=Cia.gov |date=2008-06-19 |accessdate=2022-02-17}}</ref>
The two teams prepared for the medal round in different ways. Coach [[Viktor Tikhonov]] of the Soviets rested most of his best players, preferring to let them study plays rather than actually skate. U.S. coach [[Herb Brooks]], however, continued with his tough, confrontational style, skating "hard" practices, and berating his players for any perceived weaknesses.


U.S. head coach Herb Brooks held tryouts in [[Colorado Springs, Colorado|Colorado Springs]] in the summer of 1979. Of the 20 players who eventually made the final Olympic roster, [[Buzz Schneider]] was the only one returning from the [[Ice hockey at the 1976 Winter Olympics|1976]] Olympic team.<ref>Coffey, pp.&nbsp;19–20</ref> Nine players had played under Brooks at the [[Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey|University of Minnesota]] (including [[Rob McClanahan]], [[Mike Ramsey (ice hockey)|Mike Ramsey]], and [[Phil Verchota]]), while four more were from [[Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey|Boston University]] ([[Dave Silk]], [[Jack O'Callahan]], goaltender [[Jim Craig (ice hockey)|Jim Craig]], and team captain [[Mike Eruzione]]).<ref>Coffey, p.&nbsp;21</ref> As Boston University and Minnesota were perennial rivals in college hockey (for instance, they had faced off in a bitter NCAA national semifinal in [[1976 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament|1976]]), Brooks' selection process was a 300-question psychological test that would give him insight on how every player would react under stress; anyone who refused to take the test would automatically fail. Brooks had to select from 68 players who started the tryout.<ref name="A Reminder Of What We Can Be">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.si.com/vault/1980/12/22/106775781/a-reminder-of-what-we-can-be |magazine=Sports Illustrated |last=Swift |first=E.M. |title=A reminder of what we can be |date=December 22, 1980 |page=30}}</ref>
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 Winter Olympics|1960]], the Russians are expected to win the Olympic gold medal for the sixth time in the last seven tournaments."


The average age of the U.S. team was 21 years, making it the youngest team in U.S. history to play in the Olympics (in addition to being the youngest team in the 1980 Olympic tournament), but Brooks knew the limits of every player. As forward [[John Harrington (ice hockey)|John Harrington]] said, "He knew exactly where to quit. He'd push you right to the limit where you were ready to say, 'I've had it, I'm throwing it in' — and then he'd back off." Brooks continued the organization by campaigning for the players' selection of Eruzione as the captain, and Craig had been the goalie for him in the [[1979 Ice Hockey World Championships|1979 World Championship tournament]].<ref name="A Reminder Of What We Can Be" /> Assistant coach [[Craig Patrick]] had played with Brooks on the 1967 U.S. national team.<ref>Coffey, p.&nbsp;25</ref>
== Medal round: U.S. vs. USSR ==
The home crowd, reinforced by the Americans' improbable run during group play and the Cold War "showdown" mentality, were in a [[patriotism|patriotic]] fervor throughout the match, waving [[Flag of the United States|American flags]] and singing patriotic songs such as "[[God Bless America]]." The rest of America (except for fans in cities near the Canadian border who watched the game live on CBC television) would have to wait to see the game, however, as ABC decided not to cover the games live, but rather on tape delay so the 5:00 game could be seen in primetime. The Americans, however, fell behind early, as they had in many of their preliminary games. [[Vladimir Krutov]] deflected a slap shot by [[Aleksei Kasatonov]] past U.S. [[goaltender]] [[Jim Craig]] to give the Soviets a 1-0 lead, and after [[Buzz Schneider]] scored for the Americans to tie the game, the Soviets rallied again with a [[Sergei Makarov]] goal.


The Soviet and American teams were natural rivals due to the decades-old [[Cold War]]. In addition, President [[Jimmy Carter]] was at the time considering a [[1980 Summer Olympics boycott|U.S. boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics]], to be held in [[Moscow]], Russia in protest of the December 1979 [[Soviet invasion of Afghanistan]]. On February 9, the same day the American and Soviet teams met in an exhibition game in [[New York City]], U.S. Secretary of State [[Cyrus Vance]] denounced the impending [[1980 Summer Olympics|Moscow Games]] at an IOC meeting.<ref>Coffey, pp.&nbsp;159–160</ref> President Carter eventually decided in favor of the boycott.
[[Image:Miracle on Ice - Eruzione tees up goal.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Captain Mike Eruzione tees up the go-ahead goal.]]
Down 2-1, Craig began to improve his play, turning away many Soviet shots before the Americans had another shot on goal. In the waning seconds of the first period, [[Dave Christian]] fired a desperate slap shot on Tretiak. The Soviet goalie saved the shot but uncharacteristically misplayed the rebound, and [[Mark Johnson (hockey player)|Mark Johnson]] scooped it past Tretiak to tie the score as the clock ticked down to one second left in the period. The frustrated Soviet team played the final second of the period with just three players on the ice, as the rest of the team had retired to their dressing room for the first intermission.


===Exhibitions===
In the second period, Coach Tikhonov decided to replace Tretiak with backup goalkeeper [[Vladimir Myshkin]], a move which surprised many players on both teams, including Fetisov, who would later identify the move as the "turning point of the game". The move seemed to work at first, however, and Myshkin allowed no goals in the second, while [[Aleksandr Maltsev]] scored on the power play to make the score 3-2.
In exhibitions that year, Soviet club teams went 5–3–1 against [[National Hockey League]] (NHL) teams and, a year earlier, the Soviet national team had defeated a team of NHL All-Stars two games to one (by scores of 2–4, 5–4, and 6–0) to win the [[1979 Challenge Cup (ice hockey)|Challenge Cup]].<ref name=espn>{{cite news |first= Kevin |last= Allen |date= December 23, 1997 |url= https://www.espn.com/classic/s/miracle_ice_1980.html |title= College kids perform Olympic miracle |publisher= [[ESPN]] |access-date= September 3, 2012}}</ref> In 1979–80, virtually all the top North American players were Canadians, although the number of U.S.-born professional players had been on the rise throughout the 1970s. The 1980 U.S. Olympic team featured several young players who were regarded as highly promising, and some had signed contracts to play in the NHL immediately after the tournament.


In September 1979, before the Olympics, the American team started exhibition play. They played a total of 61 games in five months against teams from Europe and the United States.<ref>Coffey, p.&nbsp;26</ref> Through these games, Brooks instilled a European style of play in his team, emphasizing wide-open play with sufficient body contact. He believed it would be the only way for the Americans to compete with the Soviets.<ref name=latimes>{{cite news |first=Green |last=Ted |title='We Aren't Awed' Please...Nobody Tell the U.S. Hockey Team It Has No Chance |date=2 February 1980 |work=Los Angeles Times }}</ref> From the start of the exhibition matches, he conducted the team through skating wind sprints consisting of end line to blue line and back, then end line to red line and back, then end line to far blue line and back, and finally end line all the way down and back. Some of the players took to calling these "Herbies".<ref name="A Reminder Of What We Can Be" /> On September 17,<!-- 1979,--> the team played to a 3–3 tie in Norway.<ref name="1980 Pre Olympic Tour Schedule">{{cite web|title=1980 Pre Olympic Tour Schedule|url=http://history.vintagemnhockey.com/page/show/1166356-1980-pre-olympic-tour-schedule-results|publisher=Vintage Minnesota Hockey}}</ref> Believing the team wasn't putting up sufficient effort, an angry Brooks had them skate Herbies after the game and, after a while, arena custodians turned the lights off and the Herbies continued in the dark. Brooks skated the team for over an hour.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.twincities.com/2020/02/20/again-an-oral-history-of-the-infamous-herb-brooks-bag-skate-in-norway/ | title='Again!' an oral history of Herb Brooks' (In)famous bag skate in Norway | date=20 February 2020 }}</ref> The two teams played again the next night, with the U.S. winning handily 9–0. Near the end of the exhibition season, Brooks, because of subpar play, threatened to cut Eruzione (the captain) from the team and replace Craig with [[Steve Janaszak]] as the starting goaltender, although he had supported them throughout.<ref name="A Reminder Of What We Can Be" />
In the third, however, Johnson scored again for the U.S., firing a loose puck past Myshkin to tie the score. Later, with ten minutes to go in the game, [[Mark Pavelich]] passed to U.S. captain [[Mike Eruzione]], who was left undefended in the high [[Slot (ice hockey)|slot]] (the area directly in front of the goal). Eruzione fired a shot past Myshkin, who was unable to see the shot because his own defenseman was blocking his view. Eruzione's goal gave the U.S. the lead 4-3 with a little over 10 minutes to play in the contest.


In their last exhibition game, against the Soviets at [[Madison Square Garden]] on Saturday, February 9,<!-- 1980,--> the Americans were crushed 10–3.<ref name=rtuht>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=o7ssAAAAIBAJ&pg=3368%2C1942580 |work=Sunday Star-News |location=(Wilmington, North Carolina) |agency=Associated Press |title=Russians trounce U.S. hockey team |date=February 10, 1980 |page=8C}}</ref><ref>Coffey, pp.&nbsp;46–48</ref> Soviet head coach [[Viktor Tikhonov (ice hockey, born 1930)|Viktor Tikhonov]] later said that this victory "turned out to be a very big problem" by causing the Soviets to underestimate the American team.<ref>Coffey, p.&nbsp;51</ref> The&nbsp;game was also costly for the Americans off-ice, as defenseman [[Jack O'Callahan]] pulled a ligament in his knee; however, Brooks kept O'Callahan on the roster, which meant the U.S. was virtually playing with only 19 players throughout the tournament. O'Callahan eventually returned for the game against the Soviets, playing limited minutes.
Craig withstood another series of Soviet shots to finish the match, though the Soviets did not remove their goalkeeper for an [[extra attacker]]. As the U.S. team tried desperately 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 [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] along with former [[Montreal Canadiens]] goalie [[Ken Dryden]], picked up on the countdown in his broadcast, and delivered the famous, ad-libbed line for which the match would later be known:
{{cquote|Eleven seconds, you 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!!! Unbelievable!}}


===Olympic group play===
== Medal round: U.S. vs. Finland ==
{{main|Ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics}}
In Olympic group play, the Americans surprised many observers with their physical, cohesive play. In their first game, on February 12 against favored [[Sweden men's national ice hockey team|Sweden]], Team USA earned a dramatic 2–2 draw by scoring with 27 seconds left after pulling goalie [[Jim Craig (ice hockey)|Jim Craig]] for an extra attacker.<ref name=tisedw/> Then came a stunning 7–3 victory over [[Czechoslovakia men's national ice hockey team|Czechoslovakia]], who were a favorite for the silver medal. With its two toughest games in the group phase out of the way, the U.S. team reeled off three more wins, beating [[Norway men's national ice hockey team|Norway]] 5–1, [[Romania men's national ice hockey team|Romania]] 7–2, and [[West Germany national ice hockey team|West Germany]] 4–2 to go 4–0–1 and advance to the medal round from its group, along with&nbsp;Sweden.<ref name=amdftwge>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kbssAAAAIBAJ&pg=6865%2C4196650 |work=Wilmington Morning Star |location=(North Carolina) |agency=Associated Press |title=American defeat West Germans, 4-2 |date=February 21, 1980 |page=4D}}</ref><ref name=dsnfus>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gEBYAAAAIBAJ&pg=6042%2C1258201 |work=The Bulletin |location=(Bend, Oregon) |agency=UPI |title=Dangerous Soviets next for the U.S. |date=February 21, 1980 |page=17}}</ref>


In the other group, the Soviets stormed through their opposition undefeated, often by grossly lopsided scores. They defeated [[Japan men's national ice hockey team|Japan]] 16–0, the [[Netherlands men's national ice hockey team|Netherlands]] 17–4, [[Poland men's national ice hockey team|Poland]] 8–1, [[Finland men's national ice hockey team|Finland]] 4–2, and [[Canada men's national ice hockey team|Canada]] 6–4 to easily qualify for the next round, although both the Finns and the Canadians gave the Soviets tough games for two periods. In the end, the Soviet Union and Finland advanced from their group.<ref name=boxscore>{{cite book |author= Lake Placid Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games |url= http://www.la84foundation.com/6oic/OfficialReports/1980/orw1980v2.pdf| title= Official Results of the XIII Olympic Winter Games—Lake Placid 1980 |publisher= Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles |year= 1985 |pages= 105–111}}</ref><!-- See this PDF file for all official game information, including won-loss records, game outcomes, information on qualifying and advancing, etc. -->
The match against the great Soviet team was very emotional and so memorable that many Americans still do not realize that it did not win the gold medal for the U.S. Once again, Coach Brooks skated a "hard" practice the day before the game, determined to disabuse his team of the idea that the game was anti-climactic.


==Game summary==
[[Image:Miracle on Ice - Craig looking for father.jpg|thumb|right|300px|After his win in the final game, goaltender Jim Craig searches the stands for his father.]]
Prior to the Friday game, [[Olympics on ABC|ABC]] requested that it be rescheduled from 5:00&nbsp;p.m. to 8:00&nbsp;p.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]], so that it could be broadcast live in [[primetime]]<!-- hours-->. However, the&nbsp;IIHF declined the request after the Soviets complained that it would cause the game to air at 4 a.m. [[Moscow Time]], as opposed to 1 a.m.<!-- Moscow Time.--> As&nbsp;a result, ABC decided not to broadcast the game live for the U.S. audience and<!-- instead--> [[broadcast delay|tape delayed]] it for broadcast during its primetime block of Olympics coverage.<ref>{{Cite news|title = ABC-TV Unable To Offer Key Hockey Playoff Live: Federation Rejected Request|last = Shepard|first = Richard F.|date = Feb 23, 1980 |work = The New York Times}}</ref> Before the game aired, ABC's Olympics host [[Jim McKay]] openly stated that the game had already occurred, but that they had promised not to spoil its results. In order to accommodate coverage of the men's slalom competition, portions of the game were also edited for time.<ref name="nyt-different">{{cite news|title=TV SPORTS; 'Miracle on Ice' of 1980 Looks Different Today|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/22/sports/tv-sports-miracle-on-ice-of-1980-looks-different-today.html?_r=0|website=The New York Times|date = 22 February 2000|access-date=25 September 2016|last1 = Sandomir|first1 = Richard}}</ref> ABC's 8 to 8:30&nbsp;p.m. timeslot was instead devoted to the animated special ''[[The Pink Panther in: Olym-Pinks]]''. To this day, some who watched the game on television in the United States still believe that it was live.<ref>{{cite magazine |url= https://www.si.com/more-sports/2010/02/22/miracle-onice |title=10 interesting facts you may not know about the Miracle on Ice |first= Joe |last= Posnanski |magazine= Sports Illustrated |date=February 22, 2010}}</ref>
Again, the U.S. fell behind early, this time 2-1 after two periods, due to excellent play by the Finnish goalie, [[Jorma Valtonen]]. Coming into the dressing room, Brooks turned to his players, looked at them and said, "If you lose this game, you'll take it to your fucking grave." He then paused, took a few steps, turned again, said, "your fucking grave," and walked out.


With a capacity of 8,500, the arena was packed.<ref>Coffey, p.&nbsp;68</ref> Before the game, Brooks read his players a statement he had 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."<ref>Coffey, p.&nbsp;45</ref> Brooks believed they could win and later said, "The Russians were ready to cut their own throats. But we had to get to the point to be ready to pick up the knife and hand it to them. So the morning of the game I called the team together and told them, 'It's meant to be. This is your moment and it's going to happen.' It's kind of corny and I could see them thinking, 'Here goes Herb again....' But I believed it."<ref name="A Reminder Of What We Can Be" />
In the third period, the U.S. got three unanswered goals from [[Phil Verchota]], [[Rob McClanahan]], and Mark Johnson, and held on for a 4-2 victory. Again, Michaels delivered a famous line to end the game:


Brooks wanted his team to play short shifts lasting 40 seconds or less to stay energized by the third period. He instructed team physician [[George Nagobads]] to track ice time for the players, who later joked that he never saw the game since he was focused on his stopwatch.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.twincities.com/2020/02/19/1980-u-s-hockey-teams-keys-to-success-home-ice-coaching-luck-and-especially-conditioning/amp/|title=1980 U.S. hockey team's keys to success: Home ice, coaching, luck and especially conditioning|last=Frederick|first=Jace|date=February 19, 2020|work=[[St. Paul Pioneer Press]]|location=St. Paul, Minnesota|access-date=July 9, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.postbulletin.com/sports/sports/localsports/miracle-on-ice-doctor-has-fond-memories-of-brooks-u/article_00a4868c-874e-517f-9af0-7c1233198f08.html|title=Miracle On Ice doctor has fond memories of brooks, U|last=Feldman|first=Jason|date=September 29, 2017|work=[[Post-Bulletin]]|location=Rochester, Minnesota|access-date=July 9, 2021}}</ref>
''Five seconds to the gold medal, four seconds to the gold... This impossible dream comes true!''


===First period===
The U.S. had won the gold medal.
As in several previous games, the U.S. team fell behind early. [[Vladimir Krutov]] deflected a slap shot by [[Alexei Kasatonov]] past U.S. goaltender Jim Craig at the 9:12 mark to give the Soviets a 1–0 lead. At the 14:03 mark, [[Buzz Schneider]] scored for the United States on a 50-foot shot from the left board to tie the game.<ref name="A Reminder Of What We Can Be" /> The Soviets struck again when [[Sergei Makarov (ice hockey, born 1958)|Sergei Makarov]] scored with 17:34 gone. With his team down 2–1, Craig improved his play, turning away many Soviet shots before the U.S. team had another shot on goal.


In the waning seconds of the first period, [[Dave Christian]] fired a slap shot on Tretiak from {{convert|100|ft|m}} away. The Soviet goalie saved the shot but misplayed the [[Rebound (sports)|rebound]], which bounced out some {{convert|20|ft|m}} in front of him. [[Mark Johnson (hockey player)|Mark Johnson]] sliced between the two defenders, found the loose puck, and fired it past a diving Tretiak to tie the score with one second left in the period.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.si.com/more-sports/2010/02/22/miracle-onice |title=10 interesting facts you may not know about the Miracle on Ice |first= Joe |last= Posnanski |magazine= Sports Illustrated |date=February 22, 2010}}</ref> Confusion reigned immediately after as the game clock showed 0:00 since it could not be stopped in time after Johnson's goal. Referee [[Karl-Gustav Kaisla]] ruled that one second would be put back on the clock and the usual center ice faceoff would take place before the first intermission could begin. A lengthy delay followed as most of the Soviet team had already proceeded down the tunnel to their locker room. Eventually, three Soviet skaters along with backup goaltender Myshkin took the ice for the final faceoff. The first period ended with the game tied 2–2.<ref name=swift>{{cite magazine|url= https://www.si.com/vault/1980/03/03/824423/the-golden-goal-the-us-went-bonkers-when-mike-eruziones-shot-beat-vladimir-myshkin-for-the-winning-goal-as-americas-team-stunned-the-once-invincible-soviets-en-route-to-the-olympic-title<!--http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_online/the_golden_goal/-->|title= The Golden Goal |first= E.M. |last= Swift |magazine= [[Sports Illustrated]] |date= March 3, 1980 |page=16}}</ref>
Players mobbed the ice, sticks and gloves flying. Jim Craig roamed the ice, draped in an American flag, scanning the crowd for his father, with whom he wanted to share the moment. Craig's mother had recently died, after expressing her dream that he play on the Olympic squad. Millions of Americans were moved to overjoyed tears as this team that was given no shot by the sports world to even win a medal, celebrated its gold medal&ndash;clinching victory.


===Second period===
Often, the game against Soviet Union is called the "semifinal" and the game against Finland is called the "final" or the "gold medal game". This is not quite accurate. In 1980 Olympics, each of the four teams who qualified for the medal round (U.S., USSR, Sweden, Finland) played the teams that they did not yet play. The team with the most points against the other teams in the medal round would become the Olympic Champion. After the U.S. upset of the Soviet Union, each team in the medal round except Finland (who could finish no higher than Silver) still had a chance to win the Gold Medal, depending on the results of the two last games (U.S.&ndash;Finland and Sweden&ndash;USSR, both played on the same day)
Tikhonov replaced Tretiak with backup goaltender [[Vladimir Myshkin]] immediately after Johnson's goal,<ref>Coffey, p.&nbsp;150</ref> a move that shocked players on both teams.<ref name=espn/> Tikhonov later identified this as the "turning point of the game"<ref name="Jamie">{{cite web |first= Jamie |last= Fitzpatrick |url= http://proicehockey.about.com/cs/history/a/miracle_on_ice_2.htm |title= The Miracle Unfolds |work= About.com |publisher= The New York Times Co. |access-date= September 3, 2012}}</ref> and called it "the biggest mistake of my career".<ref>Coffey, p.&nbsp;152</ref> Years later, when Johnson asked [[Viacheslav Fetisov]], now an NHL teammate, about the move, Fetisov responded with "Coach crazy."<ref name="Jamie"/> 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 (sport)|power play]] goal by [[Aleksandr Maltsev]] 2:18 into play. After two periods the Soviet Union led, 3–2.


== Aftermath ==
===Third period===
[[File:USA - Soviet Union 1980 match.jpg|thumb|right|270px|United States vs Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics|alt=Black and white in-game action photo including a goaltender, two defenders, and two attacking forwards]]
Eruzione accepted the Gold Medal for the United States, inviting all of his teammates onto the podium with him to do so in a minor breach of Olympic [[etiquette]].


Vladimir Krutov was sent to the [[penalty (ice hockey)|penalty box]] at the 6:47 mark of the third period for [[high-sticking]]. The Americans, who had managed only two shots on Myshkin in 27&nbsp;minutes, had a power play and a rare offensive opportunity. Myshkin stopped a [[Mike Ramsey (ice hockey)|Mike Ramsey]] shot, then U.S. team captain [[Mike Eruzione]] fired a shot wide. Late in the power play, [[Dave Silk]] was advancing into the Soviet zone when [[Valeri Vasiliev]] knocked him to the ice. The puck slid to Mark Johnson.<ref>Coffey, pp.&nbsp;350–52</ref> Johnson fired off a shot that went under Myshkin and into the net at the 8:39 mark, as the power play was ending, tying the game at 3.<ref>Coffey, p.&nbsp;358</ref> Only a couple of shifts later, [[Mark Pavelich]] passed to Eruzione, who was left undefended in the high [[Slot (ice hockey)|slot]]. Eruzione, who had just come onto the ice, fired a shot past Myshkin, who was [[Screen (ice hockey)|screened]] by [[Vasili Pervukhin]].<ref>Coffey, p.&nbsp;374</ref> This goal gave Team USA a 4–3 lead, its first of the game, with exactly 10&nbsp;minutes remaining to play.
[[Image:Miracle on Ice - podium.jpg|thumb|left|300px|The team jubilantly crowds the medal stand.]]
The match versus the Soviets popularized the [[U-S-A! cheer|"U-S-A! U-S-A!" chant]], which has been used by U.S. supporters at many international sports competitions since 1980. Some historians and political commentators actually consider the 1980 hockey game as a major turning point in the political races that were taking place in 1980.


In what many Americans considered "the longest 10 minutes of their lives", the Soviets, trailing for the first time in the game, attacked ferociously. Moments after Eruzione's goal, Maltsev fired a shot which ricocheted off the right goal post.<ref>Coffey, p.&nbsp;377</ref> As the minutes wound down, Brooks kept repeating to his players, "Play your game. Play your game."<ref>Coffey, p.&nbsp;379</ref> Instead of going into a defensive crouch, the United States continued to play offense, even getting off a few more shots on goal.<ref>Coffey, p.&nbsp;381</ref> The Soviets began to shoot wildly, and [[Sergei Starikov]] admitted that "we were panicking." As the clock ticked down below a minute, the Soviets got the puck back into the American zone, and Mikhailov passed to [[Vladimir Vladimirovich Petrov|Vladimir Petrov]], who shot wide.<ref>Coffey, p.&nbsp;383</ref> The Americans fully expected Tikhonov to [[extra attacker|pull the goalie]] in the waning seconds. To their surprise, Myshkin stayed in the game. Starikov later explained that "We never did six-on-five," not even in practice, because "Tikhonov just didn't believe in it."<ref name="Coffey, p. 384">Coffey, p.&nbsp;384</ref> Craig kicked away a Petrov slap shot with 33&nbsp;seconds left. Kharlamov fired the puck back in as the clock ticked below 20&nbsp;seconds. A wild scramble for the puck ensued, ending when Johnson found it and passed it to [[Ken Morrow]].<ref name="Coffey, p. 384"/> 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.
Of the 20 players on the US team, 13 eventually played in the [[NHL]]. Five of them would go on to play over 500 NHL games.
*[[Neal Broten]] had arguably the most successful pro career, appearing in 1099 NHL games over 17 seasons, mostly with the [[Minnesota North Stars]]/[[Dallas Stars]]. A two-time All-Star, he tallied 923 career points (289 goals, 634 assists) and won a Stanley Cup as a member of the [[New Jersey Devils]] in 1994-95.
*[[Ken Morrow]] won a [[Stanley Cup]] in 1980 as a member of the [[New York Islanders]], becoming the first hockey player to win an Olympic gold medal and the Cup in the same year. He went on to play 550 NHL games and win three more Cups, all with the Islanders.
*[[Mike Ramsey]] had the longest NHL career, playing in 1070 games over 18 years. Fourteen of those years were spent with the [[Buffalo Sabres]], for whom he was a five-time All-Star and served as team captain from 1990-93.
*[[Dave Christian]] spent 14 years in the NHL, the bulk of them for the [[Winnipeg Jets]] and [[Washington Capitals]]. He ended his career with 773 points (340 goals, 443 assists) in 1009 games and made the All-Star team in 1991.
*[[Mark Johnson (hockey player)|Mark Johnson]] bounced around the NHL for several years before finding a home in New Jersey, but he was a scoring threat wherever he went, tallying 508 career points (203 goals, 305 assists) in 669 games over 11 seasons.
[[Jack O'Callahan]], [[Steve Christoff]], [[Rob McClanahan]], [[Mark Pavelich]], and [[Dave Silk]] also went on to have modestly successful pro careers.


Sportscaster [[Al Michaels]], who was calling the game on [[ABC Olympic broadcasts|ABC]] along with former [[Montreal Canadiens]] goaltender [[Ken Dryden]], picked up on the countdown in his broadcast, and delivered his famous call:<ref name=documentary>{{cite book |author= HBO Sports |title= Do You Believe in Miracles? : The Story of the 1980 U.S. Hockey Team |location= New York |publisher= HBO Home Video |type= Video |year= 2001 |isbn= 9780783119953}}</ref>
One of Brooks's assistant coaches, [[Craig Patrick]], went on to become a successful general manager in the NHL and is now in the [[Hockey Hall of Fame]]. Brooks himself would coach several NHL teams following the Olympics, with mixed results. He would also return to the Olympics as coach of the 2002 team, winning the silver medal. Brooks died in a car crash in 2003 at the age of 66.


{{Cquote|11 seconds, you've got 10 seconds, the countdown going on right now! Morrow, up to Silk. Five seconds left in the game. Do you believe in miracles? YES!}}
Long NHL careers were not in the cards for every member of the team, however. Most notably, team captain [[Mike Eruzione]] played his last high-level hockey game in the 1980 Olympics, as he felt that he had accomplished his hockey goals with the gold medal win.


As his team ran all over the ice in celebration, Herb Brooks sprinted back to the locker room and cried.<ref>Coffey, p.&nbsp;387</ref> In the locker room afterwards, players spontaneously broke into a chorus of "God Bless America".<ref>{{cite news |last= Bacon |first= John U. |url= http://annarborchronicle.com/2010/02/19/column-oh-say-can-you-see-a-new-anthem/ |title= Oh, Say Can You See a New Anthem? |work= Ann Arbor Chronicle |date= February 20, 2010 |access-date= April 4, 2010}}</ref>
Despite the loss, Soviet ice hockey was still recognized for superior play and talent, and Soviet players began to appear in the NHL with more regularity&nbsp;&ndash; although initially many had to [[defection|defect]] in order to do so because of the Cold War. Today, many of the NHL's top players, such as [[Sergei Zubov]], [[Sergei Fedorov]], [[Igor Larionov]], [[Ilya Kovalchuk]], [[Sergei Gonchar]], and [[Pavel Bure]], come from the former Soviet Union.


==American aftermath==
Michaels was named "Sportscaster of the Year" in 1980 for his coverage of the event, and the team received ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' magazine's "[[Sportsman of the Year|Sportsmen of the Year]]" award.
===Gold medal===
[[File:Jim Craig Equipment.jpg|left|thumb|upright|Jim Craig's gear from 1980, at the Hockey Hall of Fame]]
The United States did not win the gold medal by defeating the USSR. In 1980, the medal round was a [[Round-robin tournament|round-robin]],<ref name=tackle>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jbssAAAAIBAJ&pg=3171%2C4348841 |work=Wilmington Morning Star |location=(North Carolina) |agency=Associated Press |title=Americans to tackle Russians |date=February 22, 1980 |page=1C}}</ref> not a single elimination format as it is today. Under Olympic rules at the time, the group game with Sweden was counted along with the medal round games versus the Soviet Union and Finland. It was mathematically possible for the United States to finish anywhere from first to fourth.<ref name=swift/><ref name=tackle/>


[[File:Sports Illustrated Miracle on Ice cover.jpg|thumb|right|upright|alt=Cover of Sports Illustrated magazine with a close up shot of several players, a goal and the US flag|The March 3, 1980 cover of ''Sports Illustrated'' ran without any accompanying captions or headlines.<ref name=swift/>]]
In 2002, the members of the team jointly lit the [[Olympic Flame]] at the climax of the opening ceremonies of the [[2002 Winter Olympics]] in [[Salt Lake City, Utah]].
Needing to defeat Finland to secure the gold medal, Team USA faced a 2–1 deficit at the end of the second period. According to Mike Eruzione, coming into the dressing room for the second intermission, Brooks turned to his players, looked at them, and said, "If you lose this game, you'll take it to your fucking graves." He then walked towards the locker room door, paused, looked over his shoulder, and said to them again, "Your fucking graves." Team USA came back in the third period to defeat Finland 4–2.<ref name=boxscore/>


At the time, the players ascended a podium to receive their medals and then lined up on the ice for the playing of the [[The Star-Spangled Banner|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.<ref>Coffey, pp.&nbsp;412–13</ref> Today, podia are not used for ice hockey; the teams line up on their respective blue lines after the final game.
In 2004, [[ESPN]], as part of their [[ESPN25|25th anniversary]], declared the Miracle on Ice game vs. the Soviets the top sports headline, moment, and game of the period [[1979]]&ndash;[[2004]].


After the gold medal-securing victory over Finland, the players received a congratulatory phone call from President [[Jimmy Carter]].<ref name="phonecall">{{cite web |date=2019-02-22 |title=Miracle on Ice: USA beats Soviet Union in 1980 Olympics |url=https://www.newsday.com/sports/olympics/miracle-on-ice-usa-beats-soviet-union-in-1980-olympics-1.9930682 |website=Newsday}}</ref>
=== Films about the event ===
A movie of the same name, starring [[Karl Malden]] as Brooks and [[Steve Guttenberg]] as Craig, aired on television in [[1981]], and was released in theaters in [[1989]]. A movie about the hockey victory called ''[[Miracle (movie)|Miracle]]'' was released in [[2004]].


The cover of the March 3, 1980, issue of ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' was a photograph by [[Heinz Kluetmeier]] of the American players celebrating and waving an American flag;<ref name=swift/> it did not feature any explanatory captions or headlines, because, as Kluetmeier put it, "It didn't need it. Everyone in America knew what happened."<ref>{{cite magazine |url= http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/olympics/2008/writers/richard_deitsch/08/19/heinz.qanda/1.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080822091033/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/olympics/2008/writers/richard_deitsch/08/19/heinz.qanda/1.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= August 22, 2008 |title=Heinz Q&A |first= Richard |last= Deitsch |magazine= Sports Illustrated |date=August 19, 2008}}</ref> The U.S. team also received the magazine's "[[Sportsman of the Year|Sportsmen of the Year]]" award,<ref name="A Reminder Of What We Can Be" /> and were also named Athlete of the Year by the [[Associated Press Athlete of the Year|Associated Press]] and [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC's]] ''[[Wide World of Sports (US TV series)|Wide World of Sports]]''. In 2004, [[ESPN]], as part of its [[ESPN25|25th anniversary]], declared the Miracle on Ice to be the top sports headline moment and game of the period 1979–2004. The victory was voted the greatest sports moment of the 20th century by ''[[Sports Illustrated]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.sptimes.com/2005/02/22/news_pf/Sports/The_anniversary_of_a_.shtml |title= The anniversary of a Miracle |date= February 22, 2005 |work= St. Petersburg Times |access-date= May 23, 2008}}</ref>
In the episode [[The_X-Files_%28season_4%29#Musings_of_a_Cigarette_Smoking_Man|"Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man"]] of [[The X-Files]] it is said that the USSR lost because the [[Cigarette Smoking Man]] was rigging that game by drugging the USSR goaltender ([[Vladislav Tretiak|Tretiak]]).


[[File:2002 Winter Olympics flame.jpg|right|thumb|upright|alt=Nighttime photo of a tall tower lit up with small lights|The U.S. team lit the [[Olympic Flame|Olympic cauldron]] at the [[2002 Winter Olympics]].]]
=== Members of the USA team ===
*[[Jim Craig]]
*[[Steve Janaszak]]
*[[Bill Baker]]
*[[Dave Christian]]
*[[Ken Morrow]]
*[[Jack O'Callahan]]
*[[Mike Ramsey]]
*[[Bob Suter]]
*[[Neal Broten]]
*[[Steve Christoff]]
*[[Mike Eruzione]]
*[[John Harrington (hockey player)|John Harrington]]
*[[Mark Johnson (hockey player)|Mark Johnson]]
*[[Rob McClanahan]]
*[[Mark Pavelich]]
*[[Buzz Schneider]]
*[[Dave Silk]]
*[[Eric Strobel]]
*[[Phil Verchota]]
*[[Mark Wells]]


===Members of the USSR team===
===After the 1980 Winter Olympics===
At the [[1981 Canada Cup]], the United States, with seven players from their 1980 Olympic team, again faced the Soviet Union. The Soviets took the opening round encounter 4–1 in [[Edmonton]]. At the [[1982 World Ice Hockey Championships|1982 World Championship in Finland]], with [[Mike Ramsey (ice hockey)|Mike Ramsey]], [[Mark Johnson (ice hockey)|Mark Johnson]], [[Buzz Schneider]], and [[John Harrington (ice hockey)|John Harrington]], the Americans again met the Soviets, but once again the U.S. lost, 8–4.
*[[Vladislav Tretiak]]
*[[Helmuts Balderis]]
*[[Zinetula Bilyaletdinov]]
*[[Viacheslav Fetisov]]
*[[Aleksandr Golikov]]
*[[Alexei Kasatonov]]
*[[Valeri Kharlamov]]
*[[Vladimir Krutov]]
*[[Yuri Lebedev]]
*[[Sergei Makarov]]
*[[Aleksandr Maltsev]]
*[[Boris Mikhailov]]
*[[Vladimir Myshkin]]
*[[Vasili Pervukhin]]
*[[Vladimir Petrov]]
*[[Aleksandr Skvortsov]]
*[[Sergei Starikov]]
*[[Valeri Vasiliev]]
*[[Viktor Zhlutkov]]


== References ==
===Later careers===
Of the 20&nbsp;players on Team USA, 13&nbsp;eventually played in the NHL.<ref>Coffey, p.&nbsp;318</ref> Five of them played over 500&nbsp;NHL games, and three of them played over 1,000 NHL games.
* Coffey, Wayne. ''The Boys of Winter''. New York City: Crown Publishers, 2005.

* ''Do You Believe in Miracles? The Story of the 1980 U.S. Hockey Team''. HBO Home Video, 2001.
*[[Neal Broten]] played one more season for the [[Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey|Golden Gophers]] before moving on to the NHL, and he appeared in 1,099 NHL games over 17 seasons—992 of them with the [[Minnesota North Stars]]/[[Dallas Stars]] franchise. He captained the Stars before being traded midway through the 1994–95 season to the [[New Jersey Devils]]. A two-time All-Star, he tallied 923 career points (289 goals, 634 assists), became the first American player to record 100 points in a season, and he won a [[Stanley Cup]] as a member of the Devils in [[1994–95 NHL season|1995]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/b/brotene01.html |title= Neal Broten |work= Hockey Reference |publisher= Sports Reference LLC |access-date= September 3, 2012}}</ref> Broten had already won the [[NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship|NCAA championship]] in 1979 at the [[University of Minnesota]]; this, combined with the Olympic gold medal in 1980 and the 1995 Cup win (Broten scored the Cup-winning goal in Game 4 as [[Viacheslav Fetisov]], playing for the opposing [[Detroit Red Wings]], fell down), made him the first player in the history of the sport to win a championship at the collegiate, professional, and Olympic levels. The Dallas Stars have since retired number&nbsp;7 for Broten.
* Dolezar, Jon A (2002). [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/news/2002/09/27/soviet_legacy/ "Russian hockey looked different after '72 Summit Series"]. ''[[Sports Illustrated]]''. Sep. 27, 2002.
*[[Ken Morrow]] won the [[Stanley Cup]] in [[1980 Stanley Cup Finals|1980]] as a member of the [[New York Islanders]], becoming the first hockey player to win an Olympic gold medal and the Cup in the same year.<ref>Coffey, p.&nbsp;200</ref> He played 550 NHL games and won three more Cups, all with the Islanders.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/m/morroke01.html |title= Ken Morrow |work= Hockey Reference |publisher= Sports Reference LLC |access-date= September 3, 2012}}</ref> Morrow later worked for the Islanders as Director of Pro Scouting.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://islanders.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=43588 |title= Ken Morrow, Director of Pro Scouting |access-date= February 18, 2015}}</ref>
* [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/news/2003/08/11/brooks_obit_ap/?cnn=yes "Herb Brooks killed in car accident"]. ''[[Sports Illustrated]]''. Aug. 11, 2003.
*[[Mike Ramsey (ice hockey)|Mike Ramsey]] played in 1,070 games over 18 years. Fourteen of those years were spent with the [[Buffalo Sabres]], with whom he played 911 games and was a five-time All-Star, captaining the team from 1990 to 1992. In 1995, he played in the [[1995 Stanley Cup Finals|Stanley Cup Finals]] with the Detroit Red Wings, but his team was swept by Neal Broten and the New Jersey Devils. In 2000, Ramsey became an assistant coach for the [[Minnesota Wild]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=4450 |title= Mike Ramsey |work= Hockey Database |publisher= Hockeydb.com |access-date= May 23, 2008}}</ref>
* Kindred, Dave. "[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/longterm/olympics1998/history/memories/80-kindred.htm Born to Be Players, Born to the Moment]". ''[[Washington Post]]''. February 23, 1980, Page A1.
*[[Dave Christian]] spent 14 years in the NHL, the bulk of them for the [[Winnipeg Jets (1972–1996)|original Winnipeg Jets]] (for whom he served as team captain) and [[Washington Capitals]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/c/chrisda01.html |title= Dave Christian |work= Hockey Reference |publisher= Sports Reference LLC |access-date= September 3, 2012}}</ref> In 1990, he played in the [[1990 Stanley Cup Finals|Stanley Cup Finals]] while with the [[Boston Bruins]], but the Bruins lost in five games to the [[Edmonton Oilers]]. He ended his career with 783 points (340 goals, 443 assists) in 1,009 games and made the All-Star team in [[1990–91 NHL season|1991]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=973 |title= Dave Christian |work= Hockey Database |publisher= Hockeydb.com |access-date= May 23, 2008}}</ref>
* Shapiro, Leonard. "[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/longterm/olympics1998/history/memories/80-hock.htm U.S. Shocks Soviets in Ice Hockey, 4-3]". ''[[Washington Post]]''. February 23, 1980, Page D1.
*[[Mark Johnson (hockey player)|Mark Johnson]] played for several teams in the NHL before finding a home in New Jersey, tallying 508 career points (203 goals, 305 assists) in 669 games over 11&nbsp;seasons.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=7848 |title= Mark Johnson (ice hockey) |work= Hockey Database |publisher= Hockeydb.com |access-date= May 23, 2008}}</ref> Like Christian, Ramsey, and Broten, he became an NHL All-Star (in [[1983–84 NHL season|1984]]) and served as [[Hartford Whalers]] team captain. In 2002, Johnson became the coach of the [[Wisconsin Badgers women's ice hockey|University of Wisconsin–Madison women's team]], leading the Badgers to [[NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Championship|National Championships]] in 2006, 2007 (which the Badgers won in the same Lake Placid arena in which the Miracle took place), 2009, 2011, 2019, 2021 and 2023. Johnson also served as head coach of the women's ice hockey team that won the silver medal at the [[Ice hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Women's tournament|2010 Winter Olympics]].
* Swift, E.M (1980). [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_online/the_golden_goal/ "With one seemingly harmless shot, Mike Eruzione staked the U.S. to a lead and a Miracle on Ice"]. ''[[Sports Illustrated]]''. Mar. 3, 1980.
*[[Jack O'Callahan]] played 390 NHL regular season games between 1982 and 1989 for the [[Chicago Blackhawks]] and New Jersey Devils.
*[[Mark Pavelich]] played 355 NHL regular season games in the NHL for the [[New York Rangers]], Minnesota North Stars, and [[San Jose Sharks]] between 1981 and 1992.
*[[Dave Silk]] played 249 NHL regular season games for the Boston Bruins, Winnipeg Jets, Detroit Red Wings, and New York Rangers between 1980 and 1985.
[[File:Al Michaels.jpg|alt=Knee high portrait of a man wearing khaki colored clothes and wearing a baseball hat|thumb|upright|The Miracle on Ice launched the careers of several players and made broadcaster [[Al Michaels]] famous.]]
*[[Jim Craig (ice hockey)|Jim Craig]] appeared in 30&nbsp;NHL games for the [[Atlanta Flames]], Boston Bruins, and Minnesota North Stars between 1980 and 1984.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/c/craigji01.html |title= Jim Craig |work= Hockey Reference |publisher= Sports Reference LLC |access-date= September 3, 2012}}</ref>
*Team captain [[Mike Eruzione]] did not play any high-level ice hockey after the 1980 Olympics, as he felt that he had accomplished all of his hockey goals with the gold medal win.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=11IfAAAAIBAJ&pg=2023,973273&dq=mike+eruzione&hl=en |title= Eruzione Won't Go Pro |agency= [[Associated Press]] |work= [[Daytona Beach Morning Journal]] |date= March 1, 1980 |access-date= May 23, 2008}}</ref> He did work as a hockey television analyst in the 1980s and 1990s.
*[[Craig Patrick]], Brooks' assistant coach and assistant general manager, both managed and coached the New York Rangers and [[Pittsburgh Penguins]]. As a result of his success with the Penguins, who won two [[Stanley Cup]]s while Patrick was general manager, he was enshrined in the [[Hockey Hall of Fame]] in 2002. During that same year, he served as general manager of the Herb Brooks-coached [[Ice hockey at the 2002 Winter Olympics – Men's tournament|2002 U.S. hockey team]] that won the silver medal at the [[2002 Winter Olympics|Salt Lake City]] games.
*[[Herb Brooks]], the team coach, coached several NHL teams following the Olympics, with mixed results. He returned to the Olympics as coach of the [[France national ice hockey team|French team]] in [[ice hockey at the 1998 Winter Olympics|1998]], the first Olympics in which NHL players competed. Brooks then led Team USA to the silver medal in [[Ice hockey at the 2002 Winter Olympics|2002]], which included a 2–2 round-robin draw and a 3–2 semi-final victory over Russia (the successor to the Soviet Union), the semi-final match coming 22 years to the day after the "Miracle on Ice" game.<ref name="sportsillustrated.cnn.com">{{cite news| url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/2002/ice_hockey/news/2002/02/22/usa_russia_ap/ | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120721185142/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/2002/ice_hockey/news/2002/02/22/usa_russia_ap/ | url-status=dead | archive-date=July 21, 2012 | work=CNN | title=USA holds off Russia 3–2 to advance to gold medal game | access-date=May 12, 2010}}</ref> Brooks died in a car crash near [[Forest Lake, Minnesota|Forest Lake]], Minnesota on August 11, 2003, at the age of 66.<ref>{{cite magazine |url= http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/news/2003/08/11/brooks_obit_ap/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20030815095243/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/news/2003/08/11/brooks_obit_ap/ |url-status= dead |archive-date= August 15, 2003 |title= Herb Brooks killed in car accident |magazine= Sports Illustrated |date= August 11, 2003 |access-date= May 23, 2008}}</ref> In 2005, the Olympic Center ice arena in Lake Placid where the Miracle on Ice took place was renamed [[Herb Brooks Arena|in his honor]]. The following year, Brooks was posthumously enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
*[[Al Michaels]] got the job as play-by-play announcer for ice hockey at Lake Placid because he was the only member of ABC's broadcasting team who had previously called the sport (at the [[1972 Winter Olympics]] in [[Sapporo, Japan]]).<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.cleveland.com/olympics/index.ssf/2010/02/miracle_on_ice_announcer_al_mi.html |title= 'Miracle on Ice' announcer Al Michaels is back in the Olympic studio |first= Richard |last= Sandomir |agency= Associated Press |date= February 22, 2010 |work= [[The Plain Dealer]] |location= Cleveland, OH}}</ref> Michaels was named "Sportscaster of the Year" in 1980 for his coverage of the event. Michaels spent 26 more years covering sports for ABC before moving to [[NBC Sports|NBC]] to call ''[[NBC Sunday Night Football|Sunday Night Football]]'' alongside [[John Madden]] and then [[Cris Collinsworth]] after Madden retired.

==Soviet aftermath==
===Silver medal===
In the Soviet locker room, Tikhonov singled out first-line players Tretiak, Kharlamov, Petrov, and Mikhailov, and told each of them, "This is your loss!"<ref>Coffey, p.&nbsp;389</ref> Two days after the Miracle on Ice, the Soviet team defeated Sweden 9–2, winning the silver medal.<!--Please do not change to Bronze. The USSR won Silver it was a round robin medal round--> 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 customary.<ref name=Coffey413>Coffey, p.&nbsp;413</ref> The result stunned the Soviet Union and its news media.

===After the 1980 Winter Olympics===
Despite the loss, the USSR remained the pre-eminent power in Olympic hockey until [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|its dissolution]] in 1991. The Soviet team did not lose a World Championship game until 1985 and did not lose to the United States again until 1991.<ref>Coffey, pp.&nbsp;396–97</ref> Throughout the 1980s, NHL teams continued to draft Soviet players in hopes of enticing them to eventually play in North America. Soviet emigrant [[Victor Nechayev]] made a brief appearance with the [[Los Angeles Kings]] in the [[1982–83 NHL season|1982–83 season]] and, during the [[1988–89 NHL season|1988–89 season]], the Soviet Ice Hockey Federation agreed to let veteran [[Sergei Pryakhin (ice hockey)|Sergei Pryakhin]] join the [[Calgary Flames]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/news/2002/09/27/soviet_legacy/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120722021153/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/news/2002/09/27/soviet_legacy/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 22, 2012 |title= Sweeping changes: Russian hockey looked different after '72 Summit Series |magazine= Sports Illustrated |date= September 27, 2002 |access-date= 2008-05-23}}</ref>

===NHL careers===
[[File:Balderis Helmuts 2014.jpg|alt=Head and shoulders of man who is either bald or has hair cut very short|upright|thumb|Former Soviet National team player [[Helmuts Balderis]], pictured in 2014. Balderis played a season late in his career with the [[Minnesota North Stars]] of the [[National Hockey League|NHL]].]]
In the [[1989–90 NHL season|1989-90 season]], Soviet authorities permitted six more 1980 Olympians &ndash; [[Helmuts Balderis]], [[Viacheslav Fetisov]], [[Alexei Kasatonov]], [[Vladimir Krutov]], [[Sergei Makarov (ice hockey, born 1958)|Sergei Makarov]], and [[Sergei Starikov]] &ndash; to join NHL clubs, but only after they agreed to play in their final World Championship (where they won gold). Makarov won the [[Calder Memorial Trophy]] as NHL Rookie of the Year in 1989–90, becoming the oldest player to win that award.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/m/makarse01.html |title= Sergei Makarov |work= Hockey Reference |publisher= Sports Reference LLC |access-date= September 3, 2012}}</ref> Fetisov was a teammate of Mike Ramsey on the [[1994–95 Detroit Red Wings season|1995 Detroit Red Wings team]] that lost the Stanley Cup Finals to Neal Broten and the New Jersey Devils. Fetisov completed his career by winning Cups with the Red Wings in [[1996–97 Detroit Red Wings season|1997]] and [[1997–98 Detroit Red Wings season|1998]]; the first Cup win also made Fetisov a member of the [[Triple Gold Club]], consisting of individuals who have won a Stanley Cup plus gold medals at the Olympics and [[Ice Hockey World Championships|World Championships]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/f/fetisvi01.html |title= Viacheslav Fetisov |work= Hockey Reference |publisher= Sports Reference LLC |access-date= September 3, 2012}}</ref>

==Notable rematches==
The U.S. and the Soviet Union next met at the Winter Olympics in [[Ice hockey at the 1988 Winter Olympics|1988]]. As in 1980, the Soviets were represented by their star-studded veterans, while the Americans fielded a team of college players. The Soviets won the encounter 7–5 and won the gold medal, while the U.S. placed seventh.

The two teams met again at the [[Ice hockey at the 1992 Winter Olympics|1992 Olympics]] in a semi-final match. There, the Unified Team (the successor to the Soviet Union) won 5–2. While some stars had left the Soviet Union to play in the NHL, the Unified Team still boasted many veterans from their domestic professional league, while the Americans were represented primarily by college players. The Unified Team eventually won the gold medal, while the U.S. placed fourth.

The U.S., coached by Herb Brooks, and Russia, coached by Viacheslav Fetisov, met twice in the [[Ice hockey at the 2002 Winter Olympics|2002 Winter Olympics]] in Salt Lake City, which included a 2–2 round-robin draw and a 3–2 semi-final win for the Americans. The semi-final match was played 22 years to the day after the "Miracle on Ice" game.<ref name="sportsillustrated.cnn.com"/> The U.S. eventually won silver, while Russia won bronze.

The U.S. and Russia played each other in a round-robin game at the [[Ice hockey at the 2014 Winter Olympics|2014 Winter Olympics]] in Sochi. The game was tied 2–2 after overtime before the Americans prevailed in an eight-round shootout, with [[T. J. Oshie]] scoring on 4 of 6 attempts for the United States. The match has been dubbed by some as the "Marathon on Ice" due to its length.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.teamusa.org/Road-to-Sochi-2014/Features/2014/February/15/Team-USA-Beats-Russia-In-Marathon-On-Ice |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140215214320/http://www.teamusa.org/Road-to-Sochi-2014/Features/2014/February/15/Team-USA-Beats-Russia-In-Marathon-On-Ice |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 15, 2014 |title=TEAM USA BEATS RUSSIA IN 'MARATHON ON ICE'|website=Teamusa.org|access-date=2022-02-17}}</ref> Both teams, however, failed to win a medal; the Americans finished fourth (losing to Canada in the semifinals), while the Russians placed fifth (losing to Finland in the quarterfinals).

==Popular culture==
A [[Television film|made-for-TV movie]] ''[[Miracle on Ice (1981 film)|Miracle on Ice]]'', starring [[Karl Malden]] as Brooks, [[Steve Guttenberg]] as Craig, and [[Andrew Stevens]] as Eruzione aired on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] television in 1981.<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q6872498}} Retrieved May 3, 2008</ref> It incorporated actual game footage and original commentary from the 1980 Winter Games.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thomson |first1=Candus |title=CRAM COURSE ON WINTER GAMES |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2010-02-09-1002080041-story.html |access-date=21 February 2022 |work=Baltimore Sun |date=9 February 2010 |language=en |quote="Miracle on Ice," rushed to television a year after the Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y., helped solidify those memories. It stars Karl Malden as the late coach Herb Brooks and Steve Guttenberg as goalie Jim Craig. Its saving grace is that it uses actual game footage and the play-by-play of Al Michaels.}}</ref>

The documentary film ''Do You Believe in Miracles?'', narrated by [[Liev Schreiber]], premiered on [[HBO]] in 2001 and was subsequently released on home video.<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q128925900}} Retrieved May 23, 2008</ref>

In 2004, [[Walt Disney Pictures]] released the film ''[[Miracle (2004 film)|Miracle]]'', directed by [[Gavin O'Connor (filmmaker)|Gavin O'Connor]] and starring [[Kurt Russell]] as 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 Brooks, who died shortly after principal photography completed.

The documentary ''Of Miracles And Men'', which was directed by Jonathan Hock, premiered on [[ESPN]] in 2015 as part of the channel's ''[[30 for 30]]'' series. The story of the 1980 matchup is told from the Soviet perspective.<ref name="variety-ofmiracles">{{cite web|last1=Lowry|first1=Brian|title=TV Review: ESPN's 'Of Miracles and Men'|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/reviews/tv-review-espns-of-miracles-and-men-1201419809/|website=Variety|date=5 February 2015|access-date=25 September 2016}}</ref>

In [[The X-Files]] (season 4, episode 7), [[Cigarette Smoking Man]] (aka Cancer Man) reveals that he rigged the game by injecting the goaltender with a small amount of novocaine, saying "What's the matter? Don't you believe in miracles?"

==Team rosters==
[[File:Miracle on Ice.jpg|thumb|alt=An ice arena empty at the time|[[Herb Brooks Arena]] in 2005]]

===United States===
{| cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" border="0" style="background:#dcdcdc; font-size:85%"
|-
! No.
! style="text-align:center;"| Pos.
! Name
! Age
! Hometown
! College
|- style="background:#fff;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 30
| style="text-align:center;"| G
|*[[Jim Craig (ice hockey)|Jim Craig]]
| style="text-align:center;"|22
|[[Easton, Massachusetts|North Easton, MA]]
|[[Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey|Boston U.]]
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| D
|*[[Ken Morrow]]
| style="text-align:center;"|23
|[[Flint, Michigan|Flint, MI]]
|[[Bowling Green Falcons men's ice hockey|Bowling Green]]
|- style="background:#fff;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 5
| style="text-align:center;"| D
|*[[Mike Ramsey (ice hockey)|Mike Ramsey]]
| style="text-align:center;"|19
|[[Minneapolis|Minneapolis, MN]]
|[[Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey|Minnesota]]
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 10
| style="text-align:center;"| C
|*[[Mark Johnson (ice hockey)|Mark Johnson]]
| style="text-align:center;"|22
|[[Madison, Wisconsin|Madison, WI]]
|[[Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey|Wisconsin]]
|- style="background:#fff;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 24
| style="text-align:center;"| LW
|*[[Rob McClanahan]]
| style="text-align:center;"|22
|[[Saint Paul, Minnesota|Saint Paul, MN]]
|[[Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey|Minnesota]]
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 8
| style="text-align:center;"| RW
|*[[Dave Silk]]
| style="text-align:center;"|21
|[[Scituate, Massachusetts|Scituate, MA]]
|[[Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey|Boston U.]]
|- style="background:#fff;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 6
| style="text-align:center;"| D
|[[Bill Baker (ice hockey, born 1956)|Bill Baker]] [[Alternate captain|('''A''')]]
| style="text-align:center;"|22
|[[Grand Rapids, Minnesota|Grand Rapids, MN]]
|[[Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey|Minnesota]]
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 9
| style="text-align:center;"| C
|[[Neal Broten]]
| style="text-align:center;"|20
|[[Roseau, Minnesota|Roseau, MN]]
|[[Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey|Minnesota]]
|- style="background:#fff;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 23
| style="text-align:center;"| RW
|[[Dave Christian]]
| style="text-align:center;"|20
|[[Warroad, Minnesota|Warroad, MN]]
|[[North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's ice hockey|North Dakota]]
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 11
| style="text-align:center;"| RW
|[[Steve Christoff]]
| style="text-align:center;"|21
|[[Richfield, Minnesota|Richfield, MN]]
|[[Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey|Minnesota]]
|- style="background:#fff;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 21
| style="text-align:center;"| LW
|[[Mike Eruzione]] [[Captain (ice hockey)|('''C''')]]
| style="text-align:center;"|25
|[[Winthrop, Massachusetts|Winthrop, MA]]
|[[Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey|Boston U.]]
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 28
| style="text-align:center;"| RW
|[[John Harrington (ice hockey)|John Harrington]]
| style="text-align:center;"|22
|[[Virginia, Minnesota|Virginia, MN]]
|[[Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs men's ice hockey|Minnesota-Duluth]]
|- style="background:#fff;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| G
|[[Steve Janaszak]]
| style="text-align:center;"|22
|[[Saint Paul, Minnesota|Saint Paul, MN]]
|[[Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey|Minnesota]]
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 17
| style="text-align:center;"| D
|[[Jack O'Callahan]]
| style="text-align:center;"|22
|[[Charlestown, Boston|Charlestown, MA]]
|[[Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey|Boston U.]]
|- style="background:#fff;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 16
| style="text-align:center;"| C
|[[Mark Pavelich]]
| style="text-align:center;"|21
|[[Eveleth, Minnesota|Eveleth, MN]]
|[[Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs men's ice hockey|Minnesota-Duluth]]
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 25
| style="text-align:center;"| LW
|[[Buzz Schneider]]
| style="text-align:center;"|25
|[[Grand Rapids, Minnesota|Grand Rapids, MN]]
|[[Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey|Minnesota]]
|- style="background:#fff;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 19
| style="text-align:center;"| RW
|[[Eric Strobel]]
| style="text-align:center;"|21
|[[Rochester, Minnesota|Rochester, MN]]
|[[Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey|Minnesota]]
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 20
| style="text-align:center;"| D
|[[Bob Suter]]
| style="text-align:center;"|22
|[[Madison, Wisconsin|Madison, WI]]
|[[Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey|Wisconsin]]
|- style="background:#fff;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 27
| style="text-align:center;"| LW
|[[Phil Verchota]]
| style="text-align:center;"|22
|[[Duluth, Minnesota|Duluth, MN]]
|[[Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey|Minnesota]]
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 15
| style="text-align:center;"| C
|[[Mark Wells]]
| style="text-align:center;"|21
|[[St. Clair Shores, Michigan|St. Clair Shores, MI]]
|[[Bowling Green Falcons men's ice hockey|Bowling Green]]
|}

===Soviet Union===
{| cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" border="0" style="background:#dcdcdc; font-size:85%"
|-
! No.
! Pos.
! Name
! Age
! Hometown
! Professional club
|- style="background:#fff;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 20
| style="text-align:center;"| G
|*[[Vladislav Tretiak]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 27
|[[Dmitrovsky District, Moscow Oblast|Orudyevo]]
|[[HC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]]
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| style="text-align:center;"| D
|*[[Viacheslav Fetisov]]
| style="text-align:center;"|21
|[[Moscow]]
|[[HC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]]
|- style="background:#fff;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 7
| style="text-align:center;"| D
|*[[Alexei Kasatonov]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 20
|[[Saint Petersburg|Leningrad]]
|[[HC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]]
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 16
| style="text-align:center;"| C
|*[[Vladimir Petrov (ice hockey)|Vladimir Petrov]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 32
|[[Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast|Krasnogorsk]]
|[[HC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]]
|- style="background:#fff;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 17
| style="text-align:center;"| LW
|*[[Valeri Kharlamov]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 32
|[[Moscow]]
|[[HC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]]
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 13
| style="text-align:center;"| RW
|*[[Boris Mikhailov (ice hockey)|Boris Mikhailov]] [[Captain (ice hockey)|('''C''')]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 35
|[[Moscow]]
|[[HC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]]
|- style="background:#fff;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 19
| style="text-align:center;"| RW
|[[Helmuts Balderis]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 27
|[[Riga]]
|[[HC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]]
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 14
| style="text-align:center;"| D
|[[Zinetula Bilyaletdinov]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 24
|[[Moscow]]
|[[HC Dynamo Moscow|Dynamo Moscow]]
|- style="background:#fff;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 23
| style="text-align:center;"| RW
|[[Alexander Golikov|Aleksandr Golikov]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 27
|[[Penza]]
|[[HC Dynamo Moscow|Dynamo Moscow]]
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 25
| style="text-align:center;"| C
|[[Vladimir Golikov]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 25
|[[Penza]]
|[[HC Dynamo Moscow|Dynamo Moscow]]
|- style="background:#fff;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 9
| style="text-align:center;"| LW
|[[Vladimir Krutov]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 19
|[[Moscow]]
|[[HC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]]
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 11
| style="text-align:center;"| RW
|[[Yuri Lebedev (ice hockey)|Yuri Lebedev]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 28
|[[Moscow]]
|[[Krylya Sovetov Moscow]]
|- style="background:#fff;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 24
| style="text-align:center;"| RW
|[[Sergei Makarov (ice hockey, born 1958)|Sergei Makarov]]
| style="text-align:center;"|21
|[[Chelyabinsk]]
|[[HC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]]
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 10
| style="text-align:center;"| C/RW
|[[Alexander Maltsev|Aleksandr Maltsev]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 30
|[[Kirovo-Chepetsk]]
|[[HC Dynamo Moscow|Dynamo Moscow]]
|- style="background:#fff;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| G
|[[Vladimir Myshkin]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 24
|[[Kirovo-Chepetsk]]
|[[HC Dynamo Moscow|Dynamo Moscow]]
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 5
| style="text-align:center;"| D
|[[Vasili Pervukhin]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 24
|[[Penza]]
|[[HC Dynamo Moscow|Dynamo Moscow]]
|- style="background:#fff;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 26
| style="text-align:center;"| LW
|[[Alexander Skvortsov (ice hockey)|Aleksandr Skvortsov]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 25
|[[Nizhny Novgorod|Gorky]]
|[[Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod|Torpedo Gorky]]
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 12
| style="text-align:center;"| D
|[[Sergei Starikov]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 21
|[[Chelyabinsk]]
|[[HC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]]
|- style="background:#fff;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 6
| style="text-align:center;"| D
|[[Valeri Vasiliev]] [[Alternate captain|('''A''')]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 30
|[[Nizhny Novgorod|Gorky]]
|[[HC Dynamo Moscow|Dynamo Moscow]]
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
| style="text-align:center;"| 22
| style="text-align:center;"| C
|[[Viktor Zhluktov]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 26
|[[Inta]]
|[[HC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]]
|}
<nowiki>* Starting line up</nowiki>

==Box score==
{{Ice hockey box
|date = {{Start date|1980|02|22|mf=y}}
|time = 17:00 [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
|team1 = {{ih|USA}}
|team2 = {{ih-rt|URS|1955}}
|score = 4–3
|periods = (2–2, 0–1, 2–0)
|reference = http://library.la84.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1980/orw1980v2.pdf
|goalie1 = [[Jim Craig (ice hockey)|Jim Craig]]
|goalie2 = [[Vladislav Tretiak]], [[Vladimir Myshkin]]
|progression= 0 – 1<br />1 – 1<br />1 – 2<br />2 – 2<br />2 – 3<br />3 – 3<br />4 – 3
|goals1 = <br />[[Buzz Schneider|Schneider]] ([[Mark Pavelich|Pavelich]]) – 14:03<br /><br />[[Mark Johnson (ice hockey)|Johnson]] ([[Dave Christian|Christian]], [[Dave Silk|Silk]]) – 19:59<br /><br />Johnson (Silk) (PP) – 48:39<br />[[Mike Eruzione|Eruzione]] (Pavelich, [[John Harrington (ice hockey)|Harrington]]) – 50:00
|goals2 = 9:12 – [[Vladimir Krutov|Krutov]] ([[Alexei Kasatonov|Kasatonov]])<br /><br />17:34 – [[Sergei Makarov (ice hockey, born 1958)|Makarov]] ([[Alexander Golikov|A. Golikov]])<br /><br />22:18 – [[Alexander Maltsev|Maltsev]] (Krutov) ([[Power play (ice hockey)|PP]])
|official = {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Karl-Gustav Kaisla]]
|official2 =
|linesman = {{flagicon|NED}} Nico Toemen
|linesman2= {{flagicon|CAN}} François Larochelle
|stadium = [[Herb Brooks Arena|Olympic Center]]
| attendance = 8,500
| penalties1 = 6
| penalties2 = 6
| shots1 = 16
| shots2 = 39
}}


==See also==
==See also==
*[[1976 Philadelphia Flyers–Red Army game]]
* [[Ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics]]

==References==
{{reflist}}


===Sources===
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last= Coffey |first= Wayne |title= The Boys of Winter |url= https://archive.org/details/boysofwinter00wayn |url-access= registration |location= New York |publisher= Crown Publishers |year= 2005 |edition= E |isbn= 0-307-23731-1}}
*Jacobson, Zachary Jonathan (2013). [http://escholarship.org/uc/item/9780t1ng "Parable on Ice: Hockey, Capitalism and American Decadence at the Lake Placid Olympics," ''UCLA Historical Journal'', 24, 61–75].
*Soares, John. "The Cold War on Ice." The Cold War on Ice XIV.2 (2008): 77–87. Brown.edu. The Brown Journal of World Affairs. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.
{{refend}}


{{Navboxes|list1=
[[Category:1980 Winter Olympics]]
{{s-start}}
[[Category:Olympic ice hockey|1980 Miracle on Ice]]
{{s-sports|oly}}
[[Category:ABC Sports]]
{{succession box | title=[[List of people who have lit the Olympic Cauldron|Final Olympic Torchbearer]] (U.S. Team)| before=[[Cathy Freeman]] | after=[[Nikolaos Kaklamanakis]]| years=[[2002 Winter Olympics|Salt Lake City 2002]]}}
[[Category:Memorable moments in sports]]
{{succession box | title=[[List of people who have lit the Olympic Cauldron|Final Winter Olympic Torchbearer]] (U.S. Team)| before=[[Midori Ito]] | after=[[Stefania Belmondo]]| years=[[2002 Winter Olympics|Salt Lake City 2002]]}}
[[Category:1980 in ice hockey]]
{{s-end}}
{{SI Sportsman of the Year}}
{{Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year navbox}}
{{NHL on ABC}}
}}


[[ja:Miracle on Ice]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miracle On Ice}}
[[Category:1979–80 in American ice hockey|Nat]]
[[de:Miracle on Ice]]
[[Category:Ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics]]
[[it:Miracolo sul ghiaccio]]
[[Category:Soviet Union–United States relations]]
[[Category:Politics and sports]]
[[Category:United States Hockey Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:United States national ice hockey team games|1980]]
[[Category:1979–80 in Soviet ice hockey|Oly]]
[[Category:Soviet Union national ice hockey team games|1980]]
[[Category:February 1980 sports events in the United States]]
[[Category:Lester Patrick Trophy recipients]]
[[Category:Nicknamed sporting events]]

Latest revision as of 22:40, 9 January 2025

Miracle on Ice
123 Total
 Soviet Union 210 3
 United States 202 4
DateFebruary 22, 1980
ArenaOlympic Center
CityLake Placid, New York, U.S.
Attendance8,500
Herb Brooks Arena (2019)

The "Miracle on Ice" was an ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. It was played between the hosting United States and the Soviet Union on February 22, 1980, during the medal round of the men's ice hockey tournament. Although the Soviet Union was a four-time defending gold medalist and heavily favored, the United States achieved an upset victory, winning 4–3.

The Soviet Union had won the gold medal in five of the six previous Winter Olympic Games, and they were the favorites to win once more in Lake Placid. The Soviet team consisted of professional players with significant experience in international play.[1] By contrast, the United States team, led by head coach Herb Brooks, was composed mostly of amateur players, with only four players with minimal minor-league experience. In addition, the United States had the youngest team in the tournament and in U.S. national team history.

In the group stage, both the Soviet and American teams were undefeated; the U.S. achieved several surprising results, including a 2–2 draw against Sweden,[2] and a 7–3 upset victory over second-place favorite Czechoslovakia.[3][4]

For the first game in the medal round, the Americans played the Soviets. Finishing the first period tied at 2–2, and the Soviets leading 3–2 following the second, the U.S. team scored two more goals to take their first lead midway in the third and final period, then held out to win by a score of 4–3.[5][6] Two days later, the U.S. secured the gold medal by defeating Finland 4–2 in their final game, while the Soviet Union claimed the silver medal with a dominant 9–2 victory over Sweden.[7][8]

The victory became one of the most iconic moments of the Games and in U.S. sports. Equally well-known was the television call of the final seconds of the game by Al Michaels for ABC, in which he declared: "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" In 1999, Sports Illustrated named the "Miracle on Ice" the top sports moment of the 20th century.[9] As part of its centennial celebration in 2008, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) named the "Miracle on Ice" as the top international ice hockey story of the past 100 years.[10]

History

[edit]

The Soviet and American teams

[edit]
Shoulder high portrait of smiling man wearing a suit and tie
The Soviet team's Vladislav Tretiak (pictured here in 2008) was considered the best goaltender in ice hockey in 1980. The Americans scored two goals against him before he was pulled from the game at the end of the first period.

The Soviet Union entered the Lake Placid games as the heavy favorite, having won four consecutive gold medals dating back to the 1964 games. In the four Olympics following their 1960 bronze-medal finish at Squaw Valley, Soviet teams had gone 27–1–1 (wins-losses-ties) and outscored their opponents 175–44.[11] In head-to-head matchups against the United States, the cumulative score over that period was 28–7.[12] The Soviet team had not lost a game in Olympic play since 1968.[13]

The Soviets were led by legendary players in world ice hockey, such as Boris Mikhailov (a top line right winger and team captain), Vladislav Tretiak (the consensus best goaltender in the world at the time), the speedy and skilled Valeri Kharlamov, and talented, dynamic players such as defenseman Viacheslav Fetisov and forwards Vladimir Krutov and Sergei Makarov. From that team, Tretiak, Kharlamov, Makarov, and Fetisov were eventually enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Many of the Soviet players had gained attention in the Summit Series eight years before and, in contrast to the American players, were de facto professionals with long histories of international play,[14] employed by industrial firms or military organizations for the sole purpose of playing hockey on their organization's team.[15] Western nations protested the Soviet Union's use of full-time athletes, as they were forced to use amateur (mainly college) players due to the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) amateur-only policy.[16][17][18] The situation even led to Canadian withdrawal from the 1972 and 1976 Olympics, but the IOC did not change the rules until the late 1980s.[19][20][21]

U.S. head coach Herb Brooks held tryouts in Colorado Springs in the summer of 1979. Of the 20 players who eventually made the final Olympic roster, Buzz Schneider was the only one returning from the 1976 Olympic team.[22] Nine players had played under Brooks at the University of Minnesota (including Rob McClanahan, Mike Ramsey, and Phil Verchota), while four more were from Boston University (Dave Silk, Jack O'Callahan, goaltender Jim Craig, and team captain Mike Eruzione).[23] As Boston University and Minnesota were perennial rivals in college hockey (for instance, they had faced off in a bitter NCAA national semifinal in 1976), Brooks' selection process was a 300-question psychological test that would give him insight on how every player would react under stress; anyone who refused to take the test would automatically fail. Brooks had to select from 68 players who started the tryout.[24]

The average age of the U.S. team was 21 years, making it the youngest team in U.S. history to play in the Olympics (in addition to being the youngest team in the 1980 Olympic tournament), but Brooks knew the limits of every player. As forward John Harrington said, "He knew exactly where to quit. He'd push you right to the limit where you were ready to say, 'I've had it, I'm throwing it in' — and then he'd back off." Brooks continued the organization by campaigning for the players' selection of Eruzione as the captain, and Craig had been the goalie for him in the 1979 World Championship tournament.[24] Assistant coach Craig Patrick had played with Brooks on the 1967 U.S. national team.[25]

The Soviet and American teams were natural rivals due to the decades-old Cold War. In addition, President Jimmy Carter was at the time considering a U.S. boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics, to be held in Moscow, Russia in protest of the December 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. On February 9, the same day the American and Soviet teams met in an exhibition game in New York City, U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance denounced the impending Moscow Games at an IOC meeting.[26] President Carter eventually decided in favor of the boycott.

Exhibitions

[edit]

In exhibitions that year, Soviet club teams went 5–3–1 against National Hockey League (NHL) teams and, a year earlier, the Soviet national team had defeated a team of NHL All-Stars two games to one (by scores of 2–4, 5–4, and 6–0) to win the Challenge Cup.[27] In 1979–80, virtually all the top North American players were Canadians, although the number of U.S.-born professional players had been on the rise throughout the 1970s. The 1980 U.S. Olympic team featured several young players who were regarded as highly promising, and some had signed contracts to play in the NHL immediately after the tournament.

In September 1979, before the Olympics, the American team started exhibition play. They played a total of 61 games in five months against teams from Europe and the United States.[28] Through these games, Brooks instilled a European style of play in his team, emphasizing wide-open play with sufficient body contact. He believed it would be the only way for the Americans to compete with the Soviets.[29] From the start of the exhibition matches, he conducted the team through skating wind sprints consisting of end line to blue line and back, then end line to red line and back, then end line to far blue line and back, and finally end line all the way down and back. Some of the players took to calling these "Herbies".[24] On September 17, the team played to a 3–3 tie in Norway.[30] Believing the team wasn't putting up sufficient effort, an angry Brooks had them skate Herbies after the game and, after a while, arena custodians turned the lights off and the Herbies continued in the dark. Brooks skated the team for over an hour.[31] The two teams played again the next night, with the U.S. winning handily 9–0. Near the end of the exhibition season, Brooks, because of subpar play, threatened to cut Eruzione (the captain) from the team and replace Craig with Steve Janaszak as the starting goaltender, although he had supported them throughout.[24]

In their last exhibition game, against the Soviets at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, February 9, the Americans were crushed 10–3.[32][33] Soviet head coach Viktor Tikhonov later said that this victory "turned out to be a very big problem" by causing the Soviets to underestimate the American team.[34] The game was also costly for the Americans off-ice, as defenseman Jack O'Callahan pulled a ligament in his knee; however, Brooks kept O'Callahan on the roster, which meant the U.S. was virtually playing with only 19 players throughout the tournament. O'Callahan eventually returned for the game against the Soviets, playing limited minutes.

Olympic group play

[edit]

In Olympic group play, the Americans surprised many observers with their physical, cohesive play. In their first game, on February 12 against favored Sweden, Team USA earned a dramatic 2–2 draw by scoring with 27 seconds left after pulling goalie Jim Craig for an extra attacker.[2] Then came a stunning 7–3 victory over Czechoslovakia, who were a favorite for the silver medal. With its two toughest games in the group phase out of the way, the U.S. team reeled off three more wins, beating Norway 5–1, Romania 7–2, and West Germany 4–2 to go 4–0–1 and advance to the medal round from its group, along with Sweden.[35][36]

In the other group, the Soviets stormed through their opposition undefeated, often by grossly lopsided scores. They defeated Japan 16–0, the Netherlands 17–4, Poland 8–1, Finland 4–2, and Canada 6–4 to easily qualify for the next round, although both the Finns and the Canadians gave the Soviets tough games for two periods. In the end, the Soviet Union and Finland advanced from their group.[37]

Game summary

[edit]

Prior to the Friday game, ABC requested that it be rescheduled from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST, so that it could be broadcast live in primetime. However, the IIHF declined the request after the Soviets complained that it would cause the game to air at 4 a.m. Moscow Time, as opposed to 1 a.m. As a result, ABC decided not to broadcast the game live for the U.S. audience and tape delayed it for broadcast during its primetime block of Olympics coverage.[38] Before the game aired, ABC's Olympics host Jim McKay openly stated that the game had already occurred, but that they had promised not to spoil its results. In order to accommodate coverage of the men's slalom competition, portions of the game were also edited for time.[39] ABC's 8 to 8:30 p.m. timeslot was instead devoted to the animated special The Pink Panther in: Olym-Pinks. To this day, some who watched the game on television in the United States still believe that it was live.[40]

With a capacity of 8,500, the arena was packed.[41] Before the game, Brooks read his players a statement he had 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."[42] Brooks believed they could win and later said, "The Russians were ready to cut their own throats. But we had to get to the point to be ready to pick up the knife and hand it to them. So the morning of the game I called the team together and told them, 'It's meant to be. This is your moment and it's going to happen.' It's kind of corny and I could see them thinking, 'Here goes Herb again....' But I believed it."[24]

Brooks wanted his team to play short shifts lasting 40 seconds or less to stay energized by the third period. He instructed team physician George Nagobads to track ice time for the players, who later joked that he never saw the game since he was focused on his stopwatch.[43][44]

First period

[edit]

As in several previous games, the U.S. team fell behind early. Vladimir Krutov deflected a slap shot by Alexei Kasatonov past U.S. goaltender Jim Craig at the 9:12 mark to give the Soviets a 1–0 lead. At the 14:03 mark, Buzz Schneider scored for the United States on a 50-foot shot from the left board to tie the game.[24] The Soviets struck again when Sergei Makarov scored with 17:34 gone. With his team down 2–1, Craig improved his play, turning away many Soviet shots before the U.S. team had another shot on goal.

In the waning seconds of the first period, Dave Christian fired a slap shot on Tretiak from 100 feet (30 m) away. The Soviet goalie saved the shot but misplayed the rebound, which bounced out some 20 feet (6.1 m) in front of him. Mark Johnson sliced between the two defenders, found the loose puck, and fired it past a diving Tretiak to tie the score with one second left in the period.[45] Confusion reigned immediately after as the game clock showed 0:00 since it could not be stopped in time after Johnson's goal. Referee Karl-Gustav Kaisla ruled that one second would be put back on the clock and the usual center ice faceoff would take place before the first intermission could begin. A lengthy delay followed as most of the Soviet team had already proceeded down the tunnel to their locker room. Eventually, three Soviet skaters along with backup goaltender Myshkin took the ice for the final faceoff. The first period ended with the game tied 2–2.[46]

Second period

[edit]

Tikhonov replaced Tretiak with backup goaltender Vladimir Myshkin immediately after Johnson's goal,[47] a move that shocked players on both teams.[27] Tikhonov later identified this as the "turning point of the game"[48] and called it "the biggest mistake of my career".[49] Years later, when Johnson asked Viacheslav Fetisov, now an NHL teammate, about the move, Fetisov responded with "Coach crazy."[48] 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 by Aleksandr Maltsev 2:18 into play. After two periods the Soviet Union led, 3–2.

Third period

[edit]
Black and white in-game action photo including a goaltender, two defenders, and two attacking forwards
United States vs Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics

Vladimir Krutov was sent to the penalty box at the 6:47 mark of the third period for high-sticking. The Americans, who had managed only two shots on Myshkin in 27 minutes, had a power play and a rare offensive opportunity. Myshkin stopped a Mike Ramsey shot, then U.S. team captain Mike Eruzione fired a shot wide. Late in the power play, Dave Silk was advancing into the Soviet zone when Valeri Vasiliev knocked him to the ice. The puck slid to Mark Johnson.[50] Johnson fired off a shot that went under Myshkin and into the net at the 8:39 mark, as the power play was ending, tying the game at 3.[51] Only a couple of shifts later, Mark Pavelich passed to Eruzione, who was left undefended in the high slot. Eruzione, who had just come onto the ice, fired a shot past Myshkin, who was screened by Vasili Pervukhin.[52] This goal gave Team USA a 4–3 lead, its first of the game, with exactly 10 minutes remaining to play.

In what many Americans considered "the longest 10 minutes of their lives", the Soviets, trailing for the first time in the game, attacked ferociously. Moments after Eruzione's goal, Maltsev fired a shot which ricocheted off the right goal post.[53] As the minutes wound down, Brooks kept repeating to his players, "Play your game. Play your game."[54] Instead of going into a defensive crouch, the United States continued to play offense, even getting off a few more shots on goal.[55] The Soviets began to shoot wildly, and Sergei Starikov admitted that "we were panicking." As the clock ticked down below a minute, the Soviets got the puck back into the American zone, and Mikhailov passed to Vladimir Petrov, who shot wide.[56] The Americans fully expected Tikhonov to pull the goalie in the waning seconds. To their surprise, Myshkin stayed in the game. Starikov later explained that "We never did six-on-five," not even in practice, because "Tikhonov just didn't believe in it."[57] Craig kicked away a Petrov slap shot with 33 seconds left. Kharlamov fired the puck back in as the clock ticked below 20 seconds. A wild scramble for the puck ensued, ending when Johnson found it and passed it to Ken Morrow.[57] 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 goaltender Ken Dryden, picked up on the countdown in his broadcast, and delivered his famous call:[58]

11 seconds, you've got 10 seconds, the countdown going on right now! Morrow, up to Silk. Five seconds left in the game. Do you believe in miracles? YES!

As his team ran all over the ice in celebration, Herb Brooks sprinted back to the locker room and cried.[59] In the locker room afterwards, players spontaneously broke into a chorus of "God Bless America".[60]

American aftermath

[edit]

Gold medal

[edit]
Jim Craig's gear from 1980, at the Hockey Hall of Fame

The United States did not win the gold medal by defeating the USSR. In 1980, the medal round was a round-robin,[61] not a single elimination format as it is today. Under Olympic rules at the time, the group game with Sweden was counted along with the medal round games versus the Soviet Union and Finland. It was mathematically possible for the United States to finish anywhere from first to fourth.[46][61]

Cover of Sports Illustrated magazine with a close up shot of several players, a goal and the US flag
The March 3, 1980 cover of Sports Illustrated ran without any accompanying captions or headlines.[46]

Needing to defeat Finland to secure the gold medal, Team USA faced a 2–1 deficit at the end of the second period. According to Mike Eruzione, coming into the dressing room for the second intermission, Brooks turned to his players, looked at them, and said, "If you lose this game, you'll take it to your fucking graves." He then walked towards the locker room door, paused, looked over his shoulder, and said to them again, "Your fucking graves." Team USA came back in the third period to defeat Finland 4–2.[37]

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.[62] Today, podia are not used for ice hockey; the teams line up on their respective blue lines after the final game.

After the gold medal-securing victory over Finland, the players received a congratulatory phone call from President Jimmy Carter.[63]

The cover of the March 3, 1980, issue of Sports Illustrated was a photograph by Heinz Kluetmeier of the American players celebrating and waving an American flag;[46] it did not feature any explanatory captions or headlines, because, as Kluetmeier put it, "It didn't need it. Everyone in America knew what happened."[64] The U.S. team also received the magazine's "Sportsmen of the Year" award,[24] and were also named Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press and ABC's Wide World of Sports. In 2004, ESPN, as part of its 25th anniversary, declared the Miracle on Ice to be the top sports headline moment and game of the period 1979–2004. The victory was voted the greatest sports moment of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated.[65]

Nighttime photo of a tall tower lit up with small lights
The U.S. team lit the Olympic cauldron at the 2002 Winter Olympics.

After the 1980 Winter Olympics

[edit]

At the 1981 Canada Cup, the United States, with seven players from their 1980 Olympic team, again faced the Soviet Union. The Soviets took the opening round encounter 4–1 in Edmonton. At the 1982 World Championship in Finland, with Mike Ramsey, Mark Johnson, Buzz Schneider, and John Harrington, the Americans again met the Soviets, but once again the U.S. lost, 8–4.

Later careers

[edit]

Of the 20 players on Team USA, 13 eventually played in the NHL.[66] Five of them played over 500 NHL games, and three of them played over 1,000 NHL games.

  • Neal Broten played one more season for the Golden Gophers before moving on to the NHL, and he appeared in 1,099 NHL games over 17 seasons—992 of them with the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars franchise. He captained the Stars before being traded midway through the 1994–95 season to the New Jersey Devils. A two-time All-Star, he tallied 923 career points (289 goals, 634 assists), became the first American player to record 100 points in a season, and he won a Stanley Cup as a member of the Devils in 1995.[67] Broten had already won the NCAA championship in 1979 at the University of Minnesota; this, combined with the Olympic gold medal in 1980 and the 1995 Cup win (Broten scored the Cup-winning goal in Game 4 as Viacheslav Fetisov, playing for the opposing Detroit Red Wings, fell down), made him the first player in the history of the sport to win a championship at the collegiate, professional, and Olympic levels. The Dallas Stars have since retired number 7 for Broten.
  • Ken Morrow won the Stanley Cup in 1980 as a member of the New York Islanders, becoming the first hockey player to win an Olympic gold medal and the Cup in the same year.[68] He played 550 NHL games and won three more Cups, all with the Islanders.[69] Morrow later worked for the Islanders as Director of Pro Scouting.[70]
  • Mike Ramsey played in 1,070 games over 18 years. Fourteen of those years were spent with the Buffalo Sabres, with whom he played 911 games and was a five-time All-Star, captaining the team from 1990 to 1992. In 1995, he played in the Stanley Cup Finals with the Detroit Red Wings, but his team was swept by Neal Broten and the New Jersey Devils. In 2000, Ramsey became an assistant coach for the Minnesota Wild.[71]
  • Dave Christian spent 14 years in the NHL, the bulk of them for the original Winnipeg Jets (for whom he served as team captain) and Washington Capitals.[72] In 1990, he played in the Stanley Cup Finals while with the Boston Bruins, but the Bruins lost in five games to the Edmonton Oilers. He ended his career with 783 points (340 goals, 443 assists) in 1,009 games and made the All-Star team in 1991.[73]
  • Mark Johnson played for several teams in the NHL before finding a home in New Jersey, tallying 508 career points (203 goals, 305 assists) in 669 games over 11 seasons.[74] Like Christian, Ramsey, and Broten, he became an NHL All-Star (in 1984) and served as Hartford Whalers team captain. In 2002, Johnson became the coach of the University of Wisconsin–Madison women's team, leading the Badgers to National Championships in 2006, 2007 (which the Badgers won in the same Lake Placid arena in which the Miracle took place), 2009, 2011, 2019, 2021 and 2023. Johnson also served as head coach of the women's ice hockey team that won the silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
  • Jack O'Callahan played 390 NHL regular season games between 1982 and 1989 for the Chicago Blackhawks and New Jersey Devils.
  • Mark Pavelich played 355 NHL regular season games in the NHL for the New York Rangers, Minnesota North Stars, and San Jose Sharks between 1981 and 1992.
  • Dave Silk played 249 NHL regular season games for the Boston Bruins, Winnipeg Jets, Detroit Red Wings, and New York Rangers between 1980 and 1985.
Knee high portrait of a man wearing khaki colored clothes and wearing a baseball hat
The Miracle on Ice launched the careers of several players and made broadcaster Al Michaels famous.
  • Jim Craig appeared in 30 NHL games for the Atlanta Flames, Boston Bruins, and Minnesota North Stars between 1980 and 1984.[75]
  • Team captain Mike Eruzione did not play any high-level ice hockey after the 1980 Olympics, as he felt that he had accomplished all of his hockey goals with the gold medal win.[76] He did work as a hockey television analyst in the 1980s and 1990s.
  • Craig Patrick, Brooks' assistant coach and assistant general manager, both managed and coached the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins. As a result of his success with the Penguins, who won two Stanley Cups while Patrick was general manager, he was enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002. During that same year, he served as general manager of the Herb Brooks-coached 2002 U.S. hockey team that won the silver medal at the Salt Lake City games.
  • Herb Brooks, the team coach, coached several NHL teams following the Olympics, with mixed results. He returned to the Olympics as coach of the French team in 1998, the first Olympics in which NHL players competed. Brooks then led Team USA to the silver medal in 2002, which included a 2–2 round-robin draw and a 3–2 semi-final victory over Russia (the successor to the Soviet Union), the semi-final match coming 22 years to the day after the "Miracle on Ice" game.[77] Brooks died in a car crash near Forest Lake, Minnesota on August 11, 2003, at the age of 66.[78] In 2005, the Olympic Center ice arena in Lake Placid where the Miracle on Ice took place was renamed in his honor. The following year, Brooks was posthumously enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
  • Al Michaels got the job as play-by-play announcer for ice hockey at Lake Placid because he was the only member of ABC's broadcasting team who had previously called the sport (at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan).[79] Michaels was named "Sportscaster of the Year" in 1980 for his coverage of the event. Michaels spent 26 more years covering sports for ABC before moving to NBC to call Sunday Night Football alongside John Madden and then Cris Collinsworth after Madden retired.

Soviet aftermath

[edit]

Silver medal

[edit]

In the Soviet locker room, Tikhonov singled out first-line players Tretiak, Kharlamov, Petrov, and Mikhailov, and told each of them, "This is your loss!"[80] Two days after the Miracle on Ice, the Soviet team defeated Sweden 9–2, winning the silver medal. 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 customary.[81] The result stunned the Soviet Union and its news media.

After the 1980 Winter Olympics

[edit]

Despite the loss, the USSR remained the pre-eminent power in Olympic hockey until its dissolution in 1991. The Soviet team did not lose a World Championship game until 1985 and did not lose to the United States again until 1991.[82] Throughout the 1980s, NHL teams continued to draft Soviet players in hopes of enticing them to eventually play in North America. Soviet emigrant Victor Nechayev made a brief appearance with the Los Angeles Kings in the 1982–83 season and, during the 1988–89 season, the Soviet Ice Hockey Federation agreed to let veteran Sergei Pryakhin join the Calgary Flames.[83]

NHL careers

[edit]
Head and shoulders of man who is either bald or has hair cut very short
Former Soviet National team player Helmuts Balderis, pictured in 2014. Balderis played a season late in his career with the Minnesota North Stars of the NHL.

In the 1989-90 season, Soviet authorities permitted six more 1980 Olympians – Helmuts Balderis, Viacheslav Fetisov, Alexei Kasatonov, Vladimir Krutov, Sergei Makarov, and Sergei Starikov – to join NHL clubs, but only after they agreed to play in their final World Championship (where they won gold). Makarov won the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year in 1989–90, becoming the oldest player to win that award.[84] Fetisov was a teammate of Mike Ramsey on the 1995 Detroit Red Wings team that lost the Stanley Cup Finals to Neal Broten and the New Jersey Devils. Fetisov completed his career by winning Cups with the Red Wings in 1997 and 1998; the first Cup win also made Fetisov a member of the Triple Gold Club, consisting of individuals who have won a Stanley Cup plus gold medals at the Olympics and World Championships.[85]

Notable rematches

[edit]

The U.S. and the Soviet Union next met at the Winter Olympics in 1988. As in 1980, the Soviets were represented by their star-studded veterans, while the Americans fielded a team of college players. The Soviets won the encounter 7–5 and won the gold medal, while the U.S. placed seventh.

The two teams met again at the 1992 Olympics in a semi-final match. There, the Unified Team (the successor to the Soviet Union) won 5–2. While some stars had left the Soviet Union to play in the NHL, the Unified Team still boasted many veterans from their domestic professional league, while the Americans were represented primarily by college players. The Unified Team eventually won the gold medal, while the U.S. placed fourth.

The U.S., coached by Herb Brooks, and Russia, coached by Viacheslav Fetisov, met twice in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, which included a 2–2 round-robin draw and a 3–2 semi-final win for the Americans. The semi-final match was played 22 years to the day after the "Miracle on Ice" game.[77] The U.S. eventually won silver, while Russia won bronze.

The U.S. and Russia played each other in a round-robin game at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. The game was tied 2–2 after overtime before the Americans prevailed in an eight-round shootout, with T. J. Oshie scoring on 4 of 6 attempts for the United States. The match has been dubbed by some as the "Marathon on Ice" due to its length.[86] Both teams, however, failed to win a medal; the Americans finished fourth (losing to Canada in the semifinals), while the Russians placed fifth (losing to Finland in the quarterfinals).

[edit]

A made-for-TV movie Miracle on Ice, starring Karl Malden as Brooks, Steve Guttenberg as Craig, and Andrew Stevens as Eruzione aired on ABC television in 1981.[87] It incorporated actual game footage and original commentary from the 1980 Winter Games.[88]

The documentary film Do You Believe in Miracles?, narrated by Liev Schreiber, premiered on HBO in 2001 and was subsequently released on home video.[89]

In 2004, Walt Disney Pictures released the film Miracle, directed by Gavin O'Connor and starring Kurt Russell as 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 Brooks, who died shortly after principal photography completed.

The documentary Of Miracles And Men, which was directed by Jonathan Hock, premiered on ESPN in 2015 as part of the channel's 30 for 30 series. The story of the 1980 matchup is told from the Soviet perspective.[90]

In The X-Files (season 4, episode 7), Cigarette Smoking Man (aka Cancer Man) reveals that he rigged the game by injecting the goaltender with a small amount of novocaine, saying "What's the matter? Don't you believe in miracles?"

Team rosters

[edit]
An ice arena empty at the time
Herb Brooks Arena in 2005

United States

[edit]
No. Pos. Name Age Hometown College
30 G *Jim Craig 22 North Easton, MA Boston U.
3 D *Ken Morrow 23 Flint, MI Bowling Green
5 D *Mike Ramsey 19 Minneapolis, MN Minnesota
10 C *Mark Johnson 22 Madison, WI Wisconsin
24 LW *Rob McClanahan 22 Saint Paul, MN Minnesota
8 RW *Dave Silk 21 Scituate, MA Boston U.
6 D Bill Baker (A) 22 Grand Rapids, MN Minnesota
9 C Neal Broten 20 Roseau, MN Minnesota
23 RW Dave Christian 20 Warroad, MN North Dakota
11 RW Steve Christoff 21 Richfield, MN Minnesota
21 LW Mike Eruzione (C) 25 Winthrop, MA Boston U.
28 RW John Harrington 22 Virginia, MN Minnesota-Duluth
1 G Steve Janaszak 22 Saint Paul, MN Minnesota
17 D Jack O'Callahan 22 Charlestown, MA Boston U.
16 C Mark Pavelich 21 Eveleth, MN Minnesota-Duluth
25 LW Buzz Schneider 25 Grand Rapids, MN Minnesota
19 RW Eric Strobel 21 Rochester, MN Minnesota
20 D Bob Suter 22 Madison, WI Wisconsin
27 LW Phil Verchota 22 Duluth, MN Minnesota
15 C Mark Wells 21 St. Clair Shores, MI Bowling Green

Soviet Union

[edit]
No. Pos. Name Age Hometown Professional club
20 G *Vladislav Tretiak 27 Orudyevo CSKA Moscow
2 D *Viacheslav Fetisov 21 Moscow CSKA Moscow
7 D *Alexei Kasatonov 20 Leningrad CSKA Moscow
16 C *Vladimir Petrov 32 Krasnogorsk CSKA Moscow
17 LW *Valeri Kharlamov 32 Moscow CSKA Moscow
13 RW *Boris Mikhailov (C) 35 Moscow CSKA Moscow
19 RW Helmuts Balderis 27 Riga CSKA Moscow
14 D Zinetula Bilyaletdinov 24 Moscow Dynamo Moscow
23 RW Aleksandr Golikov 27 Penza Dynamo Moscow
25 C Vladimir Golikov 25 Penza Dynamo Moscow
9 LW Vladimir Krutov 19 Moscow CSKA Moscow
11 RW Yuri Lebedev 28 Moscow Krylya Sovetov Moscow
24 RW Sergei Makarov 21 Chelyabinsk CSKA Moscow
10 C/RW Aleksandr Maltsev 30 Kirovo-Chepetsk Dynamo Moscow
1 G Vladimir Myshkin 24 Kirovo-Chepetsk Dynamo Moscow
5 D Vasili Pervukhin 24 Penza Dynamo Moscow
26 LW Aleksandr Skvortsov 25 Gorky Torpedo Gorky
12 D Sergei Starikov 21 Chelyabinsk CSKA Moscow
6 D Valeri Vasiliev (A) 30 Gorky Dynamo Moscow
22 C Viktor Zhluktov 26 Inta CSKA Moscow

* Starting line up

Box score

[edit]
February 22, 1980 (1980-02-22)
17:00 EST
 United States4–3
(2–2, 0–1, 2–0)
Soviet Union Olympic Center
Attendance: 8,500
Game reference
Jim CraigGoaliesVladislav Tretiak, Vladimir MyshkinReferee:
Finland Karl-Gustav Kaisla
Linesmen:
Netherlands Nico Toemen
Canada François Larochelle
0 – 19:12 – Krutov (Kasatonov)
Schneider (Pavelich) – 14:031 – 1
1 – 217:34 – Makarov (A. Golikov)
Johnson (Christian, Silk) – 19:592 – 2
2 – 322:18 – Maltsev (Krutov) (PP)
Johnson (Silk) (PP) – 48:393 – 3
Eruzione (Pavelich, Harrington) – 50:004 – 3
6 minPenalties6 min
16Shots39

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Soares, John (2018). "Amateur vs. Professional in Cold War Hockey: A Consideration of Relative Skill Levels and Their Implications for Professional Hockey Today". Notre Dame Journal of International & Comparative Law. 8 (1): 2–4. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b "U.S. hockey team ties Sweden". Wilmington Morning Star. (North Carolina). Associated Press. February 13, 1980. p. 1C.
  3. ^ "Americans stun Czechs in Olympic ice hockey". Wilmington Morning Star. (North Carolina). Associated Press. February 15, 1980. p. 1C.
  4. ^ "U.S. pucksters upset Czechs, boost medal odds". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. February 15, 1980. p. 10.
  5. ^ "Americans surprise Soviets, 4-3". Wilmington Morning Star. (North Carolina). Associated Press. February 23, 1980. p. 4B.
  6. ^ Shalin, Michael (February 23, 1980). "U.S. ices spot in hockey history". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. p. 15.
  7. ^ "U.S. defeats Finland, clinches hockey gold". Wilmington Morning Star. (North Carolina). Associated Press. February 25, 1980. p. 5B.
  8. ^ Richman, Milt (February 25, 1980). "U.S. win was ultimate upset". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. p. 9.
  9. ^ "The 20th Century Awards: Sports Illustrated honors world's greatest athletes". Sports Illustrated. December 3, 1999. Archived from the original on September 3, 2000. Retrieved June 11, 2011.
  10. ^ "Top Story of the Century". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
  11. ^ Coffey, p. 35
  12. ^ Coffey, p. 17
  13. ^ "Miracle on Ice: the U.S. Beats the Soviets". HISTORY. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  14. ^ Podnieks, Andrew: Team Canada 1972: The Official 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Summit Series ISBN 978-0771071195 p.212
  15. ^ "How the Russians break the Olympic rules - CSMonitor.com". Christian Science Monitor. 15 April 1980.
  16. ^ J. N. Washburn (July 21, 1974). "Soviet Amateur Athlete: A Real Pro". The New York Times.
  17. ^ "Central Intelligence Agency Information Report: SOVIET CONTROL OF SPORTS ACTIVITIES AND SPORTS PROPAGANDA" (PDF). Cia.gov. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  18. ^ Soares, John (February 21, 2018). "Amateur vs. Professional in Cold War Hockey: A Consideration of Relative Skill Levels and Their Implications for Professional Hockey Today" (PDF). Notre Dame Journal of International & Comparative Law. 8 (1).
  19. ^ IIHF (2008). "PROTESTING AMATEUR RULES, CANADA LEAVES INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY". IIHF.com. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
  20. ^ Coffey, p. 59
  21. ^ "Soviet Sports As An Instrument Of Political Propaganda". Cia.gov. 2008-06-19. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  22. ^ Coffey, pp. 19–20
  23. ^ Coffey, p. 21
  24. ^ a b c d e f g Swift, E.M. (December 22, 1980). "A reminder of what we can be". Sports Illustrated. p. 30.
  25. ^ Coffey, p. 25
  26. ^ Coffey, pp. 159–160
  27. ^ a b Allen, Kevin (December 23, 1997). "College kids perform Olympic miracle". ESPN. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  28. ^ Coffey, p. 26
  29. ^ Ted, Green (2 February 1980). "'We Aren't Awed' Please...Nobody Tell the U.S. Hockey Team It Has No Chance". Los Angeles Times.
  30. ^ "1980 Pre Olympic Tour Schedule". Vintage Minnesota Hockey.
  31. ^ "'Again!' an oral history of Herb Brooks' (In)famous bag skate in Norway". 20 February 2020.
  32. ^ "Russians trounce U.S. hockey team". Sunday Star-News. (Wilmington, North Carolina). Associated Press. February 10, 1980. p. 8C.
  33. ^ Coffey, pp. 46–48
  34. ^ Coffey, p. 51
  35. ^ "American defeat West Germans, 4-2". Wilmington Morning Star. (North Carolina). Associated Press. February 21, 1980. p. 4D.
  36. ^ "Dangerous Soviets next for the U.S." The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. February 21, 1980. p. 17.
  37. ^ a b Lake Placid Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (1985). Official Results of the XIII Olympic Winter Games—Lake Placid 1980 (PDF). Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles. pp. 105–111.
  38. ^ Shepard, Richard F. (Feb 23, 1980). "ABC-TV Unable To Offer Key Hockey Playoff Live: Federation Rejected Request". The New York Times.
  39. ^ Sandomir, Richard (22 February 2000). "TV SPORTS; 'Miracle on Ice' of 1980 Looks Different Today". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  40. ^ Posnanski, Joe (February 22, 2010). "10 interesting facts you may not know about the Miracle on Ice". Sports Illustrated.
  41. ^ Coffey, p. 68
  42. ^ Coffey, p. 45
  43. ^ Frederick, Jace (February 19, 2020). "1980 U.S. hockey team's keys to success: Home ice, coaching, luck and especially conditioning". St. Paul Pioneer Press. St. Paul, Minnesota. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  44. ^ Feldman, Jason (September 29, 2017). "Miracle On Ice doctor has fond memories of brooks, U". Post-Bulletin. Rochester, Minnesota. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  45. ^ Posnanski, Joe (February 22, 2010). "10 interesting facts you may not know about the Miracle on Ice". Sports Illustrated.
  46. ^ a b c d Swift, E.M. (March 3, 1980). "The Golden Goal". Sports Illustrated. p. 16.
  47. ^ Coffey, p. 150
  48. ^ a b Fitzpatrick, Jamie. "The Miracle Unfolds". About.com. The New York Times Co. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  49. ^ Coffey, p. 152
  50. ^ Coffey, pp. 350–52
  51. ^ Coffey, p. 358
  52. ^ Coffey, p. 374
  53. ^ Coffey, p. 377
  54. ^ Coffey, p. 379
  55. ^ Coffey, p. 381
  56. ^ Coffey, p. 383
  57. ^ a b Coffey, p. 384
  58. ^ HBO Sports (2001). Do You Believe in Miracles? : The Story of the 1980 U.S. Hockey Team (Video). New York: HBO Home Video. ISBN 9780783119953.
  59. ^ Coffey, p. 387
  60. ^ Bacon, John U. (February 20, 2010). "Oh, Say Can You See a New Anthem?". Ann Arbor Chronicle. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
  61. ^ a b "Americans to tackle Russians". Wilmington Morning Star. (North Carolina). Associated Press. February 22, 1980. p. 1C.
  62. ^ Coffey, pp. 412–13
  63. ^ "Miracle on Ice: USA beats Soviet Union in 1980 Olympics". Newsday. 2019-02-22.
  64. ^ Deitsch, Richard (August 19, 2008). "Heinz Q&A". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on August 22, 2008.
  65. ^ "The anniversary of a Miracle". St. Petersburg Times. February 22, 2005. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
  66. ^ Coffey, p. 318
  67. ^ "Neal Broten". Hockey Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  68. ^ Coffey, p. 200
  69. ^ "Ken Morrow". Hockey Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  70. ^ "Ken Morrow, Director of Pro Scouting". Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  71. ^ "Mike Ramsey". Hockey Database. Hockeydb.com. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
  72. ^ "Dave Christian". Hockey Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  73. ^ "Dave Christian". Hockey Database. Hockeydb.com. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
  74. ^ "Mark Johnson (ice hockey)". Hockey Database. Hockeydb.com. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
  75. ^ "Jim Craig". Hockey Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  76. ^ "Eruzione Won't Go Pro". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Associated Press. March 1, 1980. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
  77. ^ a b "USA holds off Russia 3–2 to advance to gold medal game". CNN. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
  78. ^ "Herb Brooks killed in car accident". Sports Illustrated. August 11, 2003. Archived from the original on August 15, 2003. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
  79. ^ Sandomir, Richard (February 22, 2010). "'Miracle on Ice' announcer Al Michaels is back in the Olympic studio". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, OH. Associated Press.
  80. ^ Coffey, p. 389
  81. ^ Coffey, p. 413
  82. ^ Coffey, pp. 396–97
  83. ^ "Sweeping changes: Russian hockey looked different after '72 Summit Series". Sports Illustrated. September 27, 2002. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
  84. ^ "Sergei Makarov". Hockey Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  85. ^ "Viacheslav Fetisov". Hockey Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  86. ^ "TEAM USA BEATS RUSSIA IN 'MARATHON ON ICE'". Teamusa.org. Archived from the original on February 15, 2014. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  87. ^ Miracle on Ice at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata Retrieved May 3, 2008
  88. ^ Thomson, Candus (9 February 2010). "CRAM COURSE ON WINTER GAMES". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 21 February 2022. "Miracle on Ice," rushed to television a year after the Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y., helped solidify those memories. It stars Karl Malden as the late coach Herb Brooks and Steve Guttenberg as goalie Jim Craig. Its saving grace is that it uses actual game footage and the play-by-play of Al Michaels.
  89. ^ Miracle on Ice at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata Retrieved May 23, 2008
  90. ^ Lowry, Brian (5 February 2015). "TV Review: ESPN's 'Of Miracles and Men'". Variety. Retrieved 25 September 2016.

Sources

[edit]