One woman told Sports Illustrated she had never seen so many American flags since the sixties, “And we were burning them then.” The woman was at Lake Placid during the shock defeat the Soviets faced because the United States beat them.
"Miracle on Ice" is an amazing and emotional story about an American ice-hockey team in the 1980s. The 1980s Olympics was a very important moment during the Cold War because of the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. The United States and the Soviet Union were not on friendly times during the 1980s. This unrest carried into the Olympics where the United States and Soviet Union ice hockey teams were going to face off and made this Olympic moment a very patriotic event for both nations. Citizens from both countries were proudly supporting their teams. It was a symbol of the showdown between these two giant nations.
The American ice-hockey team was made up of a lot of college hockey players. At the time, many people under-estimated the United States’ hockey team. The general feeling was that since the team was made up of mainly college hockey players, then they wouldn't be really good. That was not the case because, in my opinion, the United States could not have beaten the same Soviet Union team with a different team. The Soviet Union was favored to win because the team was more experienced.
The two teams had made it to the final stages of the 1980 Olympics and it was a symbol to many of the rivalry between the two nations making this game a very important moment during the Cold War. This game later became known to many in the U.S. and the western world as the “Miracle on Ice”. The outcome of the game brought so much hope to many. An interesting fact is that even though this game was so important to both nations, it wasn't the game-winning game for the 1980 Olympics hockey tournament. The game against Finland, which the U.S. won 4-2, was the Olympic winning game.
The game versus the Soviet Union was important for two reasons. The secondary reason was because the U.S. needed to win it to be ranked (system for the tournament in the 1980s is different than method for present-day tournaments). The main reason that the game against the Student Union was considered to be a miracle was that it was a turning point for the Cold War. The win over the Soviet Union was the first in 20 years and that inspired young hockey players to succeed in the sport.
The “Miracle on Ice”, to me, started when Herb Brooks became the head coach of the United States hockey team. When Herb Brooks became the head coach, he started training the team very late compared to the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union had been training for years while the United States didn't have close to that much time. Herb Brooks picked the players for the United States hockey team. Many of the players were college students with the average age being 22 and the oldest age 25. That is a very young team. Herb Brooks, then scheduled a few pre-tournament games, including a game against the Soviet Union, which ended 10-3 at Madison Square Garden. The Soviet Union, juggernauts with skates, killed the struggling United States. This did not give hope to the U.S. team.
It all came down to this game in the 1980s Olympics. It was a game which the Soviet Union regrets while the United States cherishes.
The American ice-hockey team was made up of a lot of college hockey players. At the time, many people under-estimated the United States’ hockey team. The general feeling was that since the team was made up of mainly college hockey players, then they wouldn't be really good. That was not the case because, in my opinion, the United States could not have beaten the same Soviet Union team with a different team. The Soviet Union was favored to win because the team was more experienced.
The two teams had made it to the final stages of the 1980 Olympics and it was a symbol to many of the rivalry between the two nations making this game a very important moment during the Cold War. This game later became known to many in the U.S. and the western world as the “Miracle on Ice”. The outcome of the game brought so much hope to many. An interesting fact is that even though this game was so important to both nations, it wasn't the game-winning game for the 1980 Olympics hockey tournament. The game against Finland, which the U.S. won 4-2, was the Olympic winning game.
The game versus the Soviet Union was important for two reasons. The secondary reason was because the U.S. needed to win it to be ranked (system for the tournament in the 1980s is different than method for present-day tournaments). The main reason that the game against the Student Union was considered to be a miracle was that it was a turning point for the Cold War. The win over the Soviet Union was the first in 20 years and that inspired young hockey players to succeed in the sport.
The “Miracle on Ice”, to me, started when Herb Brooks became the head coach of the United States hockey team. When Herb Brooks became the head coach, he started training the team very late compared to the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union had been training for years while the United States didn't have close to that much time. Herb Brooks picked the players for the United States hockey team. Many of the players were college students with the average age being 22 and the oldest age 25. That is a very young team. Herb Brooks, then scheduled a few pre-tournament games, including a game against the Soviet Union, which ended 10-3 at Madison Square Garden. The Soviet Union, juggernauts with skates, killed the struggling United States. This did not give hope to the U.S. team.
It all came down to this game in the 1980s Olympics. It was a game which the Soviet Union regrets while the United States cherishes.
“There was a prejudicial feeling toward American players that the 1980 Winter Olympics helped to turn around,” said ESPN analyst Bill Clement,a Canadian that was a former NHL hockey player that played during 1980. “Before then, the criticism of American players was that they weren't tough enough, couldn't score when they had to, and couldn't win big games for you or with you. That mentality began to change after 1980.”