OT: Feb. 22, 1980 - "Do you believe in miracles?"
- Thread starter HOF Coach
- Start date
It was tremendous. I was 13, one of only a handful of big hockey fans in my small town. My buds and I who played street hockey had been following the Olympic series rapidly. The game had occurred early in the day and wasn't going to be shown until evening on replay on ABC. On the honor system I think all the mainstream media agreed not to spoil the result. But somehow i heard of the result of the game on a local yokel radio broadcast, i think the news came over the AP wire or some such thing and the DJ blurted it out on the air. So i knew what happened. But my buddies didn't. We all gathered that night to watch and somehow I was able to keep a poker face. But we went nuts at the end.
Watched a documentary on it but from the Russians perspective. It was on about a week ago. Was pretty good.
GREATEST USA SPORTS MOMENT EVER! BAR NONE!
If I could somehow be transported to one specific time and place sports wise it would to that building for that game.
Maz’s Homer in 1960 would be second followed by the Immaculate Reception.
Personally I put local team victories slightly ahead, starting with Super Bowl IX (I was still a little kid but still remember my dad dancing around the room in happiness; the Steelers had sucked through his whole life up to that point); 1979 WS (i was alive for the 71 but only 5 years old); 1991 Pens Cup win.
The 1980 US team is likely next though. Recall this game didn't win them the Gold, they still needed to win one more after it.
The 1980 US team is likely next though. Recall this game didn't win them the Gold, they still needed to win one more after it.
It was the ultimate sports upset played in the depth of the cold war. The Red Army was the best team in the world, amateur in name only. The USA was a bunch of no name college kids thrown together a couple of months earlier. There was an air about that game unmatched in history.
That’s a bingo today
Al was good, but others were as well. The right call made him about 100 mil I’d gather....
Watch “Red Army” the other side of the story....
Two questionable strategy moves in that game by the Soviet head coach, Viktor Tikhonov, that I remember were ..... 1) He benched their starting goalie, Vladislav Tretiak, after the 1st period because he gave up two goals ..... Tretiak was considered the best goalie in the world at that time including NHL goalies, in fact, Tretiak is considered one of the best goalies of all time (if not the best) ..... he played on the Soviet Red Army team against NHL teams and NHL All-Star teams and was fantastic. He helped the Soviets win gold medals in the 1976 and 1984 Olympics .... after the 1st period he never got back in the game .... and 2) Late in the game, with the USA leading 4-3, Tikhonov failed to pull his goalie and put an extra attacker on the ice ..... the Soviets didn't appear to be prepared to pull the goalie.
The famous Brooks line "he doesn't know what to do" in regards to Tikhonov being down a goal.
This is by far the best documentary about the whole thing.
He pulled Trekiak when the Russkies fell asleep with seconds left allowing a goal with one second left. It wasn’t really a strategy move as much as trying to wake up Tretiak who Tikanov felt was slacking off. Tikanov had absolutely no inkling that his team could actually lose that game. It was unthinkable.
The best part of that call is after Michael's says "Do you believe in miracles?" and Ken Dryden says "Unbelievable" and then nothing. In that clip above it happens at 1:01 in the clip. There are 56 seconds remaining in the clip and neither one of them says a word. Because the best announcers know that sometimes the best thing to say is absolutely nothing at all.
Imagine what a hack like Joe Buck would have done with a moment like that.
It wasn't hard to figure out that something was up, because when Jim McKay came on at the beginning of the broadcast you could see people on the street in the background of the shot going bonkers.
That evening will live forever in my mind. I think the game started 430-500pm. Stan Savran had a radio show and would periodically give updates on the game. Since the game would be shown later that night on a tape delay basis Savran would tell us that he was giving an update. Needless to say I watched the game knowing we had won
I find the best line was with about 29 seconds left in the game he said simply, "the crowd going, insane".
I remember trying not to know. Getting home from school. I was obviously a big hockey fan, even back then. And on ABC News Jim McKay was on, and he said "look away from the screen if you don't want to know the score", and he had this big grin on his face, in the background you can see flags waving and people jumping up and down at Lake Placid, I mean if it was going to be the secret, it was the worst kept secret in history.
I don't think the younger guys can really appreciate the climate back then, the tensions and just how huge the USA was as an underdog. This bolsted USA hockey. What was funny, is going into the 1984 Olympics, the USA had an actually had top talent with Lafontaine, Chelios, Olczyk, Iafrate, current Pens Nick Bjugstad's uncle Scott Bjugstad and they were favored to medal but fell on their face and finished 7th.
The 1980 team wasn't devoid. Kenny Morrow was a fixture on the Islanders blueline during their dynasty. Mike Ramsey played 17 years. Neal Broten was an all star. Dave Christian was a pretty good player and many others including Penguin Mark Johnson (who's dad made a pretty big mark about a decade later).
Who knew the Penguins connection to that 1980 team. Mark Johnson was the star forward, at a time where the Pens were just floundering. His dad of course was Badger Bob. The Assistant Coach of course was Craig Patrick. And Herbie coached the Pens towards the end of his career.
I don't think the younger guys can really appreciate the climate back then, the tensions and just how huge the USA was as an underdog. This bolsted USA hockey. What was funny, is going into the 1984 Olympics, the USA had an actually had top talent with Lafontaine, Chelios, Olczyk, Iafrate, current Pens Nick Bjugstad's uncle Scott Bjugstad and they were favored to medal but fell on their face and finished 7th.
The 1980 team wasn't devoid. Kenny Morrow was a fixture on the Islanders blueline during their dynasty. Mike Ramsey played 17 years. Neal Broten was an all star. Dave Christian was a pretty good player and many others including Penguin Mark Johnson (who's dad made a pretty big mark about a decade later).
Who knew the Penguins connection to that 1980 team. Mark Johnson was the star forward, at a time where the Pens were just floundering. His dad of course was Badger Bob. The Assistant Coach of course was Craig Patrick. And Herbie coached the Pens towards the end of his career.
Thanks for posting the video. HBO did a great job and Liv Schreiber was outstanding as narrator. Just finished watching it again!
Another penguin link to that team. In what was one of the worst trades in his tenure (IMHO), Patrick dealt Bob Errey for Ramsey in the 93 season. Errey was about to be a free agent I think but was still heart and soul to that team. Pens lose to islanders to miss a three-peat.
Last edited:
I was one of the few hockey fans back then and was totally pissed that that game wasn't on live. I am sitting in my living room with my transistor radio trying to get updates. I found some obscure static filled station that was periodically going live to the rink and giving updates. I will always remember them breaking in halfway thru the third period and you could tell by the pandemonium in the background something good was happening. It was when the USA tied the game. They broke away and it seemed like only seconds later they broke back in and you could barely hear the guy screaming that Mike Eruzione had just given the USA the lead. I am going nuts in the living room and my mom, rest her soul, is looking at me like I was some sort of an idiot.
Later that night we all gathered at the local VFW and we all knew that the USA had won but I sat watching that last 10 minutes fully expecting the Red Army to score and ruin the day. Still get chills thinking about that night and what it would have been like if that game was on live. It would have been the greatest impromptu party in the streets since VE day.
Mark was a solid player and would have been pretty effective in today's NHL. But he had to go into the league just as the "Slap Shot' goon-it-up era was closing.
As i mentioned above it was similar for me, i was in my childhood basement shooting wiffle balls at the washer/ drier "goal" with my street hockey stick, and listening to local radio sports talk show on a staric-ridden transistor, half hoping not to hear about the game, but wanting to hear at the same time. I don't think the guy actually was supposed to say the result, but he must have read it over the AP or UPI or whatever and got too excited, and just blurted it over the air. It was exciting, as you said, hardly anyone in WPA dug hockey in 1980 (i believe Orest Kindrachuk was the Pens best player, or maybe Randy Carlyle). So liking hockey was an aberration. The US win kind of redeemed those of us who liked it. We actually started playing street hockey in gym class after that! Which rocked, because I automatically was like the stud of the class, as I was one of the few freaks in town who played the game!
Oh yeah, there was the whole Cold War thing, good vs bad, arms race, Red vs White, capitalism vs communism, Rocky vs Drago thing going on then, etc etc... but at 13 I wasnt as into that.
to paraphrase Ralphie on his Red Ryder Christmas gift...It was the greatest sporting event I had ever seen, or would ever, see...
That was the thing. Even though you knew what was going to happen you still couldn't believe it as you watched it. It just didn't make any sense. Which, at the end of the day, is why we watch sports.
The image that still resonates, not the joyous celebration of the American kids (and that's they mostly were), that was no surprise. But the image of stunned Soviet players gathered at center ice for the handshake, leaning on their sticks. It's surprising they didn't fall to their knees, they were gape-mouthed and numb looking. They may have legitimately been fearing for their lives for losing that game.
My HS coach was playing for RPI and drove up with his buddy to go to the game. Nobody thought we could win. In fact, they strolled up to the gate and got two tix just a few hours before the game.
They had a bit to drink waiting for the game and by the start of the 3rd were getting pretty rowdy. They got tossed by security and missed the final period!
They did however sell their tickets at a memorabilia show a few years ago for some big $$$$$$.
They had a bit to drink waiting for the game and by the start of the 3rd were getting pretty rowdy. They got tossed by security and missed the final period!
They did however sell their tickets at a memorabilia show a few years ago for some big $$$$$$.
I think someone is telling you a story. That game was the hottest ticket of the games. People weren't walking up to the box office on the day of the game and buying tickets.
Similar threads
Latest posts
-
-
-
OT'ish- this aint a good news for pitt and that contruction company
- Latest: LookLeftOnFifth
-