Twenty-five years ago tonight, the U.S. Olympic Hockey team pulled off the greatest upset in the history of sports by beating the Soviet Union. A few days later, they defeated Finland and won the gold medal. After a decade of Vietnam, Watergate, stagflation, and the Iranian hostage crisis, the Miracle on Ice killed the 1970s and set the tone for the upbeat '80s.
If the game transcended sport, then one could just as easily say that it transcended politics too. It launched a table-top hockey game nearly as good as the real thing, the most memorable line from a sports broadcaster, and the ubiquitous chant, "USA! USA!" From Jim Craig searching for his dad to Soviet players looking on in disbelief, images from the game are still so powerful as to bring grown men to tears. Entirely comprised of amateurs (including ten college underclassmen), the U.S. club defeated, in essence, a professional hockey team in the Soviet Union. A few weeks prior to their unbelievable victory, the U.S. lost to the Soviet Union 10-3 in Madison Square Garden. The same college kids who had no chance would go on to lose not a single game at the Olympics.
Though the team featured numerous players who went on to careers in the National Hockey League, its most unforgettable member never played another competitive hockey game after winning the gold. The example of twentysomething Mike Eruzione could impart this bit of wisdom to many a fortysomething athlete: it's good to go out on top. Nothing before or since has topped the U.S. Olympic hockey team.
Excellent piece.
Although I would suggest that it launched the most memorable line from a hockey sportscaster.
There are many other more memorable sports broadcasting moments. I've listed 5, with the 5th being the best possibly. . .
1.) Try this one: "Branca throws . . . There's a long drive! It's going to be, I believe . . .! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! BOBBY THOMSON HITS INTO THE LOWER DECK OF THE LEFT FIELD STANDS! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! And they're going crazy! They're going crazy! Oh, ho!"
-- Russ Hodges, New York Giants Radio Announcer
Or this one:
2.) "Greer is putting the ball into play. He gets it out deep. HAVLICEK STEALS IT. OVER TO SAM JONES. HAVLICEK STOLE THE BALL! IT'S ALL OVER! JOHNNY HAVLICEK STOLE THE BALL!"
--Johnny Most, Boston Celtics Announcer
3.) With this next one, I guess I'd have to use the word "great" in the same way one would regard the dropping of the Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki as "great." That is to say they were great in magnitude . . .
"So the winning run is at second base with two out. Three-and-two to Mookie Wilson. . . . A little roller up along first . . . behind the bag . . . IT GETS THROUGH BUCKNER! HERE COMES KNIGHT! AND THE METS WIN IT!"
-- Vin Scully, play by for NBC-TV (even though he could have been called play by play man for the Mets as NBC had two pro-Met commentators in Joe Garagiola and Vin Scully along with Bob Costas that series.)
4.) "I think Joe is hurt. Angie Dundee, Ali's trainer, right next to me, is saying it. You might hear him... DOWN GOES FRAZIER! DOWN GOES FRAZIER! DOWN GOES FRAZIER!" – Howard Cosell
5.) This one might be the best. I’ll set the scene: Pierce field, a fall Monday afternoon:
“Auciello is wide open in the END ZONE. . . . awwww, you dropped it, you turkey!”
--Angry Freshman football spectator (maybe Deldon’s dad)
Dude! I thought that incident was behind me. It was 17 years ago for God sakes! Why cant you and Arlington Cable Vision let me be? People like you ran me and Bill Buckner out of Boston! I hate the FlynnFiles and I hate all of you!!!!!
It was Dillboy field, not pierce by the way.
Hey guys, droping a football isn't as bad as lets say stealing wallets. What? Auc....
In Auc's defense, I did witness a little-league game he pitched in which he struck out fifteen or seventeen of eighteen batters. It was an amazing performance, particularly since he got the loss. He was the Steve Carlton of the little league, I guess.
Is Mike Eruzione the best thing to come out of Boston since the Sons of Liberty??
Do you believe in MIRACLES?? yeah, I remember it like it was yesterday. That was the greatest sports event in my lifetime. Speed, talent, team work...
A quick note to sports marketers. Get the slobbering talentless hatchet men off the field/court. Sports are supposed to be watching skill, speed, teamwork, not some oaf breaking the legs of the fast skillful players. Ice Hockey and Soccer should be great offensive spectacles not 90 min. of 0-0 the game settled by penalty kicks.
I will hand it to Boston, the Celtics were a great sports team. Hard working, team oriented. I still talk about the greatest, most unrecognized player perhaps in history, Robert Parrish. And I hate Boston... but that man is the best example of what all humanity should strive to be. Those were some great years... I just can't get into Allen Iverson, Latrell whoever and Kobe They just are not the same.
Boxing is not a sport, Howard Cosell will never be famous for anything. (I can feel the flames...)
By the way, Bill Buckner has always been one of my favorite baseball players. I'm from LA. I remember going to a Pirates game at the Ravine to watch Willie Stargell. Rookie Billy came up with the bases loaded, Dodgers down by 2 or 3, and, of course, hit a grand slam! His broken leg was a tragedy for baseball. The Dodgers treated him like spoiled hamburger, I am still mad about that. They should have made him a coach.
We still love you Billy Bucks!!
"Hey guys, droping a football isn't as bad as lets say stealing wallets. What? Auc...."
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
I like the tag "Moral Majority". But a more fitting moniker would be "Immoral Majority."
Buckner, alas, is not remembered for getting 200 hits in a season in both the AL and NL; not remembered for NEVER striking out more than twice in any single game; he gets remembered for getting hung out to dry by John #$!@%~ McNamara. He wouldn't have beaten Mook to the bag even if he fielded it. What were they thinking?
I'm with Joe S on the clutch and grab in hockey. Do you know that Bill Smith won his Vezina trophy with ZERO shutouts? (Only time it ever happened.) Now Bobby Boucher gets four clean sheets in a row. Did he even face 100 shots total? A tough 2-1 game used to be thrilling because it was rare and tough. It meant that the goalies were fantastic and the teams were really pushing themselves. Now it means that one team played the beer-drinker's zone the whole bloody game.
It's still amazing to me that the USA/USSR game was not telecasted live. We all watched it on tape delay. Amazing.
It was 26 years ago today that Fudga and Blonde Fudga got thier nicknames.
Again watched the replay on ESPN2, and again, brought to tears.
I think the two American goals in the third period were their only two shots on goal.
Jim Craig didn't "stand on his head," as they say, but stopped everything in that period, including at least two with his right toe pad which, while admittedly from long distance, were definitely labeled "goal."
Another most-memorable line from a sportscaster: "Yes sir!" (1986 Masters)
Truly it was one of the great moments in American history.
