Olympic rules back then you had to be amateurs. The soviet team was basically professionals. They played together so long they could anticipate where everyone was on the ice. I remember being a few hundred mikes south of lake placid and heard the radio play. There was no live tv but shown delayed. In fact soviet team so good they crushed the US team a while before Olympic games at Madison square garden.
They were college kids because at that time, America did not allow professional athletes to represent the U.S. in the Olympic Games. Watching this gives me goosebumps. Watching the game as it happened, was so amazing. We were jumping up and down in our living rooms, yelling “USA,” and we stood and sang our national anthem with tears running down our faces. This game gave us some of our American pride back, which unified us in a non-political way. Those college boys, and their amazing coach, became our heroes that day, and they will always be our heroes. It was called “The Miracle Game” because the American college boys beat the professional Russian team. But the true miracle was how that game made a positive change for Americans and America.
It wasn't just the US it was Olympic rules that prohibited "professional" athletes from competing. Applied to all countries until the 1990's. That's why they mentioned that all of the Soviet hockey players were actually soldiers in the Red Army who were assigned to play hockey for the Soviet National Team. That's how the Soviets got around it. The Soviet head coach was a Colonel in the Red Army and the players would do nothing but train year round (under military discipline) which played a big role in how dominant they were. For other countries it was just your coach telling you what to do but if you were a Soviet player your coach was literally your commanding officer and you were bound to follow his "orders".
Unfortunately if you lived in the USA it was impossible to watch it "as it happened" because it wasn't broadcast live. It was played earlier in the day & was shown in primetime via tape delay.
@@busser649 Unless you lived close enough to Canada to pick up the CBC live broadcast. In my part of Wisconsin, we could, if the weather was right, get grainy CBC. I was 10, and tried to watch it live, but didn't keep the signal to the end. We were losing 2-3 when I lost the signal.
I don't know what it means, or how it feels, to be a citizen of any other nation than my own. I can, however, tell you how it feels to me to be a U.S. citizen. I watched this event when it happened and I just re-watched it because of you. The effect has not lessened in the least. I'm not ashamed to say there were tears watching this video. Some will say, yes, but it was a different time, a different era, and it was. But that's what it means, how it feels, to love my country so much. 40 years later, I'm just an old man. And I'm an old man who deeply loves his nation. They can heap as much negativity as they want on my country and it means nothing to me. I've served this nation and I love this nation. And I always will. Thanks for posting this video! Now I need a kleenex, there seems to be some pollen or dust in the air around here. ;)
I'm a 52 year old American Infantry vet and I feel exactly the way you do. This generation may be a huge disappointment but I'm still VERY proud to be an American.
I remember watching this game as a 9 year old back during the 1980 Winter Olympics. A lot of younger people under the age of 35-40 don't understand the geopolitical situation back in those days. We were in the middle of the Cold War with the former USSR. We lived every day with the specter of that Cold War potentially turning into a hot nuclear war. Add on top of the fact that the Pahlavi monarchy in Iran was overthrown and the Islamic Republic of Iran was holding the US embassy hostages for 444 days. The Soviets were gearing up for an invasion of Afghanistan and Iran and Iraq were about to go to war with each other. Also during this time, the US just got through with the disaster of the Vietnam War. To say that the US was in some serious nihilist doldrums is an understatement. This game was between the US and the hated Soviets. The reason the US squad was comprised by a bunch of college kids is because the Olympics didn't allow professionals back then. The Soviets got around this by making their players as part of the Red Army and paying them as soldiers while they played hockey. The US on the other hand couldn't get anyone older than 18-21 years old to play for Team USA because they they would rather play professionally in the NHL instead of playing for free for their country. As a kid growing up in the warm southern US, I didn't even know that hockey was a sport until the Olympics. I also remember that the US wasn't even expected to medal in this Olympics. It was supposed to be a given that the Russians were going to win gold. Everyone else was battling to see who was going to win silver and bronze. You have some very good and powerful countries like Canada, Sweden, Finland, and Czechoslovakia that was expected to win silver or bronze. During the round robin play, the US started surprising everyone by beating Czechoslovakia and going undefeated to advance to the medal round. This sets up the Miracle game with the Soviets. Only a month before, the US team got throttled by the Soviets in an exhibition game 13-3 at Madison Square Garden. Everyone thought the US was going to get throttled again. As I watched this game, I did not sit for the duration of the game. I remember being on pins and needles as the game went back and forth. When Mike Eruzione wrist shot the go-ahead goal with 10 minutes left in the game to make it 4-3, I remember screaming in excitement at the top of my lungs. Those last 10 minutes of that game seemed like 10 hours. The Russians were applying offensive pressure. Jim Craig stood on his head in goal and stopped everything and the kitchen sink. When the final 10 seconds was counting down and Al Micheals asked loudly, "Do you believe in miracles?.......yes!!!!" , me and my dad were dancing around the living room like we won a million dollars. It has been 40 years since that game was played and when I see replay of this game, it still brings a tear to my eye and adrenaline rush. Been a hockey fan since that glorious day.
OK Folks, I hope you got this far down in the comments after obscene rant. Let me address the misinformation spewed forth: • "...JUST got thru Vietnam ...was SEVEN YEARS EARLIER,..." - 1980 - 7 years is 1973. Although the majority of US troops left by 1973, we still had US troops in Vietnam until the fall of Saigon in 1975. They were Marines (embassy/console) and Soldiers (Special Forces training and advising the ARVN). • "...The MIDDLE of the Cold War was in 1962..." - The Cold War lasted from about 1947 to 1991 with the fall of the Warsaw Pack nations including the Soviet Union. Using math, 1991 subtract 1947 equals 44 years. Divide 44 by 2 and get 22 years. 22 years plus 1947 puts the middle close to 1969 (without counting the exact months). Therefore the middle of the Cold War is 1969. OK, so David was technically off on the EXACT middle of the Cold War, it DID occur DURING the Cold War. • "... It was only 110 days then..." - This 110 days must be a number pulled out a person's lower orifice, because their mouth knows better. The Iranian Hostage Crisis started when the Iranian students over took the US Embassy on Nov 4, 1979 and ended Jan 20, 1981, just...ooops :-) A LITTLE AFTER Reagan was sworn into office. Do the math. • "...because this game had ENDED FIVE HOURS EARLIER, and EVERYONE KNEW the outcome BEFORE the FIRST MINUTE was shown on ANY AMERICAN TV station." - The 1980 Winter Olympics were held in Lake Placid, New York. It was broadcast LIVE. I was in the Army during the Iranian Hostage Crisis, my dad was in the Navy retrieving US military and South Vietnamese fleeing the Saigon in 1975, and I was in the terminal at Travis AFB waiting for my MAC flight to Korea in 1980 watching the game. BTW - I will not reply to any violent incense rants. Bbbbbyeeee!
David Reynolds I was 25 and you captured the moment very well. Dad my older brother and I watched the game "LIVE" as you did. Kurt Russell's movie "Miracle" is worth every minute.
I’m only 27 and also from Minnesota, but I wish more young people truly understood what this means. It really is the greatest sports moment ever for the United States.
100%. I’m really humbled by the great veterans who make ultimate sacrifices. Yet,weirdly this team and the 1990-91 all star game at the best venue ever(Chicago Stadium)National Anthem brings tears to my eyes and feelings of major patriotism!! Also,strangely there are both hockey related which most Americans could not give a shit about..
Courtney, i was 14 when that match happened. I cried then, and i still cry. The USA played by the rules and only had college kids, versus a team that could defeat any NHL team. The USA was a helluva mess at that time, and that one moment united us in optimism. Eleven years later, the USSR was gone. Related to this video, check out Kurt Russell's speech as Herb Brooks in the movie "Miracle". Best sports movie speech ever. Thank you for this. Made my week!
A very good movie, which I would recommend without question. Kurt Russell did an outstanding job portraying Herb Brooks, and although Al Michaels was there to do a modern-time commentary, the producers did not replace his iconic "Five seconds left in the game! Do you believe in miracles? YES!" They felt the call was so spontaneous and so genuine, that it could not be replicated, and that was a wise decision. As much as I loved the movie, my mother told me she was in college at the time and after seeing the game on TV, at least one of her professors extended a due date on one of her class's assignments as the sporting moment took over practically everyone's minds. Great film, but truly an amazing moment in sporting history for a group of young college hockey players to upset a well-trained team from the Soviet Union
They spliced two lines from the movie on this video. "I'm sick and tired of hearing how good the Soviets are" and "Tonight we skate with them. We stay with them. And we shut them down! Because we can!" were distinctly Kurt Russell from the movie. The only audio of the real Brooks I recall in this one was near the beginning, from an interview before the Olympics, "right now I'd have to say the Soviets hade the best hockey team in the world."
@@broncosfan1619 Karl Malden. And I agree that people should watch this forgotten movie ("Miracle on Ice") from 1981. It was made in the docudrama style. I prefer it to the Disney version.
I would highly recommend you watch the documentary on this event: "Do You Believe in Miracles? The 1980 US Hockey Team" to really get the full impact and import of what happened. I was eighteen at the time and a senior in high school. It sucked to be an American then and even after all these years I struggle to put into words what those boys did meant to myself and everyone I knew. Just an amazing feeling; I still get emotional just thinking about it.
@randallshaw... I was 30 & a young, non-combat Vietnam veteran... my thoughts and feelings were/are completely aligned with yours, it truly was a miracle that all of us in the USA really needed at that time... sure could use something like that now too!
Randall -- same here. I was 17 & a junior in high school. I played on the school basketball team & we were playing for the state championship at the time the US-USSR game was played. The officials stopped the basketball game & the arena announcer gave the score. As you can imagine, the arena went insane!! On the court we were screaming & cheering & dancing & hugging anyone within arm's reach -- including players from the other team. I got a couple of nice kisses from some of the lovely cheerleaders as well! 😊 Honestly it was VERY difficult to concentrate enough to finish our game.
I was a kid when this game happened. I remember sitting there watching it with my parents. When the US won that game we went crazy! This game was one of the greatest moments in sports history. Still chokes me up watching these kids perform a miracle.
The Soviets had beaten the U.S. team 10-3, in an exhibition game, a few days before the Olympics began. Also, this game was not for the GOLD medal. A couple of days later, team USA defeated Finland 4-2, to capture the gold.
The Soviet team was an absolute machine. They won the gold in the World Championships the previous year, going 6-0 & outscoring their opponents 51-12 in the tournament. They beat an NHL all star team 6-0 in '79 & went 5-3-1 against NHL clubs in exhibition play. That 1980 Olympic semifinal game was the epitome of David vs Goliath.
@@turbochargedsports6327 It was not a semi-final, and the game against Finland was not the final. It was a round robin with top four teams and team with most points after last days games won the gold. If USA lost to Finland, USA could have been 4th, and Soviets taking the gold.
Courtney, it’s impossible to describe the impact this had in the states. I’m 63, and it is, without a doubt, by leaps and bounds, the greatest sports moment of my lifetime.
that was the beginning of the end of the Cold War. Reagan was elected and history is history. Always Proud American here! I watched this live on TV. I was 16 years old.
@@busser649 The game was broadcast by tape delay in prime time. Most people thought they were actually watching it live and of those who did know the game was over, many were unaware of the result. No internet, no cell phones, no ESPN, no live update crawls. It was a different era.
You're giving far too much credit to Reagan. Off the top of my head, I can name a number of people who deserve more credit than Ronnie... Truman - for implementing the containment policy; George Marshall - for implementing his plan and rebuilding Europe and Japan; Tito - for his resistance to Soviet hegemony, thus creating the first crack in the Eastern Bloc; Kennedy - for facing down the Soviets during the missile crisis without giving up Greece and Turkey; Lech Walęsa - for leading the Solidarity trade union movement and creating unrest in Poland; Karol Wojtyla/Pope Saint John Paul - for creating global pressure on the Soviets and encouraging the growth of individual human dignity within a system that denied the importance of the individual; Henry Kissinger - for creating and implementing Nixon's China policy ("playing the China card"); Rep Charlie Wilson - for masterminding, funding and running the covert war against the Soviets in Afghanistan. Yes, Ronnie was a player. But most of the groundwork was laid far before he was elected. Giving him exclusive credit for the fall of communism is like giving someone credit for a nice day because he opened a window.
@@kentgrady9226 & I'm actually jealous of people that thought they were actually watching it live because unfortunately a lot of radio & TV stations had already mentioned the results. With that said though, I may have to apologize to Billy & others whom lived close to the Canadian border because apparently it was broadcast live in Canada & if you were fortunate enough to live close to the border you actually could have watch it live, & if this is the case with Billy, I apologize.
@@busser649 The thing that was remarkable about the Miracle on Ice was that it riveted a country, most of which knew NOTHING about hockey. Outside New England and the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes, hockey was a mysterious, foreign game. I grew up in the Central Plains and, as Al Michaels put it, "didn't know a blue line from a clothesline". But we watched - on the edge of our seats the whole time.
41 years ago.... still gives me chills. I remember watching this with the family..... still brings tears to my eyes...... "do you believe in miracles?.....YES!"
I remember watching that. I almost cry every time I watch it now. It was a proud moment for every down to earth American and still is. God bless the U. S. A.
The same here! The timing of this Olympic victor(es) couldn't have occurred at a better time. American pride was at an all-time low due to such events as the Iran hostage crisis, the failed rescue attempt , the president virtually giving away OUR Panama Canal. Our young college boys playing the world's ice hockey powerhouse supposedly didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of even coming close. I'm in the southeast and so many people down here didn't know what ice hockey was. They did afterwards! The 1980 USA Olympic Ice Hockey Team virtually restored our pride and patriotism soaring to the moon and back!
I'm from Detroit and back when i was a kid a few of the guys from Russia played for the Redwings. It was pretty cool to see that after everything they teamed up.
New sub...and as a Canadian I am glad the U.S. had this moment when they needed it...even if it was our game... 🥅🏒 🇺🇸🇨🇦 Edit: they cut the song “Tom Sawyer” for copyright reasons, I think... (Another Canadian contribution)
to our neighbors in the North: we love your game but this victory was yours too, as allies the soviets were all our adversaries in the free world. Cheers from the states. I love your country!!!
I was in middle school at the time and at edge of my seat for the entire 3rd period. The game was actually on tape delay but I didn’t know and thought I was watching it live.
It was the first time in my life, as a HS student, that the chants USA, USA, USA...were ringing out...and how much American pride our nation had. being underdogs and came out winning...the fighting spirit that make US America!! Indeed, one of our greatest sports moment!
I remember watching this game on my small b & w tv. I was living at the YWCA and attending college at that time. FYI: Mark Johnson who was a Universally of Wisconsin hockey player that was on the USA team then is now the head coach of the University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team.. He is one of the winningest coaches in UW history and NCAA history.
The part where the sound cut out was almost certainly deliberate, because it contained music that is, of course, under copyright. ("Tom Sawyer" by Rush, if anyone's curious.)
I grew up in northern Minnesota and watched a lot of these kids play when they were playing college hockey, before the Olympics. So many familiar faces on that U.S. team.
They made two movies about this game, Miracle on Ice(1981) with Steve Guttenberg; followed by Miracle(2004) with Kurt Russell. I think I saw both but I remember Miracle a lot better, it was an awesome movie!
That brief moment of silence was America realizing they could win so they decided to give it everything they had. Both teams are nothing but warriors. But I represent the home team 🇺🇸. Our patriotism its blood deep. It was more than just a game.
I was 24 yrs old ....and wept! That game was the beginning of America getting her strut back. Everyone my age knows who almost made this Beautiful Lady fall. But I'm leaving the politics aside. The hockey players are my heroes that year!
Regan was a corrupt SOB who made a secret deal for Iran to hold the hostages until after the election so that he could win. Iran-contra ring any bells?
I was on a bus, going home after going with a group to a Blues game in St. Louis, MO. A couple of people had radios and we listened to this game on the trip home. It was amazing! A few months later, I was introduced to Mike Eruzione. He was one of the nicest guys I have ever met. A true gentleman.
Wow really you were there live? Well I watched a Documentary on the Soviets and Hockey. It was truly a miracle because if they were two play 20 more times the Soviets would win every time. What a blessing!!! That’s incredible!!
Half of my college was built for this olympics. At least 3 dorm room buildings. Paul Smith's College. I didn't know until I got there in 1989. Lake Placid is still going strong for winter sports.
I'm watching this in February of 2021. Obviously I knew the outcome, (I was 30 years old when it happened.)yet it still brought tears to my eyes. FU FACT: They didn't win the gold medal that night after beating the Soviet team. They still had to beat Finland in the medal game, and they did.
@@jenosou5128 - In case you don't know, the US and Russia still have thousands of nuclear weapons pointed at each other. Not to mention several other countries have developed nuclear weapons since the end of the Cold War. The threat of nuclear war hasn't gone away.
@@davester1970 Common sense protects the world, it doesn’t matter how many countries have them, it only takes someone even without a brain to not even risk using one. China, Russia, and USA along with other superpowers know using them won’t do anyone justice.
I watched the game live so many years ago and then I joined the army and went places most never got to see it was sometimes scary very scary but you get past it and keep moving forward and so I love this country being from Canada originally I was naturalized and became a US citizen at nine years old and I've never looked back I love your videos and think you are a wonderful person keep these going thank you
I was a nine year old kid at the time. I can remember the sheer joy when our team defeated the Russians. Grown men including my father a career marine broke down in tears. It was such an amazing event for our country.
@Sandman Huffmaster I think it was the first time, and it took off in popularity afterwards. I hadn't heard it before that game. I watched it on tape delay that night, which was a blessing because I was on my HS basketball team & we were playing for the state championship in our division at the time the hockey game was played.
There is a movie made about this story called well "Miracle." It showed all of us what those players went through to get to the Olympics. The tryouts for the team. The months of extremely hard practicing. Herb Brooks, their coach drove those guys very, very hard. Nobody knew that Mr. Brooks was the last guy cut off the team for the 1960 Olympic hockey team who also beat the USSR for the gold. Could you imagine you were the last guy cut from a team that went on to win the gold medal? That has to be something that would eat at you like nothing else. For ever and ever. But luckily for Mr. Brooks, it only lasted 20 years because as you can see, he got his gold medal. Anyway it is a great movie. Kurt Russell plays Brooks. It was great to see what those young players had to go through in the months leading up to the games. Obviously you could see why they were able to play so hard and never gave up. Like I said it is a very good movie and like always, Al Michaels "Do you believe in miracles" gave me huge goose pimples and tears in each eye. Check it out.
Courtney, re. the slam against the "boards" at 3:54, that's as much a part of the game of hockey as the ice and the puck. I remember watching that game on TV. What a night!
I was nine years old. My dad was a career USAF officer, and we were living at Loring AFB, Maine. Loring was a SAC base with nuclear alert B-52s and their tankers. We hadn't heard who won, just that we needed to watch the game (it was not shown live; it was tape-delayed to that night). It's impossible to describe how exciting that game was, and how pumped up everyone was the next day.
I was just a kid when this happened. Words cannot describe how I felt when they beat the Soviet team. I will add my voice to those others who say you should watch the movie Miracle. Kurt Russell did an excellent job playing Herb Brooks. Also, they mention the Iran Hostage Crisis, well as a kid, after they were released from the embassy when Reagan got elected, one of them came and spoke at my school. I'll always remember it.
One of the key moments in the Game was Mark Johnson's Goal that tied the game at the very end of the first period. The starting Russian Goalie, Vladislav Tretiak was one of the greatest goalies in the history of the game. And after Johnson scored the goal, the Russian Coach pulled Tretiak and put in his backup. Also for Hockey documentary recommendations, I would recommend checking out "The Russian 5", which talks about how The Detroit Red Wings managed to get several Russian Players to defect and come and play for them in the NHL and how their contributions opened the door for other Russians to come to the NHL.
This was an absolute David versus Goliath story. I was a junior in high school and all we could talk about the next day at school was....WE BEAT THE RUSSIANS!!! It was incredible!
I was 9 years old when I watched this game on TV. That was the second time the Winter Olympics had been held in Lake Placid, and they are trying for a third. Interesting bit of trivia: that region, the Adirondack (Bark eater) mountains, is named for the fact that the winters can be so brutal that all there is for forage for the wildlife is the treebark. In autumn however it is the most beautiful place on earth; the mountains look like they are on fire.
I still tear up every time I catch a glimpse of anything about The Miracle. Truest underdog story if there ever was and can make any American swell up with pride and transition it to their own lives knowing despite the odds the fight is never over😁
as a 7 year old boy it was one of the greatest moments of my young life, Americans were almost trained to hate Russia, our ways of life was polar opposites of each other, we were an open society while they were closed off these people who controlled 1/3 0f the planet with an Iron fist, we had probable had the worst 20 year period in our history, the Vietnam War almost killed our moral also 4 major Assassinations of major people, in the 60's it was a very dark time, this event seemed to change all of that, it was a turning point for the two countries, btw at that point no professional players were allowed to compete in the Olympics starting with that game we soared and they went into Afghanistan and 9 years later communism was dead so to that little boy it was one of the greatest moments in his history
I remember listening to this game live on the radio on my way to Lisbon, NY for a high school basketball playoff game between my high school and Lisbon Central School. I didn't see this until the next day. But everyone had to know that once that happened, I was going to watch the US go for the gold medal against Finland. The US came from behind to win 4-2. And all this took place in Lake Placid, NY. Only 2 hours from my hometown.
I think this was the greatest sports moment in U.S. history!! You may want to watch a highlight of the 2017 Indy 500. Your countryman, Scott Dixon was involved in one spectacular crash. Right now he's one of the top 5 greatest IndyCar racers of all time. Huge fan of him. Total class act!
To those claiming to have watched this game live on TV, you’re memory is a bit foggy- this game was shown at night on tape delay, having been played earlier in the day.
It was broadcast live in Canada, and alot people near the border in the US saw it on live Canadian TV . The tape delay broadcast began about 1 hour after game ended....and pre internet ,not many people had any idea that the US had won.
I was grateful that it was on tape delay for prime time. I was a junior in HS and played on the basketball team. We were playing for the state championship at the time the hockey game was played.
Courtney, you are THE BOMB! Your boyfriend is the LUCKIEST GUY IN THE WORLD! So sorry you were not able to move to America! We would have welcomed you with open arms! I HOPE YOU ARE WELL AND SAFE WHEREVER YOU ARE! GOD BLESS YOU YOUNG LADY!
I remember watching this and it made me want to go from playing in the NHL When I grew up to wanting to play for Team USA in the 1988 Olympics! This was the longest 10 minutes I ever remember!!!
This moment is always crazy for Detroiters since Fetisov (Who plays for the USSR during the Miracle on Ice) went on to be a prominent member of the Detroit Red Wings. He was a member of the Russian Five, the first all Russian five-man hockey unit. He went on to win I think two Stanley Cups with Detroit. Ok if you want to see really good hockey look up "Fight Night at the Joe Louis Arena".
I grew up during all of this..as you said "So scary" summed it up for me, my dad was in the Army and we didn't know day to day if something would happen that would get him deployed, we actually were given maps to fallout shelters.. but the miracle on ice seemed to usher in the era of peace and the end of the Cold War. The US team was comprised of college student because back then only amateur athletes could compete but The Soviets circumvented that by having their best players play for the CCCP Army and not in any pro league. But they were definitely Professionals...
The problem with not knowing or remembering the mistakes of the past is that when that happens history tends to repeat itself. It is dangerous to not learn from ones mistakes. Now you know some of that history, a door has been opened. Great video Courtney!
Was 7 when this happened. My Dad was a college referee back then and got to do exhibition games for University of Wisconsin when they played USSR in 76, 78, and 79 and team USA in 1980. Said the Soviets were a machine! Also, Mark Johnson (#10) and Bobby Suter (#20) are from my hometown of Madison, Wisconsin where Eric Heiden is also from and he won 5 golds in 1980 in speed skating.
This was so special 🌟. I love hockey! My favorite team is the Detroit Red Wings. They were somehow able to help a Czechoslovakian player to defect from a bar after a game he played in east Germany. His name is Petr Klima and his number was 85, because that was the year he defected. He had to crawl through a bathroom window and jump into a waiting car. Police chasing them to the border. Later he spoke of the things that amazed him about being in the US. I remember him talking about going to the grocery store and how plentiful it was, and the great variety of goods.
This very likely IS the greatest moment in US sports history. A team made up of college kids going against Russian professionals, and no one gave the US team any chance of winning! Truly amazing! I'm not even a hockey fan, but I remember this brought me to tears.
This was without a doubt, one of the greatest several weeks of American history. I am not a hockey fan and was lucky to turn in on the USA vs Sweden game early in the games. We fought back hard to earn a tie. I thought wow those guys are pretty good. So I made sure to watch the next game. I can't remember who it was but we beat them and our young hockey guys worked their asses off and I was impress. I was in high school back then and the was some talk going around about the hockey team. Then the next game they won again and there was more talk around school and every where else. Then came the game against USSR. Everybody was talking about it. Just 3 weeks before this game, the USSR destroyed us 10 - 0 in a exhibition game. Everybody who knows anything about hockey, getting beat 10 - 0 is a down right ass kicking. Well back to the game in the Olympics against them. Nobody thought we stood a chance. Including me but something inside told me these kids are special. They already showed in the previous games what kind of heart this team had. I lived in a townhome at the time that had a little park out front that was surrounded by other townhomes. As the game started and things started happening, I could hear it coming from other homes in the circle. During a commerical I went out and walked around the little park. Out of the 25 homes that surrounded this little park, I counted 18 of them with the game on. Wow that doesn't even happen during a Superbowl. Well as the game went on when the USSR scored the first goal moans could be heard all around the park. When the USA scored a pretty loud roar shook the little park. Back and forth the game went and, I am getting goose pimples as I am writing this. When the USA scored the go ahead goal people came running out of their homes, myself included, yelling and screaming like they were at the game. USA, USA, USA echoed through the neighborhood. It was at that point I noticed this little hockey party wasn't just around our little park. It was going on all over the neighborhood. Like nothing I have ever experienced before. Like I said not even during a Superbowl. Realizing there was still a very long time to go still we all rushed back in our homes to finish watching the game. As you could see the remainder the game was incredibly exciting. I can remember the USSR players were taking one shot after another but our goalie Jim Craig went off like nothing I have ever seen before. He blocked shot after shot after shot. A real human brick wall he was those last 6 minutes. It seemed that the last 6 minutes were all spent on the USA side and the USSR players were doing nothing but taking shots. The neighborhood echoed with, ooowww ahhhhh shit, oh no and yeah go Craig. Those last 6 minutes felt like 6 hours. But as time kept clicking off the clock. The tension and excitement was getting so high, you felt when it went, all the roofs in the area would go flying off. As you can see in the video when Al Michaels made his very famous, " Do you believe in miracles" comment, the neighborhood erupted like nothing I have ever experienced before or since. People again came flying out of their homes yelling and screaming even louder than before. There was so much excitement flowing right through everybody. Neigbors who never got along before were laughing and celebrating with each other. Turned into a block party on every block around. At the time this happened, our country wasn't feeling very good about itself. i don't know why it happened but those young hockey players did something to this country that we needed so very much. They gave us our pride back and filled the whole country with patriotism like never before. Funny thing is, although hockey is a professional sport here, it is the least popular or the 4 big ones. Like I said, I wasn't a hockey fan. None of my friends were hockey fans. But for some reason those young hockey players showed the rest of us what made and makes the USA the greatest country in the world. Their never give up attitude. Their ability to be unselfish and help each other as a team. The heart that team showed the rest of us was unbelievable. To go up against Goliath and be brave and kick his ass. It is hard to describe what it did to our country and the way it made me feel. Like I mentioned earlier, it never fails to give me goose pimples to this very day when seeing something about it. Those were truely a couple of very special and unforgetable weeks back in the 1980 winter Olympics. Something that will always have a very special spot in my heart and a life time of thanks to all those great USA hockey players. Now, do you believe in miracles?
There is a movie with Kurt Russell as coach Herb Brooks, The Coach. This Movie is Like a Documentary. There is also a Documentary about this game and with the both of them, you'll understand everything that went on including getting the Students together from Different Colleges and Training them.
They block the sound because the Ban Rush was playing and they did ask Rush to play the song. Working man was playing in the video thats why they cut to audio for the video. The Dammer from Rush is dead and he is the one who was the write for the song.
This was a proud Olympics for we Wisconsinites. Not only were several of the hockey players from our University of Wisconsin team but the only other gold medals won by the USA were the 5 won by Eric Heiden in speed skating.
You should watch the film “Miracle.” The most impressive part of that story to me is that the game against the Soviets was not the gold medal game, it was the semi-final. After all the excitement and hype of that win, they had to re-compose themselves and play another game either the next day or the day after against a team almost as good as the Soviets to win the gold. That is why I think Herb Brooks is the greatest coach in the history of American sports.
I always enjoy watching these TH-cam videos with younger people who weren't around for the Olympics back in the day. The Soviets and the eastern block countries had professional athletes and we had amateurs in the Olympics. Things have obviously changed in a lot of ways but it was very much a good vs. evil vibe that I remember as a kid in the 80s.
I still remember where I was at when I heard the news. The game was going to be shown on a delayed basis in the United States. I was a senior in high school and working at my Dad's restaurant when a customer, who was a hockey fan was listening the game on the radio and said the U.S. won. I made sure to watch the tape delay on ABC when I got off of work. And it wasn't even for the gold medal.
The movie "Miracle" is a great one, I think. Herbie Brooks was played by Kurt Russell, I think. BTW, We here in Wisconsin hated Brooks in the 70s because we had a darn good hockey team (UW-Madison), but Brooks always seemed to beat us. We would chant "Herbie, Herbie..." in derision. P.S. Mark Johnson on the USA team (son of the coach in UW) was our stand-out player. Brooks picked him for his USA team, despite the rivalry. Oh, Brooks was the coach for Minnesota.
Courtney- you should check out highlights of Bobby Orr, who was one of the greatest hockey players of all time, and was the impetus for a lot of the Miracle on Ice players, to begin playing hockey as kids. Orr played for the Boston Bruins, and a lot of the U.S. players, grew up in the Boston area, and went to local colleges.
They were college kids because USA played by the rules that said no professional athletes could compete in the olympics
Thank you for explaining that. She really didn't know!!
Olympic rules back then you had to be amateurs. The soviet team was basically professionals. They played together so long they could anticipate where everyone was on the ice. I remember being a few hundred mikes south of lake placid and heard the radio play. There was no live tv but shown delayed.
In fact soviet team so good they crushed the US team a while before Olympic games at Madison square garden.
M 40 Keyword subsidize.
M 40 No fucking shit, Sherlock. I was actually alive back then, and I sure as fuck don’t need you telling me about how it was.
@Sandman Huffmaster Merciless Ray Mercer was a Boxer in the Army. I fought a couple of Army boxers in the amateurs. Lost to both of them.
They were college kids because at that time, America did not allow professional athletes to represent the U.S. in the Olympic Games. Watching this gives me goosebumps. Watching the game as it happened, was so amazing. We were jumping up and down in our living rooms, yelling “USA,” and we stood and sang our national anthem with tears running down our faces. This game gave us some of our American pride back, which unified us in a non-political way. Those college boys, and their amazing coach, became our heroes that day, and they will always be our heroes. It was called “The Miracle Game” because the American college boys beat the professional Russian team. But the true miracle was how that game made a positive change for Americans and America.
It wasn't just the US it was Olympic rules that prohibited "professional" athletes from competing. Applied to all countries until the 1990's. That's why they mentioned that all of the Soviet hockey players were actually soldiers in the Red Army who were assigned to play hockey for the Soviet National Team. That's how the Soviets got around it. The Soviet head coach was a Colonel in the Red Army and the players would do nothing but train year round (under military discipline) which played a big role in how dominant they were. For other countries it was just your coach telling you what to do but if you were a Soviet player your coach was literally your commanding officer and you were bound to follow his "orders".
Same here I was 23 at the time.
Unfortunately if you lived in the USA it was impossible to watch it "as it happened" because it wasn't broadcast live. It was played earlier in the day & was shown in primetime via tape delay.
@@busser649 Unless you lived close enough to Canada to pick up the CBC live broadcast. In my part of Wisconsin, we could, if the weather was right, get grainy CBC. I was 10, and tried to watch it live, but didn't keep the signal to the end. We were losing 2-3 when I lost the signal.
@M Detlef What a pathetic human you are. Be better than that.
I don't know what it means, or how it feels, to be a citizen of any other nation than my own. I can, however, tell you how it feels to me to be a U.S. citizen. I watched this event when it happened and I just re-watched it because of you. The effect has not lessened in the least. I'm not ashamed to say there were tears watching this video. Some will say, yes, but it was a different time, a different era, and it was. But that's what it means, how it feels, to love my country so much. 40 years later, I'm just an old man. And I'm an old man who deeply loves his nation. They can heap as much negativity as they want on my country and it means nothing to me. I've served this nation and I love this nation. And I always will. Thanks for posting this video! Now I need a kleenex, there seems to be some pollen or dust in the air around here. ;)
I'm a 52 year old American Infantry vet and I feel exactly the way you do. This generation may be a huge disappointment but I'm still VERY proud to be an American.
I too have served and I love this nation! Thank both of you for your service!
@@oscarlinebaugh8930 Thank you as well.
I remember watching this game as a 9 year old back during the 1980 Winter Olympics. A lot of younger people under the age of 35-40 don't understand the geopolitical situation back in those days. We were in the middle of the Cold War with the former USSR. We lived every day with the specter of that Cold War potentially turning into a hot nuclear war. Add on top of the fact that the Pahlavi monarchy in Iran was overthrown and the Islamic Republic of Iran was holding the US embassy hostages for 444 days. The Soviets were gearing up for an invasion of Afghanistan and Iran and Iraq were about to go to war with each other. Also during this time, the US just got through with the disaster of the Vietnam War. To say that the US was in some serious nihilist doldrums is an understatement.
This game was between the US and the hated Soviets. The reason the US squad was comprised by a bunch of college kids is because the Olympics didn't allow professionals back then. The Soviets got around this by making their players as part of the Red Army and paying them as soldiers while they played hockey. The US on the other hand couldn't get anyone older than 18-21 years old to play for Team USA because they they would rather play professionally in the NHL instead of playing for free for their country.
As a kid growing up in the warm southern US, I didn't even know that hockey was a sport until the Olympics. I also remember that the US wasn't even expected to medal in this Olympics. It was supposed to be a given that the Russians were going to win gold. Everyone else was battling to see who was going to win silver and bronze. You have some very good and powerful countries like Canada, Sweden, Finland, and Czechoslovakia that was expected to win silver or bronze.
During the round robin play, the US started surprising everyone by beating Czechoslovakia and going undefeated to advance to the medal round. This sets up the Miracle game with the Soviets. Only a month before, the US team got throttled by the Soviets in an exhibition game 13-3 at Madison Square Garden. Everyone thought the US was going to get throttled again.
As I watched this game, I did not sit for the duration of the game. I remember being on pins and needles as the game went back and forth. When Mike Eruzione wrist shot the go-ahead goal with 10 minutes left in the game to make it 4-3, I remember screaming in excitement at the top of my lungs. Those last 10 minutes of that game seemed like 10 hours. The Russians were applying offensive pressure. Jim Craig stood on his head in goal and stopped everything and the kitchen sink. When the final 10 seconds was counting down and Al Micheals asked loudly, "Do you believe in miracles?.......yes!!!!" , me and my dad were dancing around the living room like we won a million dollars.
It has been 40 years since that game was played and when I see replay of this game, it still brings a tear to my eye and adrenaline rush. Been a hockey fan since that glorious day.
OK Folks, I hope you got this far down in the comments after obscene rant. Let me address the misinformation spewed forth:
• "...JUST got thru Vietnam ...was SEVEN YEARS EARLIER,..." - 1980 - 7 years is 1973. Although the majority of US troops left by 1973, we still had US troops in Vietnam until the fall of Saigon in 1975. They were Marines (embassy/console) and Soldiers (Special Forces training and advising the ARVN).
• "...The MIDDLE of the Cold War was in 1962..." - The Cold War lasted from about 1947 to 1991 with the fall of the Warsaw Pack nations including the Soviet Union. Using math, 1991 subtract 1947 equals 44 years. Divide 44 by 2 and get 22 years. 22 years plus 1947 puts the middle close to 1969 (without counting the exact months). Therefore the middle of the Cold War is 1969. OK, so David was technically off on the EXACT middle of the Cold War, it DID occur DURING the Cold War.
• "... It was only 110 days then..." - This 110 days must be a number pulled out a person's lower orifice, because their mouth knows better. The Iranian Hostage Crisis started when the Iranian students over took the US Embassy on Nov 4, 1979 and ended Jan 20, 1981, just...ooops :-) A LITTLE AFTER Reagan was sworn into office. Do the math.
• "...because this game had ENDED FIVE HOURS EARLIER, and EVERYONE KNEW the outcome BEFORE the FIRST MINUTE was shown on ANY AMERICAN TV station." - The 1980 Winter Olympics were held in Lake Placid, New York. It was broadcast LIVE.
I was in the Army during the Iranian Hostage Crisis, my dad was in the Navy retrieving US military and South Vietnamese fleeing the Saigon in 1975, and I was in the terminal at Travis AFB waiting for my MAC flight to Korea in 1980 watching the game.
BTW - I will not reply to any violent incense rants. Bbbbbyeeee!
Julie in the Northwest thanks, saved me the effort of refuting this dumbass who likes to call others a dumbass. Projection at its finest.
@Effortless Herbs Deadleaf must be a tenured professor. No one is that emotional.
David Reynolds
I was 25 and you captured the moment very well. Dad my older brother and I watched the game "LIVE" as you did.
Kurt Russell's movie "Miracle" is worth every minute.
@M Detlef dude eat a Snickers...chill
The 2004 movie "Miracle" show a lot about how Herb Brooks managed the team.
Steven Nelson she doesn’t give a shit about hockey bud...
@@B___848 What do you mean? She has lots of videos reacting to hockey vids.
debs99772 she just wants views. Doesn’t genuinely care.
Pete 👏
In addition, it's a generally entertaining film - whether you are in to hockey or not. Worthy to watch...
In those days, The Olympics was amateur athletes only, hence college kids v "soldiers". (Whose only job was to play hockey)
A bunch of college kids lifted the spirits of an entire nation. It's hard to overestimate what this game meant to the US.
I’m only 27 and also from Minnesota, but I wish more young people truly understood what this means. It really is the greatest sports moment ever for the United States.
@@hammurds Sid You watch The Finland game - after this game ? Jari Kurri was on that Team !
100%. I’m really humbled by the great veterans who make ultimate sacrifices. Yet,weirdly this team and the 1990-91 all star game at the best venue ever(Chicago Stadium)National Anthem brings tears to my eyes and feelings of major patriotism!! Also,strangely there are both hockey related which most Americans could not give a shit about..
Courtney, i was 14 when that match happened. I cried then, and i still cry. The USA played by the rules and only had college kids, versus a team that could defeat any NHL team. The USA was a helluva mess at that time, and that one moment united us in optimism. Eleven years later, the USSR was gone. Related to this video, check out Kurt Russell's speech as Herb Brooks in the movie "Miracle". Best sports movie speech ever. Thank you for this. Made my week!
I'm the same age as you and feel the same as you do. It was a wonderful moment for The United States!
USA! USA! USA!
Still brings back chills. I'm with you on that.👍
Every team..... except the broad street bullies
dude im from the USA and watched that as well but fucking drama much?
@@mikemclaughlin3306 maybe that is the problem with my Flyers lol
They made a movie about this as well called Miracle with Kurt Russell as U.S.A's coach.
she should do a reaction to that movie ...great movie
They did one with Gene Hackman before that.
A very good movie, which I would recommend without question. Kurt Russell did an outstanding job portraying Herb Brooks, and although Al Michaels was there to do a modern-time commentary, the producers did not replace his iconic "Five seconds left in the game! Do you believe in miracles? YES!" They felt the call was so spontaneous and so genuine, that it could not be replicated, and that was a wise decision.
As much as I loved the movie, my mother told me she was in college at the time and after seeing the game on TV, at least one of her professors extended a due date on one of her class's assignments as the sporting moment took over practically everyone's minds. Great film, but truly an amazing moment in sporting history for a group of young college hockey players to upset a well-trained team from the Soviet Union
They spliced two lines from the movie on this video. "I'm sick and tired of hearing how good the Soviets are" and "Tonight we skate with them. We stay with them. And we shut them down! Because we can!" were distinctly Kurt Russell from the movie. The only audio of the real Brooks I recall in this one was near the beginning, from an interview before the Olympics, "right now I'd have to say the Soviets hade the best hockey team in the world."
@@broncosfan1619 Karl Malden. And I agree that people should watch this forgotten movie ("Miracle on Ice") from 1981. It was made in the docudrama style. I prefer it to the Disney version.
I would highly recommend you watch the documentary on this event: "Do You Believe in Miracles? The 1980 US Hockey Team" to really get the full impact and import of what happened.
I was eighteen at the time and a senior in high school. It sucked to be an American then and even after all these years I struggle to put into words what those boys did meant to myself and everyone I knew. Just an amazing feeling; I still get emotional just thinking about it.
Just looked it up and it is on TH-cam. I bought it many years ago on DVD.
@randallshaw... I was 30 & a young, non-combat Vietnam veteran... my thoughts and feelings were/are completely aligned with yours, it truly was a miracle that all of us in the USA really needed at that time... sure could use something like that now too!
@@NickatLateNite thank you for your service & a belated welcome home! 🇺🇸
Randall -- same here. I was 17 & a junior in high school. I played on the school basketball team & we were playing for the state championship at the time the US-USSR game was played. The officials stopped the basketball game & the arena announcer gave the score. As you can imagine, the arena went insane!! On the court we were screaming & cheering & dancing & hugging anyone within arm's reach -- including players from the other team. I got a couple of nice kisses from some of the lovely cheerleaders as well! 😊
Honestly it was VERY difficult to concentrate enough to finish our game.
Do you know the players name at 3:09 ?
I was a kid when this game happened. I remember sitting there watching it with my parents. When the US won that game we went crazy! This game was one of the greatest moments in sports history. Still chokes me up watching these kids perform a miracle.
You need to watch the movie Miracle
It is, in my opinion, the best based-on-true-events sports movie out there.
Watching the video she is, it tells you the facts and describes the emotions. The movie makes you feel it
Time for a movie reaction video? 😁
im going to go watch it, again. ha
@@rob7953 Coach Carter and Miracle is my tops
agreed. This is a good video, but the movie is outstanding and really gives you the full story. It is one of the best movies ever made IMO.
The Soviets had beaten the U.S. team 10-3, in an exhibition game, a few days before the Olympics began.
Also, this game was not for the GOLD medal.
A couple of days later, team USA defeated Finland 4-2, to capture the gold.
The Soviet team was an absolute machine. They won the gold in the World Championships the previous year, going 6-0 & outscoring their opponents 51-12 in the tournament. They beat an NHL all star team 6-0 in '79 & went 5-3-1 against NHL clubs in exhibition play.
That 1980 Olympic semifinal game was the epitome of David vs Goliath.
@@turbochargedsports6327 - This was David vs. Goliath without David having a slingshot.
Never has been a Finland - game at this magnitude ! Even non hockey Fans wanted to watch - before The Celebration Party !
@@turbochargedsports6327 It was not a semi-final, and the game against Finland was not the final. It was a round robin with top four teams and team with most points after last days games won the gold. If USA lost to Finland, USA could have been 4th, and Soviets taking the gold.
Correct,which was ANOTHER comeback Win!
Courtney, it’s impossible to describe the impact this had in the states.
I’m 63, and it is, without a doubt, by leaps and bounds, the greatest sports moment of my lifetime.
Followed closely by Secretariat in '73. Both still give me chills.
Me 2
Courtney, I saw every game our guys played in Lake Placid and even after 40 years the”miracle on ice” still brings tears to my eyes👍.
I wasn't even born then but still get goosebumps watching this.
I'm crying over here reacting to this video. We need another miracle on ice today
USA should send - More of these players to Olympics !
that was the beginning of the end of the Cold War. Reagan was elected and history is history. Always Proud American here! I watched this live on TV. I was 16 years old.
If you lived in the USA I'm not sure how you watched it live because it was played earlier in the day & broadcast in primetime via tape delay.
@@busser649
The game was broadcast by tape delay in prime time. Most people thought they were actually watching it live and of those who did know the game was over, many were unaware of the result.
No internet, no cell phones, no ESPN, no live update crawls. It was a different era.
You're giving far too much credit to Reagan.
Off the top of my head, I can name a number of people who deserve more credit than Ronnie...
Truman - for implementing the containment policy;
George Marshall - for implementing his plan and rebuilding Europe and Japan;
Tito - for his resistance to Soviet hegemony, thus creating the first crack in the Eastern Bloc;
Kennedy - for facing down the Soviets during the missile crisis without giving up Greece and Turkey;
Lech Walęsa - for leading the Solidarity trade union movement and creating unrest in Poland; Karol Wojtyla/Pope Saint John Paul - for creating global pressure on the Soviets and encouraging the growth of individual human dignity within a system that denied the importance of the individual;
Henry Kissinger - for creating and implementing Nixon's China policy ("playing the China card");
Rep Charlie Wilson - for masterminding, funding and running the covert war against the Soviets in Afghanistan.
Yes, Ronnie was a player. But most of the groundwork was laid far before he was elected. Giving him exclusive credit for the fall of communism is like giving someone credit for a nice day because he opened a window.
@@kentgrady9226 & I'm actually jealous of people that thought they were actually watching it live because unfortunately a lot of radio & TV stations had already mentioned the results. With that said though, I may have to apologize to Billy & others whom lived close to the Canadian border because apparently it was broadcast live in Canada & if you were fortunate enough to live close to the border you actually could have watch it live, & if this is the case with Billy, I apologize.
@@busser649
The thing that was remarkable about the Miracle on Ice was that it riveted a country, most of which knew NOTHING about hockey. Outside New England and the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes, hockey was a mysterious, foreign game.
I grew up in the Central Plains and, as Al Michaels put it, "didn't know a blue line from a clothesline". But we watched - on the edge of our seats the whole time.
41 years ago.... still gives me chills. I remember watching this with the family..... still brings tears to my eyes......
"do you believe in miracles?.....YES!"
I lived this moment as a kid and it was the most amazing experience!! The feelings experienced were undescribable.
I remember watching that. I almost cry every time I watch it now. It was a proud moment for every down to earth American and still is. God bless the U. S. A.
The same here! The timing of this Olympic victor(es) couldn't have occurred at a better time. American pride was at an all-time low due to such events as the Iran hostage crisis, the failed rescue attempt , the president virtually giving away OUR Panama Canal. Our young college boys playing the world's ice hockey powerhouse supposedly didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of even coming close. I'm in the southeast and so many people down here didn't know what ice hockey was. They did afterwards! The 1980 USA Olympic Ice Hockey Team virtually restored our pride and patriotism soaring to the moon and back!
I'm from Detroit and back when i was a kid a few of the guys from Russia played for the Redwings. It was pretty cool to see that after everything they teamed up.
New sub...and as a Canadian I am glad the U.S. had this moment when they needed it...even if it was our game... 🥅🏒
🇺🇸🇨🇦
Edit: they cut the song “Tom Sawyer” for copyright reasons, I think...
(Another Canadian contribution)
to our neighbors in the North: we love your game but this victory was yours too, as allies the soviets were all our adversaries in the free world. Cheers from the states. I love your country!!!
I was in middle school at the time and at edge of my seat for the entire 3rd period. The game was actually on tape delay but I didn’t know and thought I was watching it live.
I teared up just watching the end of this. I was a twenty year old when this happened and it did galvanize the country here.
I remember being woke up by my father to watch this greatest moment with my dad ever
It was the first time in my life, as a HS student, that the chants USA, USA, USA...were ringing out...and how much American pride our nation had. being underdogs and came out winning...the fighting spirit that make US America!! Indeed, one of our greatest sports moment!
"Do you believe in Miracles? Yes!" Has to be the greatest moment in sports commentary history
I remember watching this game on my small b & w tv. I was living at the YWCA and attending college at that time. FYI: Mark Johnson who was a Universally of Wisconsin hockey player that was on the USA team then is now the head coach of the University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team.. He is one of the winningest coaches in UW history and NCAA history.
I still shed a tear when Michaels counts down the final seconds !!!! EVERY TIME !!! USA USA USA
"Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" That is maybe the greatest call in sports history, definitely for sure in the top 5 or top 10.
The best 5 seconds in american sport EVER!!!!!!
I'm Canadian and I wasn't even born back than... HOWEVER, the miracle on ice brings me to tears in a good way.
Words can NOT describe how GREAT that was !!!!!!!! 👍🇺🇸👍🇺🇸👍
I love watching you experience this! I remember when this happened and it brings tears to my eyes every time!💕
I remember watching this game as a child and I was in tears
I recall a sports commentator at the time saying that this was like your high school football team taking on the Steelers. And winning.
The part where the sound cut out was almost certainly deliberate, because it contained music that is, of course, under copyright.
("Tom Sawyer" by Rush, if anyone's curious.)
I grew up in northern Minnesota and watched a lot of these kids play when they were playing college hockey, before the Olympics. So many familiar faces on that U.S. team.
Watched the game the night NBC aired it and I still get chills hearing Al Michaels saying "Do you believe in miracles?"
They made two movies about this game, Miracle on Ice(1981) with Steve Guttenberg; followed by Miracle(2004) with Kurt Russell. I think I saw both but I remember Miracle a lot better, it was an awesome movie!
I wasn't alive for this game. But as an American The last ten seconds give me goosebumps every time
That brief moment of silence was America realizing they could win so they decided to give it everything they had. Both teams are nothing but warriors. But I represent the home team 🇺🇸. Our patriotism its blood deep. It was more than just a game.
I was 24 yrs old ....and wept! That game was the beginning of America getting her strut back.
Everyone my age knows who almost made this Beautiful Lady fall. But I'm leaving the politics aside. The hockey players are my heroes that year!
Regan was a corrupt SOB who made a secret deal for Iran to hold the hostages until after the election so that he could win. Iran-contra ring any bells?
Oh Boy I remember this,,,, thanks for your reaction,, I still get chills
I was on a bus, going home after going with a group to a Blues game in St. Louis, MO. A couple of people had radios and we listened to this game on the trip home. It was amazing! A few months later, I was introduced to Mike Eruzione. He was one of the nicest guys I have ever met. A true gentleman.
I remember this like it was yesterday, watching it live with my family and we went wild. We were crying and cheering USA, USA!!!!
Must have been an amazing moment!!!
Wow really you were there live? Well I watched a Documentary on the Soviets and Hockey. It was truly a miracle because if they were two play 20 more times the Soviets would win every time. What a blessing!!! That’s incredible!!
1980 - 2023 - remember like yesterday ?
Half of my college was built for this olympics. At least 3 dorm room buildings. Paul Smith's College. I didn't know until I got there in 1989.
Lake Placid is still going strong for winter sports.
I'm watching this in February of 2021. Obviously I knew the outcome, (I was 30 years old when it happened.)yet it still brought tears to my eyes.
FU FACT: They didn't win the gold medal that night after beating the Soviet team. They still had to beat Finland in the medal game, and they did.
I remember my mom crying after the final buzzer. Everyone cried
One of the greatest moments in the pantheon of all sports!
A cheap wine drinking, attractive, sports fan, that cusses like a sailor (adorable) she's a keeper
"Do you believe in miracles? Yes!"... Al Michaels
Those were ICBM's (Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles) at the beginning. In other words, nuclear missiles.
Anyone under the age of 30-35 will never know bomb drills.
@@davester1970
Lets be happy about that 😂.
@@jenosou5128 - In case you don't know, the US and Russia still have thousands of nuclear weapons pointed at each other. Not to mention several other countries have developed nuclear weapons since the end of the Cold War. The threat of nuclear war hasn't gone away.
@@davester1970
Common sense protects the world, it doesn’t matter how many countries have them, it only takes someone even without a brain to not even risk using one. China, Russia, and USA along with other superpowers know using them won’t do anyone justice.
I watched the game live so many years ago and then I joined the army and went places most never got to see it was sometimes scary very scary but you get past it and keep moving forward and so I love this country being from Canada originally I was naturalized and became a US citizen at nine years old and I've never looked back I love your videos and think you are a wonderful person keep these going thank you
I was a nine year old kid at the time. I can remember the sheer joy when our team defeated the Russians. Grown men including my father a career marine broke down in tears. It was such an amazing event for our country.
I'm not American but this was an absolute great moment in sports history for sure..
Thanks for that. It brought back good vibes from when I watched it live.
The Cold War kicked up immediately after World War II. It was a decades-long arms race that ended when the Soviet Union collapsed.
@Sandman Huffmaster I think it was the first time, and it took off in popularity afterwards. I hadn't heard it before that game.
I watched it on tape delay that night, which was a blessing because I was on my HS basketball team & we were playing for the state championship in our division at the time the hockey game was played.
It's not over. We still have hundreds of nuclear missiles pointed at each other.
But unfortunately Marxist ideology has won
STILL makes me cry to watch this after all these years. :)
There is a movie made about this story called well "Miracle." It showed all of us what those players went through to get to the Olympics. The tryouts for the team. The months of extremely hard practicing. Herb Brooks, their coach drove those guys very, very hard. Nobody knew that Mr. Brooks was the last guy cut off the team for the 1960 Olympic hockey team who also beat the USSR for the gold. Could you imagine you were the last guy cut from a team that went on to win the gold medal? That has to be something that would eat at you like nothing else. For ever and ever. But luckily for Mr. Brooks, it only lasted 20 years because as you can see, he got his gold medal. Anyway it is a great movie. Kurt Russell plays Brooks. It was great to see what those young players had to go through in the months leading up to the games. Obviously you could see why they were able to play so hard and never gave up. Like I said it is a very good movie and like always, Al Michaels "Do you believe in miracles" gave me huge goose pimples and tears in each eye. Check it out.
Courtney, re. the slam against the "boards" at 3:54, that's as much a part of the game of hockey as the ice and the puck.
I remember watching that game on TV. What a night!
I was nine years old. My dad was a career USAF officer, and we were living at Loring AFB, Maine. Loring was a SAC base with nuclear alert B-52s and their tankers. We hadn't heard who won, just that we needed to watch the game (it was not shown live; it was tape-delayed to that night). It's impossible to describe how exciting that game was, and how pumped up everyone was the next day.
I was just a kid when this happened. Words cannot describe how I felt when they beat the Soviet team. I will add my voice to those others who say you should watch the movie Miracle. Kurt Russell did an excellent job playing Herb Brooks. Also, they mention the Iran Hostage Crisis, well as a kid, after they were released from the embassy when Reagan got elected, one of them came and spoke at my school. I'll always remember it.
One of the key moments in the Game was Mark Johnson's Goal that tied the game at the very end of the first period. The starting Russian Goalie, Vladislav Tretiak was one of the greatest goalies in the history of the game. And after Johnson scored the goal, the Russian Coach pulled Tretiak and put in his backup.
Also for Hockey documentary recommendations, I would recommend checking out "The Russian 5", which talks about how The Detroit Red Wings managed to get several Russian Players to defect and come and play for them in the NHL and how their contributions opened the door for other Russians to come to the NHL.
This was an absolute David versus Goliath story. I was a junior in high school and all we could talk about the next day at school was....WE BEAT THE RUSSIANS!!! It was incredible!
to me the greatest game ever in any sport. this was historic!!!
Even though I was an 8 year old swedish kid at the time, I got me a new idol in Jim Craig at that time.
This really bring back memories.
I was 9 years old when I watched this game on TV. That was the second time the Winter Olympics had been held in Lake Placid, and they are trying for a third. Interesting bit of trivia: that region, the Adirondack (Bark eater) mountains, is named for the fact that the winters can be so brutal that all there is for forage for the wildlife is the treebark. In autumn however it is the most beautiful place on earth; the mountains look like they are on fire.
The Miracle with Kurt Russel as the coach was a fantastic movie. One of the young actors in it actually played his father.
I was in my 20s back then. I'll never forget it!!! Proud to be an American!!!
"I'm tired of hearing..." and "tonight we skate" quotes were both Kurt Russell from the movie, "Miracle on Ice".
For another one like this check out the Vancouver Olympics Canada's golden goal.
I was 10 years old and this still makes me tear up with pride
I still tear up every time I catch a glimpse of anything about The Miracle. Truest underdog story if there ever was and can make any American swell up with pride and transition it to their own lives knowing despite the odds the fight is never over😁
as a 7 year old boy it was one of the greatest moments of my young life, Americans were almost trained to hate Russia, our ways of life was polar opposites of each other, we were an open society while they were closed off these people who controlled 1/3 0f the planet with an Iron fist, we had probable had the worst 20 year period in our history, the Vietnam War almost killed our moral also 4 major Assassinations of major people, in the 60's it was a very dark time, this event seemed to change all of that, it was a turning point for the two countries, btw at that point no professional players were allowed to compete in the Olympics starting with that game we soared and they went into Afghanistan and 9 years later communism was dead so to that little boy it was one of the greatest moments in his history
I remember listening to this game live on the radio on my way to Lisbon, NY for a high school basketball playoff game between my high school and Lisbon Central School. I didn't see this until the next day. But everyone had to know that once that happened, I was going to watch the US go for the gold medal against Finland. The US came from behind to win 4-2. And all this took place in Lake Placid, NY. Only 2 hours from my hometown.
I think this was the greatest sports moment in U.S. history!! You may want to watch a highlight of the 2017 Indy 500. Your countryman, Scott Dixon was involved in one spectacular crash. Right now he's one of the top 5 greatest IndyCar racers of all time. Huge fan of him. Total class act!
To those claiming to have watched this game live on TV, you’re memory is a bit foggy- this game was shown at night on tape delay, having been played earlier in the day.
It was broadcast live in Canada, and alot people near the border in the US saw it on live Canadian TV . The tape delay broadcast began about 1 hour after game ended....and pre internet ,not many people had any idea that the US had won.
I was grateful that it was on tape delay for prime time. I was a junior in HS and played on the basketball team. We were playing for the state championship at the time the hockey game was played.
Courtney, you are THE BOMB! Your boyfriend is the LUCKIEST GUY IN THE WORLD! So sorry you were not able to move to America! We would have welcomed you with open arms! I HOPE YOU ARE WELL AND SAFE WHEREVER YOU ARE! GOD BLESS YOU YOUNG LADY!
Goosebumps...my favorite sporting memory of my childhood!!
I feel extra Patriotism just from being a Minnesotan.
Half of The Team was from Minnesota and The other half just wanted to be like The Hanson Brothers ! - and None of that stinking root beer !
I remember watching this and it made me want to go from playing in the NHL When I grew up to wanting to play for Team USA in the 1988 Olympics! This was the longest 10 minutes I ever remember!!!
This moment is always crazy for Detroiters since Fetisov (Who plays for the USSR during the Miracle on Ice) went on to be a prominent member of the Detroit Red Wings. He was a member of the Russian Five, the first all Russian five-man hockey unit. He went on to win I think two Stanley Cups with Detroit. Ok if you want to see really good hockey look up "Fight Night at the Joe Louis Arena".
I grew up during all of this..as you said "So scary" summed it up for me, my dad was in the Army and we didn't know day to day if something would happen that would get him deployed, we actually were given maps to fallout shelters.. but the miracle on ice seemed to usher in the era of peace and the end of the Cold War. The US team was comprised of college student because back then only amateur athletes could compete but The Soviets circumvented that by having their best players play for the CCCP Army and not in any pro league. But they were definitely Professionals...
The problem with not knowing or remembering the mistakes of the past is that when that happens history tends to repeat itself. It is dangerous to not learn from ones mistakes. Now you know some of that history, a door has been opened. Great video Courtney!
Was 7 when this happened. My Dad was a college referee back then and got to do exhibition games for University of Wisconsin when they played USSR in 76, 78, and 79 and team USA in 1980. Said the Soviets were a machine! Also, Mark Johnson (#10) and Bobby Suter (#20) are from my hometown of Madison, Wisconsin where Eric Heiden is also from and he won 5 golds in 1980 in speed skating.
The 1980 US Hockey lived up to the official music of 1980 winter olympic games "GIVE IT ALL YOU GOT" by Chuck Mangione
This was so special 🌟. I love hockey! My favorite team is the Detroit Red Wings. They were somehow able to help a Czechoslovakian player to defect from a bar after a game he played in east Germany. His name is Petr Klima and his number was 85, because that was the year he defected. He had to crawl through a bathroom window and jump into a waiting car. Police chasing them to the border. Later he spoke of the things that amazed him about being in the US. I remember him talking about going to the grocery store and how plentiful it was, and the great variety of goods.
This very likely IS the greatest moment in US sports history. A team made up of college kids going against Russian professionals, and no one gave the US team any chance of winning! Truly amazing! I'm not even a hockey fan, but I remember this brought me to tears.
This was without a doubt, one of the greatest several weeks of American history. I am not a hockey fan and was lucky to turn in on the USA vs Sweden game early in the games. We fought back hard to earn a tie. I thought wow those guys are pretty good. So I made sure to watch the next game. I can't remember who it was but we beat them and our young hockey guys worked their asses off and I was impress. I was in high school back then and the was some talk going around about the hockey team. Then the next game they won again and there was more talk around school and every where else. Then came the game against USSR. Everybody was talking about it. Just 3 weeks before this game, the USSR destroyed us 10 - 0 in a exhibition game. Everybody who knows anything about hockey, getting beat 10 - 0 is a down right ass kicking. Well back to the game in the Olympics against them. Nobody thought we stood a chance. Including me but something inside told me these kids are special. They already showed in the previous games what kind of heart this team had. I lived in a townhome at the time that had a little park out front that was surrounded by other townhomes. As the game started and things started happening, I could hear it coming from other homes in the circle. During a commerical I went out and walked around the little park. Out of the 25 homes that surrounded this little park, I counted 18 of them with the game on. Wow that doesn't even happen during a Superbowl. Well as the game went on when the USSR scored the first goal moans could be heard all around the park. When the USA scored a pretty loud roar shook the little park. Back and forth the game went and, I am getting goose pimples as I am writing this. When the USA scored the go ahead goal people came running out of their homes, myself included, yelling and screaming like they were at the game. USA, USA, USA echoed through the neighborhood. It was at that point I noticed this little hockey party wasn't just around our little park. It was going on all over the neighborhood. Like nothing I have ever experienced before. Like I said not even during a Superbowl. Realizing there was still a very long time to go still we all rushed back in our homes to finish watching the game. As you could see the remainder the game was incredibly exciting. I can remember the USSR players were taking one shot after another but our goalie Jim Craig went off like nothing I have ever seen before. He blocked shot after shot after shot. A real human brick wall he was those last 6 minutes. It seemed that the last 6 minutes were all spent on the USA side and the USSR players were doing nothing but taking shots. The neighborhood echoed with, ooowww ahhhhh shit, oh no and yeah go Craig. Those last 6 minutes felt like 6 hours. But as time kept clicking off the clock. The tension and excitement was getting so high, you felt when it went, all the roofs in the area would go flying off. As you can see in the video when Al Michaels made his very famous, " Do you believe in miracles" comment, the neighborhood erupted like nothing I have ever experienced before or since. People again came flying out of their homes yelling and screaming even louder than before. There was so much excitement flowing right through everybody. Neigbors who never got along before were laughing and celebrating with each other. Turned into a block party on every block around. At the time this happened, our country wasn't feeling very good about itself. i don't know why it happened but those young hockey players did something to this country that we needed so very much. They gave us our pride back and filled the whole country with patriotism like never before. Funny thing is, although hockey is a professional sport here, it is the least popular or the 4 big ones. Like I said, I wasn't a hockey fan. None of my friends were hockey fans. But for some reason those young hockey players showed the rest of us what made and makes the USA the greatest country in the world. Their never give up attitude. Their ability to be unselfish and help each other as a team. The heart that team showed the rest of us was unbelievable. To go up against Goliath and be brave and kick his ass. It is hard to describe what it did to our country and the way it made me feel. Like I mentioned earlier, it never fails to give me goose pimples to this very day when seeing something about it. Those were truely a couple of very special and unforgetable weeks back in the 1980 winter Olympics. Something that will always have a very special spot in my heart and a life time of thanks to all those great USA hockey players. Now, do you believe in miracles?
There is a movie with Kurt Russell as coach Herb Brooks, The Coach. This Movie is Like a Documentary. There is also a Documentary about this game and with the both of them, you'll understand everything that went on including getting the Students together from Different Colleges and Training them.
I remember watching this as a kid. The only entire hockey game I have ever watched. It was amazing!
They block the sound because the Ban Rush was playing and they did ask Rush to play the song. Working man was playing in the video thats why they cut to audio for the video. The Dammer from Rush is dead and he is the one who was the write for the song.
This was a proud Olympics for we Wisconsinites. Not only were several of the hockey players from our University of Wisconsin team but the only other gold medals won by the USA were the 5 won by Eric Heiden in speed skating.
You should watch the film “Miracle.” The most impressive part of that story to me is that the game against the Soviets was not the gold medal game, it was the semi-final. After all the excitement and hype of that win, they had to re-compose themselves and play another game either the next day or the day after against a team almost as good as the Soviets to win the gold. That is why I think Herb Brooks is the greatest coach in the history of American sports.
I always enjoy watching these TH-cam videos with younger people who weren't around for the Olympics back in the day. The Soviets and the eastern block countries had professional athletes and we had amateurs in the Olympics. Things have obviously changed in a lot of ways but it was very much a good vs. evil vibe that I remember as a kid in the 80s.
I still remember where I was at when I heard the news. The game was going to be shown on a delayed basis in the United States. I was a senior in high school and working at my Dad's restaurant when a customer, who was a hockey fan was listening the game on the radio and said the U.S. won. I made sure to watch the tape delay on ABC when I got off of work. And it wasn't even for the gold medal.
The movie "Miracle" is a great one, I think. Herbie Brooks was played by Kurt Russell, I think.
BTW, We here in Wisconsin hated Brooks in the 70s because we had a darn good hockey team (UW-Madison), but Brooks always seemed to beat us. We would chant "Herbie, Herbie..." in derision.
P.S. Mark Johnson on the USA team (son of the coach in UW) was our stand-out player. Brooks picked him for his USA team, despite the rivalry. Oh, Brooks was the coach for Minnesota.
Courtney- you should check out highlights of Bobby Orr, who was one of the greatest hockey players of all time, and was the impetus for a lot of the Miracle on Ice players, to begin playing hockey as kids.
Orr played for the Boston Bruins, and a lot of the U.S. players, grew up in the Boston area, and went to local colleges.
I was 18 when this happened. Born and raised in Louisiana and knowing nothing about the winter sport of hockey. But it didn't matter. This was HUGE!!!