The "You Had To See It To Believe It!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Looking through a few magazines, reading about one of the most unlikely sporting events that has ever happened.  All started in February of 1980 when a rag-tag group of mostly college kids went to the XIII Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York and came away with the Gold Medal in Ice Hockey.  I can still remember sitting in front of the TV with my wife in our house on Janet Ave. in Lancaster, PA, cheering the USA team on to victory against the Soviet team.  That game was known as "The Miracle On Ice" and rightly so.  Against all odds a group of 20 college ice hockey players stunned the Russian team which was allegedly unbeatable.  The story sounded like stuff that movies are made of and that's exactly what happened.  The Soviet team that came to the Olympics that year had won the gold medal in five of the last six Olympics.  Since 1954 they had won 22 International Ice Hockey Federation gold medals.  The Soviet players were technically professionals, but their league arrangement was such that they were still called amateurs.  The U.S. coach was a guy by the name of Herb Brooks who had won a state hockey championship as a high school student.  He went on to play college hockey and tried out for the 1960 Olympic team.  Didn't make the team, but went on to play for eight U.S. National and Olympic teams before becoming a coach.  He went back to the University of Minnesota where he had played his college hockey to coach that team and took them to three NCAA titles.  Because of that he was asked to coach the American team in the Olympics.  Brooks selected several of his players as well as players from rival schools.  

The 1980 U.S.A. Ice Hockey Team

The team was considered an underdog when they entered the 1980 Olympics.  In the first round they tied Sweden and then went on to beat Czechoslovakia, Norway, Romania and West Germany.  They then had to face the U.S.S.R. team.  Much to the surprise of everyone, they hung in with the superior Soviet team.  But, being superior on paper isn't the same thing as on ice, and the U.S. team wasn't awe struck with their opponent.  

USA celebrating their win over the. U.S.S.R. Team in 1980.

U.S. goalie Jim Craig put on a heroic performance stopping 36 of 39 shots.  With 10 minutes left in the final period, the U.S. team took a 4-3 lead.  I can still remember the TV broadcaster, Al Michaels, making the final call in the last 10 seconds.  "Do you believe in miracles?  YES!"   Carol and I were jumping up and down in the living room, cheering the team and celebrating with them.  I'm sure just about every household in the United States was doing the same.  It truly was "The Miracle On Ice."  

Goalkeeper Jim Craig after the game.

But, they had one more game left to win the gold medal.  On February 24th, 1980, they faced Finland.  They had to come from behind in the third period, but did so and won 4-2.  The game was what our country needed at the time with a down economy and the Iran Hostage Crisis.  Thirteen of the 20 players on that team ended up playing in the National Hockey League.  Brooks coached the team again in 2002 when they won Silver, and sadly died in a car accident the following year.  "The Miracle On Ice" game was named by Sports Illustrated as the "Greatest Sport Moment of the 20th Century."  Today the U.S. hockey team is comprised of professional players as is the basketball team.  Has the Olympics ruined sports by allowing professional to play in them?  One way or another, there will never be another game when a team of rag-tag amateurs can go up against a team of professionals and win.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

A statue of Herb Brooks celebrating after the victory.  The statue was erected
at the entrance to the RiverCentre in St. Paul, Minnesota in 2003.