On this date 35-years ago, the U.S. Men’s Hockey team consisting of a bunch of college kids defeated a far more experienced Soviet Union team in the 1980 Winter Olympics from Lake Placid, New York. The game itself was later dubbed the ‘Miracle on Ice’ and remains as one of my favorite all-time sports moments despite not being born myself to actually witness it live.
The game itself though isn’t something you necessarily had to witness live to understand it’s importance. The ‘Miracle on Ice’ was so much more than just a U.S. victory over a more experienced Soviet team. If an underdog simply beating the favorite was the fire that drove the significance of this game then America’s victory over Finland in the next round would probably be talked about more since that was the game that gave the U.S. the gold medal.
The win over the Soviet Union for the United States was so much more important considering the time of which it came. Remember the U.S. and USSR were embattled in a bitter Cold War that would go on for another decade while just eight years prior the Russians upset the Americans during the 1972 Summer Olympic gold medal game in basketball after an extremely controversial call in the closing seconds.
Along with Jesse Owens cleaning up with four gold medals at Hitler’s 1934 Summer Olympics in Berlin, the ‘Miracle on Ice’ definitely serves as one of the most momentous wins in U.S. sports history.
