Remembering Lake Placid's "Miracle On Ice", Thirty Years Later

Thirty years ago this day--February 22, 1980--the United States men's Olympic hockey team pulled off one of the greatest upsets in the history of sports.   And not just Olympic sports, but all sports in general.   They defeated the team from the Soviet Union, 4-3; a Soviet hockey program that had won eight of the previous nine Olympic hockey gold medals since 1956.   The only previous Soviet loss to the U.S. was at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, CA--on U.S. home ice.

The world in 1979-1980 was a difficult one for the United States.   Inflation was very high, there were Americans being held as hostages in Iran since November 1979, for starters.   The Soviet Union had invaded Afghanistan just weeks before the Games, and US President Jimmy Carter was threatening a US boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics being held in Moscow as a protest against the invasion.   And there was an overall feeling of pessismism in the US, too; perhaps a hangover from the social turmoil caused by the war in Vietnam, and the Watergate scandal.   Not to mention the still-lingering Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union.

Coming into Lake Placid, the Soviets were heavy favorites to win the gold again.   Most of the sports world considered them to be more professional than amateur, with all the state-sponsored support they received; many were, in fact, active-duty Red Army personnel.  The Soviets also had excellent training facilities for their players, and they stuck together as a team for years, in contrast to the US team, which would put together a team of mainly college-age amateur and/or semi-pro players only for the Olympics.   The 1980 Soviet team boasted such great stars as goaltender Vladislav Tretiak (considered one of the greatest hockey goaltenders of all time), forward Valery Kharlamov, and up-and-coming potential stars such as forwards Vladimir Krutov, and defenseman Vyacheslov Fetisov.   They were coached by the legendary Viktor Tikhonov--who looked every inch the stern Russian taskmaster.

The U.S. team, on the other hand, had only been put together in the summer of 1979, and consisted mainly of former or current college-age players (average age of the team was 22).   But this time, things would be different--starting with their coach.   Herb Brooks had coached the University of Minnesota's team to three consecutive NCAA national championships, in 1974, 1976 and 1979.   He was also the last player cut from the 1960 gold-medal-winning US squad!   But he was a true innovator in US hockey: he came up with a 'hybrid' style of coaching: he mixed a fast-paced European skating with a physical American style: one that was greatly creative for its time.   He also had an uncanny way of motivating his players and getting the absolute best out of them.   Even if his players hated his guts.

Brooks brought onto the 1980 team players mostly from Massachusetts and Minnesota: nine played for Brooks at the University of Minnesota, and four played for Boston University.   His only 'real' star could be considered forward Mark Johnson.   In September 1980, Brooks took this team on a 'barnstorm' tour of 61 games in nine months, playing against amateur teams in the US and Scandinavia.   He also pushed and prodded his team to the brink of exasperation; after one game in Scandinavia, he was so dissatisfied with his team's effort on the ice, he made them do windsprints back and forth across the ice, until they nearly dropped from exhaustion--and the arena manager had to come in and turn off the lights, to get them to leave!   He would also verbally prod individual players, if he felt they weren't giving their best effort--the result of that was an "Us vs. Herbie" feeling amongst the players.  

Brooks also came up with what players John Harrington, Dave Silk and captain Mike Eruzione called "Brooksisms": original sayings meant to motivate and encourage them.   Some of the classics are:

"You're playing worse and worse every day and right now you're playing like it's next month."
"Boys, I'm asking you to go to the well again."
"You look like you have a five pound fart on your head."
"This team isn't talented enough to win on talent alone."

"You're looking for players whose name on the front of the sweater is more important than the one on the back. I look for these players to play hard, to play smart and to represent their country.”

The last exhibition game took place in Madison Square Garden on February 9, 1980 against the Soviets -- just days before the Opening Ceremonies in Lake Placid.   The Soviet team crushed the young Americans 10-3 -- which didn't bode too well for what might transpire at the Olympics.   Ironically, coach Tikhonov said after the Games that this victory 'turned out to be a very big problem' for his team, because he felt it caused the Soviets to underestimate the Americans.

When the Lake Placid Games finally began, most of the attention was being focused on the great US speedskating star Eric Heiden, who was considered a huge favorite in all his races, eventually winning five gold medals.   The US team began its group play against Sweden--one of the favorites to medal at Lake Placid.   They trailed 1-0 with less than a minute to play, and Brooks pulled starting goaltender Jim Craig for an extra skater.   Defenseman Bill Baker scored the tying goal with 27 seconds left, earning a dramatic tie.

Their second game in group play came against another favored-to-medal and talented team from Czechoslovakia; this team was considered by many to be the second-best team in the world after the Soviets.   But the young Americans thrashed them in a stunning 7-2 upset.   And suddenly, they began to garner a lot more attention from the gathered media hordes in Lake Placid.   But Brooks shielded his players from the media spotlight, refusing to allow them to be interviewed.   The US team trailed in every single game in group play, but defeated  Norway 5-1, Romania 7-2 and West Germany 4-2, to go 4-0-1, and enter the Medal Round--against the intimidating Soviet Union.

In the days leading up to the Medal Round game, Soviet coach Tikhonov preferred to rest many of his best players, preferring that they study plays instead of skate.  Brooks, on the other hand, continued the same tough and confrontational style, with hard practices and berating his players for any conceived weakness.

February 22, 1980.  The new Olympic Arena was packed, with over 8000 fans; many waved US flags and sang God Bless America and other patriotic songs.  It was also one of the hardest games to get a ticket to.  ABC Sports wanted to broadcast the game live in the early evening, but the Soviets refused to consent, saying that their fans back in Russia would be watching it at 4 AM, their time.   So ABC decided to tape the game and play it during their prime-time broadcast; the only North American viewers to see the game live were those watching on the CBC.   How Jim McKay ever kept the final score a secret from viewers as he came on the air, no one knows....!

As with the previous group play games, the Americans fell behind early.   In the first period, Vladimir Krutov deflected a shot past goalie Jim Craig for a 1-0 lead, but US left winger Buzz Schneider scored shortly thereafter to tie it at 1-1, but the Soviets struck back with a Sergei Makarov goal to make it 2-1.  In what would prove to be one of the game's turning points, in the waning seconds, US right winger David Christian (whose father and uncle had played on the 1960 Squaw Valley team), fired a slap shot at Tretiak from 100 feet away.  The Soviet defensemen were too busy watching the time tick away, and quit playing.   Tretiak moved out of the goal, and Mark Johnson skated between the two defensemen, found the loose puck and fired it into the net with one second left to play in the period, tying the game at 2-2.

As the second period began, Tikhonov suddenly replaced his star goaltender Tretiak with backup Vladimir Myshkin.   While the Soviets dominated play in that second period, they only scored one goal on a power play, by right winger Aleksander Maltsev, and the period ended with the Soviets leading 3-2.   Myshkin held his own.  For the time being....

In the third period, Krutov was sent to the penalty box at 6:47 for high sticking, giving the Americans a rare power play opportunity.   Late in that power play, US left winger Dave Silk advanced into the Soviet zone and was knocked to the ice by Soviet defenseman Valeri Vasiliev.  The puck slid to centerman Mark Johnson, who fired it past Myshkin at the 8:39 mark, as the power play ended, tying the game again at 3-3.  And then, just two shifts later, US centerman Mark Pavelich passed to right winger (and US captain) Mike Eruzione, who shot the puck into the net, with exactly ten minutes to play.   And bedlam ensued in the arena, as the US had its first and only lead at 4-3.

Here is the footage of Mike Eruzione's winning goal.  I apologize for the picture quality.

After that goal, the Soviets attacked US netminder Jim Craig furiously--just seconds after Eruzione's goal, Aleksander Maltsev fired a shot that ricocheted off the goalpost.   But Brooks calmly paced back and forth behind the US bench, exhorting his players: "Play your game--play your game".   The Americans' shifts came fast and furious, sometimes lasting around ten seconds or so, and they kept up the attack on Myshkin, instead of going into a defensive position.  The Soviets kept firing wildly at Craig, but the goaltender held firm, kicking away shots as the seconds ticked by.  

ABC sportscaster Al Michaels was calling the game, alongside former Montreal Canadiens goaltending great Ken Dryden.   As the fans in the arena counted down the final seconds, Michaels uttered what must be one of the greatest calls in Olympic history:

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

Dryden--who had his doubts about the US team's chances for gold, could only say one word: "Unbelievable...."

Here is the final minute of the US-USSR game, with Al Michaels' famous call.

The arena went absolutely bananas -- and so did I, watching at home with my family.   The local ABC affiliate had decided to run a strip at the bottom of the screen before the broadcast, saying that the US team had beaten the Russians.   But it still didn't dilute the excitement or the joy that we experienced.

Herb Brooks, on the other hand, didn't stay to see his team celebrate on the ice.  He ran back to the locker room, locked himself in a toilet stall, and wept.

Contrary to most people's belief, even this incredible victory did not guarantee the US team the gold medal.  They had to play Finland on Sunday, and beat them, in order to win.   If they lost to the Finns, they would go home with no medal.   Trailing Finland at the second intermission, Brooks came into the dressing room, looked at his players, and told them (according to Eruzione) that "If you lose this game, you'll take it to your fucking graves." He then paused, took a few steps, turned again, said, "Your fucking graves," and walked out.   (I apologize in advance for the language....)   In the end, they came back in the third period to defeat Finland 4-3, and secure the gold medal.   (The Soviets played the consolation game after them, and defeated Sweden to win the silver, with the Swedes taking the bronze.)

This is the closest video I could come up with, showing the medal ceremony afterwards.  It is a clip from the movie "Miracle", which starred Kurt Russell as Coach Herb Brooks.

At the end of the game, Jim Craig could be seen skating around the ice and looking up in the stands for his father, Donald; he was seen saying, "Where's my father?" by millions of viewers.   His mom had died of cancer not long before the Games, and Jim's father almost became as famous as his son.

This victory energized Americans, even those who didn't think of themselves as hockey fans.   This is where the popular chant of "U-S-A! U-S-A!" started.   Of the 20 players on the US team, 12 played professionally in the National Hockey League afterwards.   Five of them played over 500 NHL games, and three played over a thousand.   One, the bearded defenseman Ken Morrow, was drafted by the New York Islanders, and won a Stanley Cup championship in the spring of 1980--the first former Olympian to win a a gold medal and a Stanley Cup championship in the same year.   Goalie Jim Craig was drafted by the NHL's Atlanta Flames, and won his first game as a pro, with tremendous fanfare.  Unfortunately, his career only lasted 30 games, playing for both the Atlanta Flames, and his hometown Boston Bruins.   The pressure on him to perform at his Olympic level was too much for him.

Mike Eruzione, on the other hand, decided not to pursue an NHL career.   At age 25, he was one of the oldest members of the team, and he decided that he'd accomplished all he wanted to in hockey at the Olympics.

In the aftermath of the game, the players were toasted far and wide across the US.   Several of them took to what I call the 'rubber chicken circuit', giving motivational talks to various groups, and showing their gold medals.  And I was witness to a couple of those moments.

 First, they gathered for a huge Reunion Weekend in Lake Placid in July of 1980, and my twin sister and I decided to go.   A big parade was held for them down Main Street, and I remember running to keep up with the float they were riding on.   Several members stopped in the shops in Lake Placid, and signed autographs and had photos taken.   I got to shake hands and take photos of Ken Morrow, and right wing Eric Strobel, and get their autographs.   Mike Eruzione and Jim Craig even played an exhibition tennis game at the old Lake Placid Club, and I got a few good photos of that, too.   The Saturday evening ended with a concert by a local rock band at the Lake Placid Club, and the players appeared on stage.   I remember poor Jim Craig was absolutely mobbed by people wanting his autograph, and his picture!

Later that year, on the day after Thanksgiving, my twin sister and I, and my cousin Mary Carole and her mother, attended a local American Legion Baseball awards dinner at the Sheraton Hotel in Utica.  The special guest speaker that night was captain Mike Eruzione.   And it was a night I'll never forget.   He brought along a video of highlights from the Olympic tournament, and the capacity crowd in the ballroom cheered and whooped, as the film was shown.   In his speech, Mike said he almost didn't make it to Utica that night; he'd gotten a stomach virus over Thanksgiving, and was flat on his back, telling us it was the first Thanksgiving where he missed eating his mom's stuffed shells!

After the formal program ended, the four of us went up to the table to meet Mike.   Before the dinner, we caught up with Mike in the hotel front lobby, and asked if he'd mind having his photo taken with us.  He kindly obliged, and we got some great photos.   I had also brought along a small gift I had made for him: a fancy satin Christmas ornament, made with silver and gold thread, and faux jewels.   I remember giving Mike a kiss, and he opened the gift, and thanked us for it.  We also got to see his gold medal, safely tucked in a beautiful box.

A few weeks afterwards, Mike sent us a very kind thank-you note for the ornament!   It's one of my prized possessions.

Those Lake Placid Olympic Games in 1980 were one of the best memories of my entire life.  I will never, EVER, forget those young men, and what they did.   I wish Coach Brooks was still here to see the 30th anniversary come about.   Sadly, he died in a traffic accident in the summer of 2003, in Minnesota.   But I think he knows how we feel about him, and his players.