The "Miracle on Ice" 30 years later
DANIEL NUSKEY
Issue date: 3/9/10 Section: Sports
The impossible happened
on February 22, 1980: a
group of young men, who
played hockey for various
colleges throughout the
U.S, beat a team full of
amazing athletes, one that
was considered the greatest
hockey team in the world.
The passing of the thirtieth
anniversary of this
momentous event passing
is a perfect time to revisit
this event and remember
what it did for a country
that was in despair.
In 1980, the tension of the
cold war against the Soviet
Union was a constant
source of concern for many
Americans. The cold war,
and the Iranian Hostage
Crisis, in which the Iranian
government held 52
hostages taken from the
U.S. embassy in Tehran,
had caused Americans to
undergo significant despair,
even fear and paranoia.
The 1980 Winter
Olympics, held in Lake
Placid, New York, was a
welcome distraction.
The U.S. men's hockey
team was full of young and
talented players such as:
Jim Craig in goal, Mike
Ramsey, Ken Murrow, and
Jack O'Callahan on
defense, Mark Johnson,
Dave Silk, Rob
McClanahan at forward,
and the team's electrifying
captain, Mike Eruzione.
The team was coached by
Herb Brooks. Nine of the
20 members of the team
played for Brooks at the
University of Minnesota.
No one expected the U.S.
to win. The Soviet Union,
our bitter rival at the time,
was the overwhelming
favorite to win.
The Soviets were a tough,
no nonsense team, whose
players could have been
great NHL players. The
Soviets were lead by their
captain, Boris Mikhailov.
Vladislav Tretiak, the
Soviet's goalie, was considered
the best goalie in the
world.
Both teams made it
through the preliminaries
undefeated. U.S. was 4-0-
1, beating Norway,
Czechoslovakia, Romania,
West Germany, and tying
Sweden. The Soviets were
5-0, lopsidedly beating
almost everyone they had
faced.
The stage was set for the
on February 22, 1980: a
group of young men, who
played hockey for various
colleges throughout the
U.S, beat a team full of
amazing athletes, one that
was considered the greatest
hockey team in the world.
The passing of the thirtieth
anniversary of this
momentous event passing
is a perfect time to revisit
this event and remember
what it did for a country
that was in despair.
In 1980, the tension of the
cold war against the Soviet
Union was a constant
source of concern for many
Americans. The cold war,
and the Iranian Hostage
Crisis, in which the Iranian
government held 52
hostages taken from the
U.S. embassy in Tehran,
had caused Americans to
undergo significant despair,
even fear and paranoia.
The 1980 Winter
Olympics, held in Lake
Placid, New York, was a
welcome distraction.
The U.S. men's hockey
team was full of young and
talented players such as:
Jim Craig in goal, Mike
Ramsey, Ken Murrow, and
Jack O'Callahan on
defense, Mark Johnson,
Dave Silk, Rob
McClanahan at forward,
and the team's electrifying
captain, Mike Eruzione.
The team was coached by
Herb Brooks. Nine of the
20 members of the team
played for Brooks at the
University of Minnesota.
No one expected the U.S.
to win. The Soviet Union,
our bitter rival at the time,
was the overwhelming
favorite to win.
The Soviets were a tough,
no nonsense team, whose
players could have been
great NHL players. The
Soviets were lead by their
captain, Boris Mikhailov.
Vladislav Tretiak, the
Soviet's goalie, was considered
the best goalie in the
world.
Both teams made it
through the preliminaries
undefeated. U.S. was 4-0-
1, beating Norway,
Czechoslovakia, Romania,
West Germany, and tying
Sweden. The Soviets were
5-0, lopsidedly beating
almost everyone they had
faced.
The stage was set for the