Do You Believe in Miracles - 44 yrs Ago
Mates,
Hard to believe it was 44 years ago. Time marches on like an unstoppable conveyer belt. A group of college kids defeated the Red Army team 4-3 in the medal round of the Olympics, perhaps the single biggest upset in the history of sports.
If you lived near Canada you could watch the game live. I think it was Channel 42, a French-Canadian station. The U.S. broadcast would be delayed and in the decades before the internet, many would not know the outcome of the game until then.
Regardless, the classic call by Al Michaels as time wound down in that game remains, "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!"
XM
February 22nd, 2024 at 8:56 AM ^
Yep. I do remember that game and Michaels words. Truly a miracle. Thanks for the reminder. 👍👍
February 22nd, 2024 at 9:03 AM ^
And if I’m not mistaken, at that point in your life you were not living too far away from Lake Placid
February 22nd, 2024 at 9:09 AM ^
Yes, and went to several events. The ski jumping venues were much easier to attend IIRC while the indoor contests had zero to few tix available. As an aside, watching people fly was incredible, lol.
February 22nd, 2024 at 9:03 AM ^
I was a Jr and we watched it on tape delay (yes, the game was not broadcast live) in the Sigma Chi house at 11:30 at night. I cant remember if I already knew we won (pre-internet meant news travelled slowly - like the speed of a kid delivering newspapers at 5:00am) but my now faded memory thinks I probably knew the outcome.
And yes, I remember Al Michaels amazing call at the end. Still sends shivers up my spine when I even think about it.
February 22nd, 2024 at 9:28 AM ^
Username checks out. I was 10 years old staying up way past my bedtime watching on a black & white TV in my bedroom. The B&W TV was for when me or my siblings were sick. I must have smuggled it into my room as I don’t remember being sick.
USA! USA! USA!
February 22nd, 2024 at 9:39 AM ^
I was 8 years old and recall my Dad telling me the miraculous outcome before the replay broadcast ended. If you lived in the Detroit area, you know Bill Bonds let the cat out of the bag before the game was over. I was too young to recall when exactly Bonds revealed that the USA had pulled off a massive upset or whether that was how my Dad knew we had won. I think it was during a commercial break during the evening Olympics coverage. Bonds took a lot of heat for that--and rightfully so!!
Update: a quick Google search reveals Bonds ruined the miracle on ice during the second period intermission. I think my Dad knew the result before then because he had been listening to the radio.
February 22nd, 2024 at 10:50 AM ^
- Bonds is famous in Detroit for doing that --- but he wasn't the only one, a handful of other local ABC affiliate newscasters did the same thing (including one in Washington DC).
- ABC offered the Soviet Hockey Federation and International Hockey Federation a low 6-figure sum of money to move the game from 5 PM ET to 8 PM ET, so it could be broadcast live (Finland/Sweden would then move from 8 to 5). The Soviets said no --- the reason they gave Roone Arledge (at ABC) was that it would be unfair to Moscow citizens for the broadcast to begin at 4 AM local time.
- It was, of course, the most iconic call of Al Michaels' storied career. But ABC originally had Keith Jackson tabbed to call hockey at the Olympics. Jackson said he wanted to call speed skating: because of Eric Heiden's attempt for 5 gold-medals, that was a more coveted gig. So ABC tabbed Michaels instead: a man who had only called one hockey game in his life prior to the Olympics!
February 22nd, 2024 at 12:41 PM ^
Nice try attempting to slide Keith Jackson into the 3rd bullet there...
February 22nd, 2024 at 1:45 PM ^
I still remember Bill Bonds’ blunder like it was yesterday lol
February 22nd, 2024 at 9:49 AM ^
I was a sophomore in Bursley. We had a small contingent of our high buddies in town. What an incredible event and memory!
February 22nd, 2024 at 1:08 PM ^
High buddies? In college in Ann Arbor? Checks out.....
February 22nd, 2024 at 10:00 AM ^
Someone shared this with me some time ago I found interesting...I did not know Herb Brooks was cut from the 1960 team.
9 Things about M.O.I. you did not know:
https://youtu.be/MmuFSDRxDuA?si=E1zcpie4Oct0H_iD
Obligatory -
February 22nd, 2024 at 12:42 PM ^
They mention that in the movie
February 22nd, 2024 at 10:06 AM ^
I think that mGrowOld's username does NOT check out. By my calculations, I'm a couple years younger than our esteemed elder statesman. Am I old?? I keep hearing that 60 is the new 50.
Anyway, I was in Connecticut at the time and found out about the game from TV news the next day. I didn't start watching hockey until I entered Michigan as a grad student in 1985.
February 22nd, 2024 at 9:04 AM ^
That was the year I started playing hockey and it was HUGE!!!
I’m still playing 44 years later. Partially to do with how indelible this moment was.
U-S-A!!!
February 22nd, 2024 at 9:09 AM ^
I believe in miracles
I believe in you
February 22nd, 2024 at 9:12 AM ^
Technically I was only 15 days old at the time but I can officially say that I got to watch this game with my Dad, such a great memory!
February 22nd, 2024 at 9:20 AM ^
One of the most iconic moments in US Olympic history. The fact that it happened in the USA made it even more glorious 🏒
Definitely remember watching the game but not the details of what time it was.
February 22nd, 2024 at 9:25 AM ^
What many don't realize is that was the semifinal game. The US team still had to defeat Finland for the gold medal.
Several years later, I had a flight from Detroit to Albany. On the plane was the US national hockey team, the Soviet national hockey team... and MacGyver.
February 22nd, 2024 at 9:38 AM ^
While I have flown from DTW to ALB, I was never on that route with any hockey team.
February 22nd, 2024 at 10:24 AM ^
Remember when those two girls came up to you while you were waiting to board and said they liked you but didn't like your show? You handled that pretty well.
February 22nd, 2024 at 9:40 AM ^
A bit of a misnomer (which a lot of people use) to refer to the game as a "semifinal." The medal round that year was a round-robin, i.e. we would've played Finland regardless of the outcome of our game against the USSR. While going into Sunday, there were scenarios for each of the four teams in the medal round to win gold, as it happened, w/the Soviets beating Sweden, had we lost to Finland the Soviets would've won the gold.
I remember very clearly watching the game on tape delay and not knowing the outcome. Eruzione scored w/exactly 10 minutes left. My Dad, not wanting me to get my hopes up too high said, well, I'm sure the Soviets will still win. With 5 minutes left, well, maybe there'll be a tie. And then...
February 22nd, 2024 at 10:01 AM ^
Mike Ditka was the co-pilot and kept all those hockey players in check.
February 22nd, 2024 at 10:23 AM ^
I honeymooned in the Canadian Rockies (Paris was off the table due to the outbreak of the Gulf War).NBA commissioner Stern was in the DTW airport hotel ( Jordan had just beat the Pistons) and MacGyver was on our DTW flight to Calgary. He was a good old Canadian, hockey loving guy!
Very eventful times!
February 22nd, 2024 at 12:24 PM ^
What even more people don't realize is that it was not a semifinal. There was no semifinal and no final, only a "medal round."
February 22nd, 2024 at 9:29 AM ^
the original 'miracle on ice' team was the 1960 olympic team, who had the cleary brothers on it. when i was out east in the fall of '79 on a recruiting visit to the one brother's school, we spoke about that olympics. little did anyone know how iconic olympic hockey would become just a few months later.
February 22nd, 2024 at 12:11 PM ^
Squaw Valley, baby!
February 22nd, 2024 at 5:59 PM ^
Now known as Olympic Valley. Ski resort is now Palisades
February 22nd, 2024 at 9:32 AM ^
I was in an airplane, flying back home from who knows where, and the pilot kept giving us updates during the game. The tension was palpable and when the plane de-boarded at Metro with ten minutes to go (or so, it was impossible to know), we all headed to the nearest bar. To our dismay, everywhere there was a TV, there was also a huge crowd and given the 25" tube TVs running a low resolution, you couldn't see a thing, but they did have the sound turned way up. What a scene!
[Edit] TBH, I don't remember if it was a taped delay or not, but I think it was the early evening (EST) when we got back.
February 22nd, 2024 at 9:32 AM ^
There would of course be an interesting echo locally (Red Wings) years later with this guy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vyacheslav_Fetisov
I assumed Larionov was also on the '80 team, but it doesn't look that way:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Larionov
Am I missing anyone?
February 22nd, 2024 at 9:34 AM ^
Most forget that the USA beat Finland in the gold medal game scoring three goals in the third period to come from behind to win 4-2.
Also "Papa Bear", Slava Fetisov, the captain of the Soviet team went from the devastating loss at the 1980 Games to winning two gold medals, and from being banned by the Soviets from signing with the NHL to finally winning the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings. He was key in the Russian 5 and some of the best hockey Detroit has seen.
February 22nd, 2024 at 10:12 AM ^
Michigander Kenny Morrow went directly from winning the gold to winning four straight Stanley Cups with my beloved Isles.
February 22nd, 2024 at 10:34 AM ^
He grew up and went to Davison High School. Also the home of Tim Thomas, Stanley Cup winning goaltender with Boston.
February 22nd, 2024 at 12:43 PM ^
and noted piece of shit
February 22nd, 2024 at 10:37 AM ^
Hence all the conversation that the NCG vs. Washington was our Finland after the more significant Rose Bowl game.
February 22nd, 2024 at 12:47 PM ^
Beating Alabama was no miracle.
February 22nd, 2024 at 3:24 PM ^
Agreed, so it's not a parallel on that level. Miracle on Ice truly an upset for the ages. Still remember it like it was yesterday.
February 22nd, 2024 at 9:35 AM ^
Sorry, Yanks, but the Soviets threw the game.
February 22nd, 2024 at 10:13 AM ^
In Soviet Russia, game throws you.
February 22nd, 2024 at 10:57 AM ^
yep. for sure.
February 22nd, 2024 at 9:53 AM ^
An amazing memory for those of us old enough to remember it. I had heard the result from the news but my dad and I still couldn't believe it and watched the game. Has to be THE upset of all time in sports.
Really worth watching is the Russian side of this story: "Of Miracles And Men". Really beautifully done.
February 22nd, 2024 at 10:04 AM ^
Has to be THE upset of all time in sports.
1972 Russian hoops stealing the Gold from the USA is the greatest upset in all of sports.
(Doug Collins bad ju-ju)
Buster Douglas after that.
The Horror is in there.
February 22nd, 2024 at 10:33 AM ^
The refs stole the gold medal in 1972 and gave it to the Russians.....
February 22nd, 2024 at 10:47 AM ^
nah. The '72 hoops thing was a tragedy, not some great upset. Anything that has ridiculous reffing as part of it should not be so honored.
The Buster Douglas fight seemed like a bigger upset, until a bunch of other people figured out how to beat Tyson.
The US/USSR '80 game will be hard to ever replicate, because of the asymmetry: a group of college kids versus a professional team.
February 22nd, 2024 at 12:50 PM ^
This proves you don't understand how monumental the "Miracle" really was.
It was college kids against professionals who had hardly lost a single game in YEARS. And this was when college hockey was a joke and barely sending anyone to the NHL. Pro boxers are both pro boxers, App State was probably better than most of the teams in the MAC (if not all). The USSR basketball team was still professional....
Miracle is called that for a reason.
February 22nd, 2024 at 1:05 PM ^
IIRC, we were ranked 5th (of course grossly over ranked) at the time of the horror, and app state would've been ranked around 20th in D-I football that year. in actuality, it wasn't much of an upset at all. nevertheless, a giant hat tip to them for beating a talented, albeit tremendously underperforming, michigan team in the big house.
February 22nd, 2024 at 3:05 PM ^
Heck, the Soviets were playing games against NHL all-star teams in the 70s and winning a decent chunk of those games.
February 22nd, 2024 at 10:12 AM ^
I was in Saranac Lake that night. We had tickets to watch the men's 10K meters speed skating event the next day (Eric Heiden won) in front of Lake Placid high school. Earlier in the week, I had attended the Sweden game. I sat behind Pelle Lindburgh and can still see Bill Baker's shot stretching the twine with 29 seconds left in the third.
The game was on tape delay in the US (as already mentioned). As I eagerly waited for the game to start, the score flashed up on the screen for a few seconds; 4-3 US, 3rd period. I couldn't believe it. Before I could get my Dad's attention, the screen changed back to local programming. But, I knew what I had seen and I knew we had a chance. Well, you know the rest...
February 22nd, 2024 at 10:19 AM ^
I was in 8th grade that Friday night, and had a bball game to play. The games started with the JV team, then the girls played, and then the varsity boys tipped off - which was the team I was on. I stayed home and watched the game live - as XM said, close to Canada, and it was shown live in Saginaw. I got to the gym midway through the girls game, and during a whistle break ran to the scorers table and told them. By the time I got back to the bleachers, the refs stopped the game and the final score was announced. A standing ovation lasted for a good 5 minutes before the bball game could resume.
An awesome time!
February 22nd, 2024 at 10:30 AM ^
Michigan's Rose Bowl win this year seems like the Miracle on Ice to me, with the Championship against Washington being the USA's gold medal game against Finland. Washington and Finland were formalities on the road to destiny. The real games were the ones before.