When a Bunch of College Hockey Kids Created a ‘Miracle’

#hockey #nhl #torontomapleleafs

In the 1980 Winter Olympics, Team USA went head to head with the Soviet Union. The Soviets dominated the hockey world by winning 4 straight gold medals & beating the NHLs best. So, when they went up against a group of college kids, it would take a miracle for them to win.

#montrealcanadiens #tampabaylightning

[robertosborne]

What many people forget/don’t realize is that this game did not win the gold medal for the US. They still had to beat the Finns two days later. The trailed 2-1 after two periods but scored 3 in the third, showing again the resiliency they had the entire tournament.

[TheRealCorkscrew]

I don't think there will be another moment in Olympic history that will make an entire country feel the pure *joy* of the last ten seconds of a game

[RonBaker]

I remember listening to this game on the radio as a 10 yr old kid. I lived only about 50 miles from Placid and was a big AHL fan. I still remember the tears rolling down my face as that famous Al Michaels call came over the airwaves and even at that young age I knew I had just witnessed history, whatever the result of the gold medal game, and the chant felt like it was close enough to hear.

[xynv]

'Do you believe in miracles!?' gives me chills

[theandonly]

That USA chants give me goosebumps & I’m Canadian lol

[jtk]

What is crazy is that in the final minutes the Soviets never pulled their goalie for an extra attacker. When asked later the Soviet players said they never practiced 6 on 5.

[ArchIVEDCinema]

In college, at University of Wisconsin in Madison, I worked for the videoboard team for the athletic department. Mark Johnson (The guy who scored USA's second and 3rd goals in this game) coaches the women's hockey team there. (Who won the national championship 3 times during my time in college) I ran into him in the stadium tunnels a few times. He was always the nicest guy ever. One of my senior capstone advisors played highschool hockey (and won state) with Mark. He said Mark was the best friend ever and would constantly give advice to his teammates to make them better hockey players. Oh, and Mark also won a national championship for the Wisconsin Badgers as a player when he was in college. Mark Johnson is an absolute legend, and really makes the city of Madison and the state of Wisconsin proud!

[SGBassplayer]

I don’t care what your favorite sport is, or what country you come from; there has never been a better job of coaching in a team sport by anyone other than Herb Brooks at Lake Placid during the 1980 Winter Olympics.

I count myself blessed to have lived during this time as a 12-year old boy. What an amazing event and a beautiful memory. Thank you, Coach Brooks, Captain Eruzione, Jimmy Craig, and the sport of ice hockey in general.

[westernfilet]

I was 10 at the time and jumped up and down in my living room. I recall going across the street to a small pond and pretending to play against each team USA built on that run. Amazing times.
BTW, love this channel. My favorite hockey content.

[DugEphresh]

God bless those kids and that MIRACLE the made me and every American believe that DREAMs really can come TRUE!

[dawnsempire]

1) this story gets retold a lot, and for good reason, but that compilation of photos you had coinciding with Al Michaels's call at the end was next level. it was like getting chills after experiencing the story for the first time again, even though this is probably the 1000th.

2) someone else already corrected you about the format of the medal round at the time, but in terms of its relevance to your channel name, Hockey Psychology, i don't think it matters for my next point: what a testament to that team that they could go through that game, which may as well have been a gold medal game for the impact it had on USA hockey and US-Soviet political ambitions, and still manage to finish the job by winning the next game. how often do we see teams and players have letdown games immediately after hugely emotional results, and these guys didn't let that happen.

[lookinforthes]

It's hard to explain what that experience was like. Watching team USA go through that tournament. I was going on 10 at the time. It was one of the greatest sports memories that had ever even hoped for. Much less watch it happen. Now that, was some strong home ice support. The U - S - A chants were legendary, you feel it all the way through your body, watching on tv.

[ArmenianMaps]

"DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES" is so iconic now.

[lylegleason]

This was the GREATEST upset in any team sport in history! ANY TEAM, ANY SPORT, ANY ERA!!! And I defy anyone to prove me wrong!!! There was no reason those college kids should have beaten the Soviet juggernaut, the BEST hockey team in the World, on any level, yet they did! I cried then, and I'm crying now as I write this!

[TheNorthie]

The Soviet’s coach was absolutely livid about this loss. He gutted the team the following year and only a few young players remained including Slava Fetisov. Slava said a couple players even tried to kill the coach and had to be restrained. Fetisov would play with one of the players from the 1980s USA hockey team: Mike Ramsay. They would be on the Red Wings together until early into the 96-97 season when Ramsay retired, that was also the year the Wings won the cup.

[jefferydavis]

No words to describe incredible that event I was 12 yrs old and my Dad told me to sit by him an watch the game. He put his arm around me before it started and said son this is gonna be special. It was My whole family watched It was a wonderful My favorite movie is MIRACLE.

[kevinfry]

I get goose bumps and teary eyed every time i watch the miracle 40+ years

[Statsy]

Couple of corrections to point out; the NHL's best didn't compete in either the Olympics or World Chamionships, so they didn't really play the top Soviets unless in a special series or tournament. You mentioned the Challenge Cup but not the '72 Summit Series where Canada's best played them and won. Same for '76 and most of the Canada Cups to follow in the 80's.
Also, the reason the top Soviet players were allowed to play in the Olympics is actually because they had been conscripted into the army, thus technically making them "amateurs". It's one of the biggest cheats in sports history, to be honest.

[carlosgarcia]

What a beautiful time. GOD Bless America.

[ek]

GREAT VIDEO! I was 9 when I watched this game. I still rate it as the best sporting evening I have ever seen. What Herb Brooks did with that group of young men is still outstanding all these years later.