Knowing the Miracle Before It Happened

Writer's Note: Today marks the 46th anniversary of the "Miracle on Ice," a historic event that occurred during the 1980 Winter Olympics. Many sports fans and others old enough to remember may never forget this incredible event. It was much more than a hockey game, a battle of forces from two completely different geopolitical perspectives.

In a few hours, the USA and Canada play for the gold medal in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. A coincidence? Regardless of today's match's result, the event that occurred so many years ago that many Americans experienced , which many Americans experienced, cannot be erased from our memory.

In February 1980, during my senior year in college, the 1980 Olympics were held in Lake Placid, New York. In the semifinals, the young Americans shocked the Soviet Union 4-3. As most readers know, that was “The Miracle on Ice” when Al Michaels, the broadcaster at the time, said after the shocker, "Do you believe in miracles!”

A little background, these two teams played an exhibition game a few weeks before the Winter Games, and the Soviets won 10-3. Just to be clear, the Soviets were professional hockey players, and the American team was comprised of very young college players (at the time, professional NHL players were not allowed to play as they were professional Hockey players). Most of these college kids came from Minnesota and Massachusetts. Some speculated that the Soviets may have been overconfident going into the semifinals. Why not be overconfident when you dominated your opponent weeks before?

The game was held on Friday, February 22, 1980. The game was broadcast on ABC, and the network wanted it scheduled for 5-8 pm ET. However, that request was declined after the Soviets complained that the game would be aired at 4 am Moscow time. As a result, ABC decided not to broadcast the game live to the US audience and tape-delayed the event for primetime.

Why bring up the fact that the game was tape-delayed? Well, I had just finished my Behavioral Psychology class in the afternoon and gingerly walked out of the humanities building on my way home, having completely forgotten the game was being played while I sat in class. As I walked out, many students were yelling and cheering, celebrating the Americans' defeat of the Soviets in Olympic Hockey. I couldn’t believe my ears and initially started celebrating along with the other students.

A few hours later, I went to a friend’s house to watch the tape-delayed game. Six of us were going to view the game, two knew the results, and four did not. The good news, aside from the Americans winning, was that I was included in the watch party. Beer, marijuana and munchies were forthcoming. The bad news, I was going to have to keep quiet along with a friend for the entire match. At the end of the first period, the game was tied at 2-2, but most of my friends knew the Americans couldn't withstand the Soviets. At the end of the second period, the Soviets led 3-2, and early in the 3rd and final period, my friends felt the worst was yet to come. As this was said, I just looked away and kept my mouth closed. I was not going to be the one to ruin the fantastic finish for my four friends. During the game, I felt so much guilt in my stomach, knowing I had a secret that most of my friends didn’t know. It was going to be a few hours before I could celebrate the victory with the entire gang. Indeed, I wish I had never heard the score before watching it on TV. It was kind of a betrayal that the news spread to certain areas on campus, and I had to be included. It turned out to be one of the most disruptive, painful, and stressful sporting events I’ve ever watched, since my favorite team was in the Super Bowl or World Series. Again, it was bittersweet, sweet that the Americans won, but bitter that I knew the results before the game was broadcast.

How did the Americans win? Even though the Americans had lost the exhibition match weeks before, I’m sure the young college kids learned something. They may have learned what the Soviets did well and what they did not. Was there a certain defense they could play against the Soviets to limit their offense? Was the Soviet netminder susceptible to a certain part of the goal? Were the Soviets overconfident? Did they just have a bad day? How much did home ice play? Did the netminder for the Americans, Jim Craig, have a game of his lifetime? The fact that the young college kids appeared to play with greater skill, confidence, and as a cohesive unit, the longer the tournament went on, also played a role.

I also need to say that many Americans at the time didn’t realize that this game was the semifinals of the Olympic Hockey tournament. Therefore, even though the Americans pulled out one of the most amazing victories in the 20^th century, this game was in the semifinals, so they still had to defeat Finland in the championship game.

Indeed, this event was something Americans at the time really needed. In 1979, America faced high unemployment, very high interest rates, and widespread anger over the economy and the Carter administration. A few months into a new decade, Americans finally had something to be proud of. This is arguably one of the greatest sports moments in history. Something many announcers and sports analysts said could not be done, that it was an impossibility. Some of these media professionals said the Americans had no chance. Even before the game started, you always had a chance; it should be said that your chances were not very good, especially against a well-oiled professional team from the U.S.S.R., but you still had a chance.

Knowing the Miracle Before It Happened. Indeed.