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2008-02-22 -Short Attention Span Theater-

Today in History: "Do you believe in miracles? YES!!!"

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Posted by Mike 2008-02-22 06:12|| || Front Page|| [9 views ] Top

#1 Disney made a great movie about this, "Miracle on Ice", with Kurt Russell. Includes President Carter reciting his "malaise" speech. I highly recommend the movie...I've watched it several times, and I rarely watch a movie more than once.

Posted by gromky 2008-02-22 06:40|| 2008-02-22 06:40|| Front Page Top

#2 "Here comes Buzz Schneider... SCORES!!!!!"

Thanks, Mike. 28 years later I still get a little misty watching it.

Posted by eLarson 2008-02-22 07:55|| http://larsonian.blogspot.com]">[http://larsonian.blogspot.com] 2008-02-22 07:55|| Front Page Top

#3 The Disney film was "Miracle". "Miracle on Ice" was the TV-movie with Karl Malden.

Posted by Eric Jablow">Eric Jablow 2008-02-22 07:59|| 2008-02-22 07:59|| Front Page Top

#4 Herb used to do some camping shopping at the EMS in Roseville. We ran into him in the tent section. Real interesting fellow. He will be sorely missed.

Posted by Icerigger">Icerigger 2008-02-22 11:10|| 2008-02-22 11:10|| Front Page Top

#5 Thanks for posting that Mike!

Posted by Icerigger">Icerigger 2008-02-22 11:10|| 2008-02-22 11:10|| Front Page Top

#6 The movie was on Monday night, I think... I rarely watch movies more than once.... this one? I think this was about the 5-6 time I've watched... and stood up through the ending of the movie, clapping, crying, just as I had done watching it live and hearing those words, "Do you believe in miracles?"

Great movie -- the producers went to great detail to actual re-create the plays, the movements just as they were played.....

Posted by Sherry">Sherry 2008-02-22 11:26|| 2008-02-22 11:26|| Front Page Top

#7 28 years ago on a cold and wet Friday night in February. Warm tavern. Good snacks (all you can eat - gratis). Real cold beer. Maybe 50-60 people. Mostly men ages 21-70. A few babes. Most of us didn't know much about the rules of hockey. Didn't matter.

Oh what a night.

eLarson said something about getting misty eyed even to this day.

That night I recall seeing the most grizzled of men being alot more than merely misty eyed. Without shame. Tears of joy. Pride. Patriotism.
USA,USA,USA.

Anyone born and raised in the USA before...say 1972 may not even remember that night in February, 1980. That night was HUGE beyond your wildest imagination. That night some 20 scruffy kids reminded us of who we USED to be...who we ARE...who we CAN be. Like circa 1941 - 1945.

To this day - bar none - The Miracle is the GREATEST (and most timely) MOMENT in the history of the culture of American Sport. THAT night the American people - we were down on the mat taking the 10 count - got off the mat, stood up ram rod straight...smiled/smirked ... and said to the world: "Is that the f**kin' best you got? Cause it ain't good enough to take us out".

Misty eyed? Yeah, eLarson..even to this day.

Posted by MarkZ 2008-02-22 13:07|| 2008-02-22 13:07|| Front Page Top

#8 and if I remember correctly, this is the night that the USA USA USA chant began!

Posted by Sherry">Sherry 2008-02-22 13:28|| 2008-02-22 13:28|| Front Page Top

#9 I've been a sports fan for a long time and played/followed hockey in high school. It took a near-miraculous goal by Paul Henderson in the last game of the 1972 Summit Series against the USSR to bring the best Canadian NHLers back for a one-game victory against the Soviets. From that point the Soviets just went from strength to strength. In 1980 the Soviet Olympic squad was, without a doubt, the best hockey team on earth, bar none. I'd have happily bet you a lot of money (and given you odds) that the American team wouldn't come close to the Soviets in Lake Placid.

What happened in 1980 was a reprise of what happened in 1960, except against an even tougher squad. In 1960, the U.S. side had a smoking hot goalie named Jack McCartan who was having one of those incredible runs of good luck between the pipes. The U.S. rode him to a gold medal against much better teams.

In 1980, Jim Craig had the same kind of lucky streak going, but he was holding us in against teams we probably didn't deserve to be on the same ice with. The disparity in talent, experience and skill between the 1980 U.S. team and the 1980 Soviet team was roughly the same as between an average mid-major college football team and the New England Patriots.

The U.S. team had no business winning that game, and 99 times out of one hundred they wouldn't have. That night in Lake Placid those young Americans played the game of their lives against an overly confident (though deservedly so) Soviet team that was having an off night. The Soviet coach was having an off night too, as no one in their right mind would have pulled possibly the best goalie who ever played the game, Vladimir Tretiak, out of such an important game. The game being on home ice certainly helped as well.

Yes, it was a miracle that night and it deserves every bit of the hype that it received. I'd never seen disparity of such magnitude overcome before and I doubt I'll ever see anything like it again. That was truly a win for the ages.

Posted by Jomosing Bluetooth8431 2008-02-22 14:54|| 2008-02-22 14:54|| Front Page Top

#10 "Miracle" was a great movie.

And it was extra interesting to me because an expat Canadian friend of mine had just hosted eight nights of hockey - we watched the entirety of a 1972 eight game series in which the Canadian national team played the Soviet national team in an away-and-home series that ended in a four-all tie.

In many ways, it was the first crack in the Iron Curtain. The series was played four games in Canada, and then four games in Russia to ensure that the Russians wouldn't defect, and the even number of games ensured a ego-soothing tie rather than the triumph of Communism or Commonwealth.

One thing that stood out over the course of the series was that the Russians all wore protective gear while nearly none of the Canadians did.

And another thing that stood out (when I watched "Miracle") was that the Americans faced almost the exact same players in the Olympics in 1980 as the Canadians had in 1972.

In other words, the Soviet team was OLD.

If any of you puck heads would like to watch the series, you can get it on Amazon, just search on Canada hockey 1972

Posted by Seafarious 2008-02-22 15:22|| 2008-02-22 15:22|| Front Page Top

#11 Seafarious: I didn't know until you told us that Canada's professionals played the Soviet professionals to a DRAW in 1972 with pretty much "the exact same players" (your words) they put on the ice in Lake Placid in 1980. Congrats. Well done.

Since the average age of the Soviet hockey team in 1980 was...oh....30 years of age, one might suggest that those "OLD" (your word) Soviets in 1980 were "YOUNG" (my word) Soviets in 1972 when Canada's professioanls had the talent to play 'em to a DRAW. Cool.

But today isn't the annivesary of anything Canadaian. Today is the anniversary of a group of 20 year old American AMATURE hockey players beating a group of 30 year old Soviet PROFESSIONAL hockey players. And to be crowned - for one night - The Best in the World.

Let's just keep it context, okay?

Posted by MarkZ 2008-02-22 16:41|| 2008-02-22 16:41|| Front Page Top

#12 I was 21 in '80, and I still get teary-eyed and spine-tingled when I remember that moment. Michaels has done a LOT of great sports announcing, but that is him at his best, one of the greatest sports moments because it included geo-political overtones.....say...when was Jimmy Carter defeated? Why, it was....

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2008-02-22 17:59|| 2008-02-22 17:59|| Front Page Top

#13 But they still had to be the Finns for the Gold.

Posted by Deacon Blues">Deacon Blues 2008-02-22 18:06|| 2008-02-22 18:06|| Front Page Top

#14 I thought Canada won that 1972 series 4-3-1.

Posted by Eric Jablow">Eric Jablow 2008-02-22 22:41|| 2008-02-22 22:41|| Front Page Top

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