30 Years Ago Today...

The Miracle on Ice happened. It was in the 1980 Olympic Games that one of the biggest upsets in sports happened. The United States hockey team, which primarily consisted of college kids, defeated the Soviet Union squad that was thought to be unbeatable. If you happen to have been around when this happened, and even if you weren't born, like I was, this game stood out for a lot of reasons, including the famous call by sportscaster Al Michaels of "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" However, it should be noted that it was actually the semifinal game, so had the United States not beaten Finland in the gold medal game, this game would likely not have been remembered as fondly. By the same token, that win over the Soviet Union undoubtedly gave the United States a lot of momentum going into the gold medal game. While most of the United States team members didn't have a lot going for them in the NHL, they will always have this game for the rest of their lives. Their exploits are recaptured in the movie "Miracle," which the coach of the United States squad Herb Brooks sadly was not around to see, as he died in an automobile accident a few weeks prior to the release of the movie in 2002.