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Date | February 22, 1980 | |||||||||||||||
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Arena | Olympic Center | |||||||||||||||
City | Lake Placid, New York, U.S. | |||||||||||||||
Attendance | 8,500 |
The "Miracle on Ice" was an ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. It was played between the hosting United States and the Soviet Union on February 22, 1980, during the medal round of the men's ice hockey tournament. Although the Soviet Union was a four-time defending gold medalist and heavily favored, the United States achieved an upset victory, winning 4–3.
The Soviet Union had won the gold medal in five of the six previous Winter Olympic Games, and they were the favorites to win once more in Lake Placid. The Soviet team consisted of professional players with significant experience in international play.[1] By contrast, the United States team, led by head coach Herb Brooks, was composed mostly of amateur players, with only four players with minimal minor-league experience. In addition, the United States had the youngest team in the tournament and in U.S. national team history.
In the group stage, both the Soviet and American teams were undefeated; the U.S. achieved several surprising results, including a 2–2 draw against Sweden,[2] and a 7–3 upset victory over second-place favorite Czechoslovakia.[3][4]
For the first game in the medal round, the Americans played the Soviets. Finishing the first period tied at 2–2, and the Soviets leading 3–2 following the second, the U.S. team scored two more goals to take their first lead midway in the third and final period, then held out to win by a score of 4–3.[5][6] Two days later, the U.S. secured the gold medal by defeating Finland 4–2 in their final game, while the Soviet Union claimed the silver medal with a dominant 9–2 victory over Sweden.[7][8]
The victory became one of the most iconic moments of the Games and in U.S. sports. Equally well-known was the television call of the final seconds of the game by Al Michaels for ABC, in which he declared: "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" In 1999, Sports Illustrated named the "Miracle on Ice" the top sports moment of the 20th century.[9] As part of its centennial celebration in 2008, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) named the "Miracle on Ice" as the top international ice hockey story of the past 100 years.[10]