Remembering "The Miracle on Ice"

If things were normal, we would be a few days short of a month until the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic games. Due to the global outbreak of COVID-19, the games have been postponed until next year. However, that hasn’t stopped me from looking back at some of the greatest moments from past years, one of which took place 40 years ago in Lake Placid, New York.

I wasn’t alive when the game took place, but I was when the Disney movie about the game, called "Miracle," hit theaters in 2004. Starring Kurt Russell as former US Olympic Hockey coach, Herb Brooks, the movie depicted the events leading up to the game known as “The Miracle on Ice,” as well as the game itself. With the help of Google, let me flash you back to the year 1980.

America is at the beginning of the Cold War, a non-violent conflict with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The United States, a capitalist country, is attempting to prevent the communist ideology of the Soviets from spreading to other nations by supporting countries struggling to keep the USSR out of their government. Former peanut farmer Jimmy Carter is president of the United States; "The Shining," "Friday the 13th" and "Caddyshack" all made their debut on the silver screen.

With the Cold War such a major part of American life in the 1980s, it's easy to see how a hockey game between the US and the USSR could have added meaning. It’s hard to describe how good of a team the USSR had, but I guess the best way to attempt to would be to tell you the score of their Feb. 11 game against the 1979 NHL All-Star team: 6-0 … Soviets. The day prior to that game, the USSR had humiliated Team USA at Madison Square Garden, 10-3.

I won’t spoil the events preceding the game, because I highly encourage you to watch it (it's on Netflix), so I’ll jump right to the game: Feb. 22, 1980.

The United States team fell behind after the Soviets scored a goal a little over nine minutes into the game. This was not much of a surprise to those who had been following the tournament to this point,
as the US had made a habit out of coming back from early deficits in their previous matchups against Sweden (2-2), Czechoslovakia (5-1) and Norway (7-2). A little over five minutes later, at 14:03 played, the
United States was on the board, and the game was tied at one apiece. The first period ended 1-1.

The Soviets found the net again at 17:34 played, recapturing the lead, 2-1. With the second period winding down, the USSR prepared to head to the locker room up a goal, but the US had other plans. In a flash, Mark Johnson and two of his teammates went coast-to-coast and evened the score, 2-2, with no time left in the period.

In the final period, the USSR took control again, taking a 3-2 lead over the US. All looked lost until 26 minutes later as Mark Johnson found the net again and tied the game, 3-3. Shortly after Johnson’s late-game heroics, US team captain, Mike Eruzione, gave his team the lead, 4-3. The United States would hold off the Soviets for the remaining 10 minutes and win the game, advancing to the Gold Medal
round. The US took gold after defeating the Fins 4-2; it was another come-from-behind win.

It would take 11 years after the game for the USSR to disband, ending the Cold War.

To many, both Americans and Soviets, this was more than a hockey game. It was David versus Goliath on ice. And just like the story…David won.