U.S. defeats USSR in ice hockey at 1980 Olympics
The U.S. ice hockey team's victory over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics is often regarded as one of the most iconic moments in sports history. Leading up to the event, the U.S. team was relatively underperforming, having won only one Olympic medal since 1960, and was expected to struggle against the dominant Soviet team, which had claimed four consecutive gold medals and had a remarkable scoring record in pool play. However, during the medal round match on February 22, the U.S. squad, coached by Herb Brooks, managed to tie the game after a tense first period and then battled back from a 3-2 deficit. With goals from Mark Johnson and Mike Eruzione, the U.S. ultimately secured a 4-3 victory, a moment that resonated deeply with American viewers and was famously punctuated by sportscaster Al Michaels's question, "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!"
Following this victory, the U.S. hockey team faced Finland in the final match, where they once again demonstrated resilience by overcoming a early deficit to win 4-2 and claim the gold medal. The event occurred during a challenging time for the United States, marked by economic struggles and international tensions, particularly in light of the Iranian hostage crisis and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The triumph in ice hockey provided a significant boost to national morale and pride, symbolizing a moment of hope and unity amid adversity during the Cold War era.
U.S. defeats USSR in ice hockey at 1980 Olympics
The Event The U.S. ice hockey team defeats the Soviet team in the 1980 Olympics
Date February 22, 1980
Place Lake Placid, New York
The U.S. ice hockey team was a lightly regarded squad, consisting largely of current and former college players, yet its stellar play against more experienced teams, highlighted by its stunning upset of the highly favored team from the Soviet Union, led to one of Olympic hockey’s most unlikely victories.
The U.S. hockey team had won only a single Olympic medal since 1960 going into the 1980 Winter Olympics, and the 1980 squad appeared to have little chance of adding to that total. The team had lost to the Soviet Union 10 to 3 in a pre-Olympic exhibition game, and it was placed in a preliminary pool with the highly regarded teams from Sweden and Czechoslovakia. In its opening match, however, it stayed close to the Swedes throughout the contest and scored a goal in the game’s final minute to salvage a 2-2 tie. Two days later, the United States surprised the Czechs in a lopsided 7-3 victory, then went on to complete pool play with relatively easy wins over Norway, Romania, and West Germany.
Though the team had played well throughout the tournament under the leadership and inspiration of coach Herb Brooks, its first match in the medal round, on February 22 against the Soviet Union, was not expected to be close. The Soviets had won four straight gold medals and had beaten their opponents in pool play by a combined score of 51 to 11. However, the first period of the U.S.-Soviet match ended with the score tied at two goals apiece after a last-second goal by the United States. The Soviet coach responded by pulling his star goalie from the game, replacing him with the backup goalie. The change helped shut down the U.S. squad until nearly halfway through the third period, when a U.S. goal tied the score at 3 to 3. Less than two minutes later, another goal gave America its first lead of the game, and the U.S. defense, led by goalie Jim Craig, held off a furious Soviet assault to complete the stunning 4-3 victory, prompting sportscaster Al Michaels’s famous comment, “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” Two days later, still needing a victory over Finland to secure the gold medal, the United States once again came from behind in the final period to earn a 4-2 win and achieve its surprising Olympic victory.
Impact
The year 1980 was a difficult one for the United States. A deep recession had taken a toll on the nation’s economy, and the Iranian hostage crisis and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan had left the nation feeling helpless and vulnerable in a dangerous world. In what would be the first of several incidents of the Cold War bleeding into the athletic arena during the 1980’s, the U.S. team’s victory restored a large measure of national pride to America’s damaged psyche.
Bibliography
Bernstein, Ross. America’s Coach: Life Lessons and Wisdom for Gold Medal Success—A Biographical Journey of the Late Hockey Icon Herb Brooks. Eagan, Minn.: Bernstein, 2006.
Coffey, Wayne. The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team. New York: Crown, 2005.
Powers, John, and Arthur C. Kaminsky. One Goal: A Chronicle of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team. New York: Harper & Row, 1984.