Voted the #1 moment in the history of sports. When the Sports Illustrated edition following the win was published, it contained no captions. Only the photo of the celebration was included. Everyone in America knew what it meant, so no explanation was needed. Glad you could finally get to this gem.
@@Tom-Mac1975 I would say there was a slight bit of jealousy back in the day but when it comes to best on best, Canada has dominated the Soviets. The time they talk about in the movie was one of the few times the Soviets had the upper hand
No sour grapes It was a miracle But not the most amazing event in sports history Don’t forget it wasn’t professional players back then either 🇨🇦🏒 I would say that the 72 summit series was more significant
Interesting fact, the Russian Slava Fetisov and American Mike Ramsey ended up as teammates on the 1996 Detroit Red Wings. Fetisov helped the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup 2 Times in 97 and 98.
The actual Miracle on Ice game took place in 1980. I was born in 1951. My whole younger life, until the Soviet Union fell in 1991, was lived in the shadow of threat from the USSR. i remember bomb drills in grammar school where we had to take shelter under our desks (like that would have helped!). People built bomb shelters in their yards. When these young Americans beat what was, in actuality, a professional Russian hockey team, it WAS a miracle for us. It was almost beyond belief and one of the most famous games in sports history (maybe the most famous😊).
11:30 The thing to remember is that Herb Brooks was on the 1960 Olympic Hockey team, but ended up like Ralph Cox. Brooks was cut from the Team three days before the Olympics started in Squaw Valley. That Team won the Gold Medal, and it was the last Gold Medal the US Hockey Team won. The Soviets won in '64, '68, '72, and 1976 before Brooks and his Team won in 1980.
The really cool thing about this movie is instead of teaching actors to play hockey, they got hockey players with some acting experience. It's why the hockey scenes feel so authentic
Agreed and adding on to that, the actors all shot the same way as the actual players and they worked hard to duplicate actual events as realistic as possible.
I love this movie. Watched the documentary too. As a hockey mom, I didn’t know this about the movie. Amazing. And makes so much sense. You can’t throw an actor out on the ice… 😊
Other than Jimmy who was played by an actor because you can't see his face on the ice anyway. They could have used Keanu Reeves LOL, he actually played goalie in Youngblood
It’s impossible to overstate how HUGE this was. I was 15 and living in Florida. Had a curfew and called home to beg my parents to let me stay at my friend’s house until the end. Dad answered and said ‘yeah shut up’ and hung up on me. I’m riding my bike home through the neighborhood and everyone was out in their front yards yelling and cheering, honking their horns. Core memory.
Bill Baker is from my home town and this town went crazy when the USA won the gold. A good movie and always enjoy watching it. Thanks for doing this movie, Rob and Amber.
As a Detroiter, Fetisov and Larionov brought Stanley to Detroit after too many years. Heck, Larionov brought the Stanley cup to Russia for the first time ever. If the Soviets weren't amazing, this movie would be merely mediocre.
@@IslesYankeeLady... A few random thoughts... I'm Canadian, a grandfather and great grandfather twice over (although only 65). We saw this game LIVE here in the Great White North and I still remember where I was. The game started at 5 pm EST and ABC/NBC or whatever it was, had it on tape delay, and didn't show it till prime time at 8 pm ... So most Yank hockey fans, by the time of the US TV broadcast, already knew the final score... having heard the game live, on the radio... xxx They used REAL HOCKEY PLAYERS, not actors, in the making of MIRACLE... One of the players/actors was the actual son of one of the original 1980 team members... I'm gonna guess and say Mark Johnson's son played him, BUT that's probably wrong... I'm much too lazy to look anything up... Plus it feels like cheating... So, strictly from memory, Mark Johnson, Neil Broten, Ken Morrow and Craig Ramsay, from the 1980 US OG Team, all went on to have distinguished NHL careers... I remember one former NHLer named Steve Christof. amd another named Dave Christian, think it was?... Pretty sure the latter played for the 1980 US Olympic Hockey Team too... xxx You guys mentioned 2 critical turning points for team USA... The 'We're a Family' moment... and the one where they score with less than a minute left to tie Sweden... If that doesn't happen, Team USA never makes the medal round... Setting aside Herb Brooks peerless contribution... Both those moments, 'We're a Family' AND 'the tying goal vs Sweden' came courtesy of the same US player. Namely... BILL (Word is, team mates called him 'Billy') BAKER_ PEACE OUT
@@donelton1839 none of the players on the miracle team were pros. the USA pulled a bunch of players still in college, or just finishing college, together to win.
@@nickb2049 I know, but most of them actually played 50 games for the US team that season and a lot of them went to NHL right after the olympics. Its not like they were untalented students playing hockey for the first time.
Interesting fact, the Russian Slava Fetisov and American Mike Ramsey ended up as teammates on the 1996 Detroit Red Wings. Fetisov helped the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup 2 Times in 97 and 98.
Of the dozens of great sports related movies, this has to be a top 5. Not just because It was based upon a true story, but because it was a true story that I, and millions of others, experienced.
THE FLYING SCOTSMAN is a true story about Graeme Obree. He built a bike out of a washing machine and set the hour record twice. His rival was Chris Boardman who had a £500,000 LOTUS carbon fiber bike. Johnny Lee Miller stars before he married Angelina Jolee I think. It's a forgotten gem 💎 the governing body banned Obrees riding style the superman and always tried to put obstacles in his way 👍
I watched this live when it happened and it was unbelievable. When it was over people were coming out of their houses and yelling at their neighbors, we did it! we did it! It was a truly amazing experience.
Were you there? One of the great injustices of this story is that ABC did not broadcast the game live. So if you were watching on TV, you were watching a recorded version. If you didn't know the ending, then it doesn't make a difference. I was in college and when it happened, word started spreading throughout the dorm. Of course, we watched the recording anyway.
This moment is why I'm a lifelong hockey fan! I was only 9 years old and my Grandpa was watching the Olympics... He loved sports but never watched Hockey, but this year against the Soviets was huge. And when they won we were all cheering and I just love this movie SO much! Brings back all those memories ❤❤❤❤❤❤🏒
I remember seeing this in theatres and when Al Michaels goes "DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES!! YES!!!" The WHOLE room ERUPTED as if everyone was at the game. Also they tried to duplicate the "Do you believe in miracles" call and tried acting it out but they couldn't replicate the raw excitement so they used the actual footage from the game.
@ckobo84 It's a shame they never made a director's cut with Finland left in. USSR would have gotten Gold if USA lost to Finland because they only had one loss vs USA having one loss and one tie. I don't believe USA would have even gotten Bronze.
@@ckobo84 It is in the actual movie but just not this review. It shows some highlights with Brooks narrating "2 days later the miracle was complete. My boys defeated Finland to win the gold medal, coming from behind once again".
I am an aging Gen-X'er and I had the privilege to watch this live when I was a kid. Being from NC, I knew nothing about hockey but as the team played it built some kind of national momentum so by the time of the medal game, I was pumped. By the time Al M, said the immortal line, "Do you believe in miracles"; sitting in my house losing my mind over a hockey game -- yes Al I do believe in miracles! I swear some of that magic still lingers on me to this day. I also became a hockey fan on the spot. NC finally got an NHL team and I got the chance to take my daughter to the games and I remember we were at our first NHL hockey finals game and the place is going nuts it is just rocking to whole time -- and I had the same feeling that day as I did back when I was a kid and the arena started shouting USA USA USA!! Sometimes sport is just magical.
I’m not even American and I love this film, there’s not much better in life than giving everything as the underdog and prevailing, against the red machine no less.
The fact that the entire country of USA went so crazy with joy after beating the Soviets was probably the greatest compliment the Soviet hockey team ever had. They really were that unbeatable of a team. And yet, we beat them. With just a bunch of kids.
yep. The game wasn't broadcast in America, we all heard it on the radio, and we didn't even hear that until we already knew they had beat Russia. So those following the game the news reported and let us know that the Americans had won, and everyone celebrated. Later we were able to hear the radio broadcast of the game to enjoy it. It wasn't until later that the actual game footage reached us. I think the game was at 5pm but they didn't televise the game until like 8-9pm because they wanted a big audience and more viewers could watch at that hour, plus everyone knew the Americans won so everyone was on watching the actual footage at 8pm.
@@eolsunderthe game was tape-delayed in the US because the Soviet hockey federation didn’t want to move the game time. Since the USSR was a colossus of a country with many time zones they wanted as many people as possible to have the chance to see the game at a reasonable time back home.
@@eolsunder Yes, to clarify, the game WAS broadcast in the U.S., but it was on tape delay. It was not broadcast live. During the showing of that tape delay, those of us in the Detroit area were treated to a SPOILER by TV anchorman Bill Bonds, who announced during a commercial break that "the U.S. beats the Soviets, news at 11." Jerk.
Watched this with my son and my father. I was 12 when this happened. At the end my son asked if it was really that good. I couldn't lie, I had to tell him, "No, it was better than that." You kids have no idea what it meant at the time when the US was seen as weak, our power was doubted. This was the dawn of hope. "Pro's" weren't allowed in the Olympics at the time, although the US seemed to be the only one adhering to that rule at the time.
Greatest upset in Sports History. Team USA odds against being Olympic Champs were 1,000:1. I was 13 and watched the quarter-final, the semi-final and the final. People forget the Russians were the Semi-Final.
@donelton1839 The actual odds for the 1980 Olympics have never been subsrtantianted. Modern recreations usually place them at 1,000:1 to 2,000:1. I posted the lower of the two figures. I'm not 100% sure on how the Premier League functions.. 16 Teams get promoted? I would say whatever the odds were for Leicester at that point would be roughly equivalent to the US Team odds. They were at least 1:000:1 in a 12 Team competition.
@@gk5891 Premier League has 20 teams. But its also more about money spent by the teams. Arsenal, placed 2nd, paid almost 200M£ in salaries compared to Leicesters 80M.
To explain the "Coneheads" reference: The Coneheads was a very famous/popular Saturday Night Live sketch from the 1970s about a family of 3 aliens who come to live on Earth. The joke is that they have gigantic cone-shaped heads and are very obviously alien but, no one ever seems to notice. (They, actually, made a full movie version of Coneheads in the 1990s that was filled to the brim with SNL alums and comedians). In "Miracle", they call those 3 players "Coneheads", basically, because it indicates that they are 3 hilarious weirdos who are their own special unit. They just as easily could've called them the Three Stooges. Very similar vibe.
I was 13 (now 58) when this game was played. I along with my Mom, Dad and older sister went out to eat. I snuck off to an area just outside of the bar and listened for updates (the game was not carried live). When the game was over I went back to the table where my family was sitting and informed them that our team had just defeated the Russians. Word quickly spread through the dining room and there was an impromptu celebration. Good times.
This game was on my 12th birthday, vividly remember sitting on the family room floor, next to our round coffee table with a globe in the middle. Was such an incredible moment in time.
Yes, I was 10 and had the measles or Chicken pox at the time with a bad fever. When they Finally broadcast the game it was so intense my fever broke my pajamas were soaked from sweating but I was feeling much better! I was fortunate to meet many of these guys at sports shows. Even when my favorite sports teams wins a championship. Nothing compares to this. As a Chicago Fan I saw The Bears win a Superbowl in 1985 That was magical team, Michael Jordan and the Bulls win 6, The White Sox won a world series, The Blackhawks won three stanley cups, And the Cubbies broke the curse. This game still give me chills when its replayed on espn.
Brooks’ pregame speech before the gold medal game against Sweden was classic. “If you don’t win this game, you will take it to your grave…..your f’ing grave!”
It was not a gold medal game because there was none. It was a four team round robin medal games. If USA lost to Finland on the last day, they could have finished even as low as 4th.
Came back after watching the reaction. I saw this game in 1980 and I’ve watched this movie more times than I can count. I know what happens yet I still cry every single time when Al Michael’s says, “Do you believe in miracles, YES!”. They used his original call in the movie. While Al recorded a lot of the calls for the movie, he said he couldn’t do that final call again with any integrity if he tried, so he asked them to use his original call. The choreography of the hockey and celebrations especially on Eruzione’s game winning goal and the victory celebration at the end on ice, it was how they all looked and celebrated. I’m now 54 years old and it’s crazy to see how watching sports has changed. There was no internet, there were no multi-channel Olympics. There was 1 channel for the entire games in the US, ABC. That was it. You saw journalists with corded landline phones trying to communicate the action. You saw all the paper telegrams from fans on the walls as the team was walking out onto the ice. No texts, tweets, emails. The Coneheads reference was a popular skit at the time on Saturday Night Live. Dan Aykroyd (you may know him from Ghostbusters and other movies) Jane Curtain and Laraine Newman were a family of extraterrestrials with bald cone heads. They were weird, quirky, yet a part of pop culture for that era. So when Assistant Coach Craig Patrick referenced the Coneheads for the line of Pavelich, Harrington & Schneider, he was referring to how they were the quirky guys on the team who happened to connect. And how Coach Brooks was not in touch with pop culture, thus not in touch with his team. So here’s a tidbit. The game was not broadcast live at the time. Only the Canadian broadcast had it live. Everyone in the States saw it tape delayed in the prime time night broadcast of the Olympics. And the game had ended an hour before the broadcast started, yet no one (hardly anyone) in the US knew the outcome in advance. There were no spoilers back then. No means of communicating the outcome to the masses. And finally, there are still many who didn’t realize that game was not for the gold medal. It was the semifinal. They still had to win another game for Gold.. and they did. All things considered, greatest moment in sports history. Thank you so much for loving this movie as much as you did. It touched my heart. Please check out some of the documentaries on this.
The men that we have lost since are truly missed. Herb Brooks, Mark Wells, Bob Suter, Actor Michael Mantenuto (Jack O’Callahan in the movie), Actor Kenneth Mitchell (Ralph Coxe) and my friend’s brother Mark Pavelich are watching from above. May they rest in peace and in celebration of all the joy they gave us.
You two REALLY ought to see a live hockey game. It makes much more sense in person. For line changes on the fly, the player leaving the ice, will use one of two doors to get back on the bench, whereupon the player subbing in, will hop over the boards. Forward lines and defensive pairings stay together on the bench, which is why you see players scooching around on the bench. Getting the line change procedure wrong, can get the offending team a bench minor penalty, for "too many men on the ice." It even happens in the NHL. It's not as easy as it looks. Pulling the goalie typically happens under two circumstances: a delayed penalty assessment, or a team is trailing late. A goalie who leaves the ice for an additional skater, can't go back out there, until the next stoppage in play. On a delayed penalty, it's not usually an issue: if the penalized team regains the puck, play is stopped, the penalty is assessed, goalie goes back in. But late in the game, it's a genuine roll of the dice, which can often be decisive one way or the other. Any time you see a goal marked EN in a box score, that's an empty net goal, scored without a goalie to stop it. Offside is a little easier to understand than it is in soccer, but that's not germane in this movie. Come to the rink. Our game is pretty cool. And yes, there is professional hockey in Oklahoma. The Tulsa Oilers are the ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Anaheim Ducks. (ECHL is the VERY rough equivalent of Double-A baseball.) It is the offseason, but if you wanted to exchange a little influence, this is a good time of year to try it. Tell them, honestly, that you run a reaction channel that's pushing 200K followers, you recently reacted to Miracle, you're curious about seeing a live game, and see what happens. I can't guarantee anything, but minor league teams, and their fans, tend to be a very welcoming bunch.
I live in Bakersfield Calif. Where we dont get snow or ice or cold winters. But we got a team of semi pros named The Condors. We got bonds to build a Hockey Stadium it is beautiful. This was 25 years ago. My husband and I bought season tickets, second row, right next to the penalty box and for 10 years we went 3 or 4 or 3ven five times a week during the season. Greatest time of our lives!, our grown kids and grandkids came and it was family and these young wonderful boys who played their hearts out every year!! Best time ever!!!
Perfect description. Simple and easy to follow and 100% spot on. Solid idea on trying to use the channel. You never know, at the very least they would send some simple swag.
It’s always interesting how sports change. Back in the day, you wouldn’t see a goalie pulled until it was totally necessary, and now it feels like it happens all the time.
I was a senior in HS when this happened. Although the USA chant was first used in the Civil War, I never heard a crowd chant it until this event. And then ever since. The ending always makes me tear up just remembering it
Just to really put it in perspective, this occurred at one of the most intense cold war periods. Also the Iran Hostage crisis happened in November 1979, 3 months before the Olympics. And the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan earlier that year. America was almost as divided internally as it is now over the external and internal pressures at that time. This Olympics almost didn't happen, because president Carter had announced the US was boycotting the summer Olympics in Moscow in 1980. This period was a real low point in America. But these kids, competing against what was a professional Soviet team, did tge absolute unthinkable thing, and reunited this country like nothing else since pearl harbor
Neither was the Finland game. There was no gold medal game. If game against Finland was gold medal game, how come Soviets god silver and Sweden gold? It was a four team round robin, and team with most points after those games won gold. If USA lost to Finland, they could have finished even out of the medals.
this is the most critical moment in sports history for the United States, beating the chief adversary of hockey at the time AND their opponent in the Cold War, at their own game, on an ice rink that's on home soil After the Summer Olympics in 1972 when the Soviets got handed the gold medal in basketball, this was an excellent way to even it up, where we EARNED the win fair and square Also contains the most iconic sports call in history: "Do YOU believe in miracles? YES!!!"
The last few seconds of the game in the movie, including that line, are the real audio. The director felt it would not be fair to Al Michaels (the commentator) to recreate the excitement in his voice a second time for the movie. So a few seconds before the final buzzer they spliced the original audio in.
I remember watching this in a college dorm. I was a baseball player and lived with hockey players who knew the US team well. The affect this game had on the emotions of our citizens will never be seen again, grown men were openly weeping. We were in a horrible situation with the hostage crises in Iran. Our economy was its worst in decades, joblessness, unbelievable inflation etc...our people sensed we were losing our standing in the world and were considered not all that special. The USSR was flexing, berating, and threatening us on the world stage (cold war), scary. Then a group of unknown college kids lifted an entire nation, I've never seen anything like it before or after. This sense of pride carried us to the Reagan years (which started several months later) where the hostages were released immediately and we slowly climbed out of recession and our national pride was restored.
I was 9 in 1980. I listened to my parents, my uncles, my father and his friends, guys at the barbershop. It was a tough time in America. Hostages in Iran, inflation and of course the red threat. We did nuclear fallout drills in school. This was a defining moment in my young life. I watched the game in Madison square garden on tv. I didn’t think we had a chance in the Olympics. To this day I get misty when they replay the last 7 seconds. Because of this team, I do believe in miracles.
The game was played in the afternoon, as the Soviets protested the proposed switch to evening. Which would have made it a 3:30am game in Moscow. ABC showed the delayed broadcast that evening in prime time. Almost everybody stayed away from knowing the final score, which was pretty easy to do in 1980. With the score tied 3-3 in the third, the local ABC affiliate ran a spot promoting the local news broadcast after the game. Yep, you guessed it. His lead was "The US scores a major upset in Olympic hockey". Now back to the conclusion of the game.
I thank Herb Brooks for so much. Mostly for the lessons he taught Craig Patrick, the long-time GM of the Pittsburgh Penguins. My hometown hockey team who have meant so much to me as a sports fan my whole life. Hockey is a beautiful sport. Lemieux, Jagr, Crosby, so many others. Love the sport so much. Plus, shout out to the classic Disney sports movies. They always knew how to make a great sports movie.
My favorite Herb quote never made the movie. Before the gold medal game against Finland, Herb walks into the locker room and says "If you lose this game, you'll take it to your grave" he starts walking out, turns around and says "your f***kin' grave!" Jay and Amber, hockey season's coming up. I'll come down to OK, watch a game with you and teach you hockey 101.
Summer for me is track (I ran 400s and 800s in hs) and basketball also. In winter it’s hockey. This movie is the absolute best. They actually got hockey players and taught them to act figuring it was easier than the other way around. And one of the actors actually played his dad in the movie.
I’ll never forget this win against the USSR. I woke up that morning in a dorm room at OU in Norman. The two week banking school ended at 1pm…I had to make it to my home in NJ in 6 hours. I had to get from OKC to St. Louis….no delays….no hold ups!!! I had to change planes in St. Louis to fly to Newark….no missed connections, no delays….made it to Newark!!! Now the limo had to be there…IT WAS!!! The puck dropped as I walked through my front door!!! DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES??? I was 30 I’m now 75….I’ll never forget that game….Never!!
One of the great things about this film; along with Kurt Russell’s excellent portrayal of the late Herb Brooks, was having Al Michaels and Ken Dryden; the two broadcasters who called each of the Olympic Hockey games, redo some of their commentary for the film. The one exception being the famous call by Al Michaels during the game; the infamous “Do You Believe In Miracles?” call, that had to be used in the film because it was impossible to recreate. If you watch the film, and you hear Michaels’ commentary, it fades from 2004 Al Michaels to 1980 Al Michaels.
Great, amazing story and movie! But Wisconsin's Eric Heiden gets totally overlooked in that 1980 Olympics because of "The Miracle on Ice!" Heiden won FIVE Gold Medals in Speed Skaking from the sprint to the 10,000 Meters. And he won those Golds OUTSIDE, in the wind and elements while setting several World Records! Eric Heiden is an American Hero too!
Eric Heiden was my second Olympics crush-I was born in ‘66. My first was four years earlier, when pre-pubescent me completely fell for Franz Klammer, the Austrian downhill skier who had one of the most reckless runs in Olympic skiing history.
I knew Michael Mantenuto (OC), when we were in the army together at a school. I didn't know him well enough to call him my friend but everyone liked him. One day, Miracle comes up due to Herb Brooks' speech given while talking about motivation. Manny gets called out for being in the film and he talked about his experience filming it a little bit. One of the things he talked about was that he got into a fight with another skater during tryouts/audtions and thought he'd get dropped or kicked off the set for it, but in fact it was a part in how he got the part for Jack. They liked his attitude and it fit OC's character. Broke my heart when I found out what happened to him. RIP brother.
FYI; The Soviet team's Vladislav Tretiak was considered the best goaltender in ice hockey in 1980. The Americans scored two goals against him before he was pulled from the game at the end of the first period. Another fun fact; He played the Russion coach in the movie you just watched~!
The behind the scenes making of this movie is amazing. They show how they filmed the hockey game scenes, how they trained, and interviewed the actors and the players they portrayed.
Lol, in 1980 I was 17 and my dad say's, Hey, I know you're not really into hockey, but you might want to start watching this US Olympic Hockey team, they've beat all expectations and won their first couple games". Man oh man, am I glad I DID start watching them because I'm 60 years old now, I've watched a LOT of sports and there are two things I'll just NEVER forget: Eruzione high-stepping across the ice after his goal, and both my dad and I EXPLODING off the couch when the clock FINALLY ran out! In my 60 years, that HAS to have been the absolute BEST moment in sports, bar none. Yeah... Good stuff! 😊
“Eddie, The Eagle” another great movie with a lot of heart about a guy who wants to be in the Olympics so bad he teaches himself to ski and then teaches himself to ski jump and gets into the Olympics!! Sure won over the crowd!!
My favorite Olympic memory…watching from Columbus Ohio, as a college student, sitting next to my girlfriend (wife now of 42 years)…not believing what we were seeing…and then on our feet, counting down the final 30 seconds…and hearing Al Michael saying - Do you believe in Miracles?
Herb started my D1 hockey program St. Cloud State University after. He would attend a home and home weekend when we would play the University of Minnesota which was an hour drive away. He would go into our locker room and chat us up before the game. Bah the coach for St. John’s University shared our rink and got to know him very well. As a goalie you have to be the weirdest guy in the room to stop vulcanized rubber traveling over 100 MPH at you. lol glad you guys enjoyed it. You guys should watch “do you believe in miracles!” A documentary about the team. Probably the best documentary ever.
Even now I remember how amazing it felt to watch it at the time. You could hear the cheers from all the houses when we won. I actually got to meet Mike Eruzione when he came home and saw his gold metal. We both lived in Winthrop MA.👍♥️🤘
I was 16 years old and watched every game. The night of the game against Russia, I was at my local ice skating rink and the office kept announcing highlights. But they put the final minute or two on the PA from the TV broadcast. So we all heard Al Michaels’ iconic call “Do you believe in miracles?” The whole place went nuts!!! It was an amazing moment!
I was 12 years old in Buffalo, NY. when this game was played, We got Rammer Mike Ramsey he later became the Buffalo Sabers captain. Watching this movie and watching RUclips reactors still this day gives me goosebumps and a little teary-eyed every time.
Minnesotan here. I still have never neen I-94 backed up as far as it was the day of Herb's funeral. Then this film came out. He never saw it, he lived it.
Fun fact: they brought Al Michaels in to do some voice ins over his original commentary of the game. But the final 10 seconds, they knew it would be impossible to recreate his genuine emotion from when he actually called the game. So if you listen closely, they actually loop in the original broadcast audio of him saying “the countdown going on right now” all the way to “do you believe in miracles? Yes!”
i’ve been obsessed with this movie and the story for AGES. this movie was my go-to pump-up movie. it was part of my routine for every major championship meet in swimming, up through my D1 college career, to watch this movie every night before bed beginning the night before the first session. I still uncontrollably cry at the end. I have the speech from herb brooks memorized word for word - our college coach actually had my best friend/teammate recite it before the last finals session at conference champs my junior year as a semi-joke 😂
I saw this game on TV when I was 8 years old. I remember my parents were stunned at the outcome. I’m pretty sure it was on tape delay because nobody thought it was possible.
I had a dance teacher who was pretty tough. She wouldn't let us stop until the windows were fogged up...in the summer time. She didn't build a family atmosphere, per say, but she did give me a chance to experience truly working hard at something I loved. Though I no longer dance, I still work my butt off at the things I'm passionate about. I thank her for that. Great teaching/coaching can last a lifetime
The most brilliant thing Brooks did was being able to get the Soviets to play an exhibition 3 days before the start of the Olympics. Fear was their main weapon, and he knew he didn't want the first time these kids played them to be IN the Olympics. You saw why (10-3). By the time they played them in the Olympics, they had shaken off that loss, got on a winning streak, and there was no fear of the unknown playing the Soviets because they had already seen them recently and knew basically what they were going to get.
Ken Morrow went right from the Olympics to the New York Islanders and won 4 cups in a row. They made it to 5th cup but lost to Gretzky and Messier. That’s a great run! USA gold right into 4 cups!!
It wasn't televised live, but was was broadcast during the primetime hours later. No one talked about the game and it was as if it was live. I had turned off all television and radios. It was a Friday and everyone was tuned in. I was back from my tour of Germany, my job had me, well, let's say clued into the Soviets. Watching this, was SPECTACULAR! It was so awesome. I was jumping up and down in my living room yelling. I could hear others in the apartment building doing the same. They had a game after this before they won the gold, against Finland they won 4-2. It didn't really matter though, we beat the Soviet Union. The tears were flowing.
They were truly all amateur team unlike many of the current Olympic teams. The actual game was on a television delay feed from Lake Placid but this was pre internet and cell phone days so even on delay most of America did not know the outcome. We could only listen live on the radio feed.
One of the reasons this is such a good sports movie is that they used real hockey players to play the olympians. Rather than trying to make actors look like hockey players. Hockey is a game you can't fake. There is a video on RUclips of Kurt Russell and the director interviewing Herb Brooks before they made the movie. It's definitely worth watching.
Michael Mantenuto, the guy who played the cocky Jack O’Callahan, joined the Army a few years after this movie came out and became a Green Beret. Unfortunately he took his own life several years later while on Active Duty.
I didn’t know that. Terribly sad that people who sacrifice everything for their country don’t get the mental health care they need and deserve when they come home. RIP.
1980. I was 12 yrs old and this event solidified my love for sports and the underdog. You said you couldn't imagine watching it in real time, that you would probably cry...I can't remember for sure if I cried when I watched it, I probably did, but I know for sure that I cry now every time...even when this reaction video just began. It seems as the years go by it becomes even more emotional to me. I grew up just outside Madison, WI and loved our college hockey team. Mark Johnson made us all so proud and still does as the coach of our women's team. Class act. This movie is in my top 3 all-time favorites. Kurt Russell did a fantastic job as Herb Brooks...I read that he stayed away from the kids so that he could maintain a cold/distant demeanor that Brooks had. Brooks died in a car accident and I remember reading the closing credits where it said he died before the movie came out but he didn't need to see it....he lived it. Another great sports movie you might want to check out is "Brian's Song" but make sure you have plenty of tissues nearby!
Great movie! I was 15, our entire block was watching! Every house had their doors open and you could literally hear the gasps, yelling, and cheering! Magical! This was not the Gold Medal game, we had to beat the Russians to get there, where we beat Finland for the gold! A lot of fun! Rest in peace Herb Brooks! Kurt Russell was perfect for this role! Al Michael's "Do you believe in miracles? Yesssss!"
Another Olympic film is Cool Running’s. It’s based on Jamaica sending a bobsled team to the Winter Olympics. It’s got John Candy and it’s a really great film.
Every time I watch it, I feel 10 yrs old again- an Italian kid from Boston- & the excitement of watching every minute of every game on TV- seeing the movie as an adult, I get chills over my entire body, watery eyes, & a runny nose when Eruzione scored that goal- and the 10 minutes that followed hoping & praying they would hold on- they did- & in doing so gave us all a memory & a feeling that will last our entire lives!
YES!! Thank you for reacting to this movie! Y’all did an awesome job, as usual. Fun fact they brought Al Michaels back to re-record the announcements for all of the games, except for the last “Miracle” call. They said in that they couldn’t duplicate the magic of that call so in the movie you can tell a difference in the clarity of the broadcast for that call. It was the actual play call from the game in 1980. Again thank you for watching this movie and I am so glad y’all loved it. USA USA USA!!!
I was 10 years old when this happened you can't believe how big it was. In those days nothing was live they showed it later on during prime Time on TV. I remember my older brother not going anywhere all that day because he didn't want anyone to tell him who won. That night my brother my dad and me all watched the game together. It was great
This game was (is?) considered the greatest sports moment in US history and most of the country didn't see it live. Only people living near the Canadian border that received Canadian broadcasts could watch it live. The game was played at 5pm but was shown tape delayed at 8pm. 36 million US households tuned in. It was a record at the time. I was 10 when I watched the game (on tape delay of course) and Mike Eruzione running on the tips of his blades after scoring the winning goal is still one of my favorite sports memories.
As the mom of a 13-yo girl hockey player who just made a AA all-girls nationals hockey team (and who had played three seasons of co-ed hockey), don’t underestimate the strength of our girl hockey players. Power!!! ✌️❤️😊
Although this suggestion is not related to the Olympics, I recently watched "Mr. Smith goes to Washington" 1939 and I have a suggestion of another older classic award winning movie which is "Marty" 1955. Only you could do justice to a reaction of this movie. Your reactions have always been spot on and I am surprised you don't have millions of subscribers on all your channels. Respectfully, Kenneth
Mr Smith Goes To Washington would be a great reaction on the Monday night before the election. The movie stars James Stewart aka George Bailey of It’s A Wonderful Life and is directed by Frank Capra who directed It’s A Wonderful Life.
My grandfather was an NHL goal judge for the Washington Capitals back in the day and because of that I was able to meet the team. I was only a month old and don't remember it, but my parents tell me every time this movie comes on.
The original game was not shown live on television it was on tape delayed a few hours later. During the live game, you had to watch for scrolling at the bottom of the screen for scoring moments.
I’m pretty sure this is what started the trend of Americans chanting “USA! USA! USA!” at international sporting events. I remember seeing a clip of a British sportscaster talking about how the Brits didn’t think it was proper (or polite or something like that) - but he thought that secretly they were jealous of the freedom we felt to root for our team with such enthusiasm.
My mom and I always watch the Olympics and we were watching this when I was a kid. I vividly remember us both jumping up and screaming as they won. I think somebody was cutting onions while I was watching y'all watch this.
As hockey fan in Canada my whole life saw this in theatre with our entire family despite the border Al Michael's call which is the orginal call cause he didnt think could do it justice if he had to recast it. Was echoed by the entire theatre. I cant imagine a better sports let alone a better hockey moment. We maybe rivals when it comes to hockey alot of national pride on the line but this sports moment is #1 for hockey. We may have Wayne Gretzky but USA will always have the miracle and it beautiful I wish I had of been alive to see it in real time. Truly a special and beautiful event in world history and sports history.
I remember exactly where I was when the first broadcast of this game was shown. Even though it was recorded, abc presented it as a live broadcast. The racquetball courts were silent and the TV lounge was packed. It was amazing! those college kids weren't expected to win anything.
As we all know, the Olympics came out to Atlanta in 1996 for the Centennial of the modern Games and that was one of the highlights of my family's lives My parents were both volunteers that started giving out merchandise and gear for the Games as soon as the city received the hosting bid in 1990 and they worked at the Tennis Center that was in Stone Mountain I was 2 at the time so I never got to directly participate in the fun BUT there are some great pictures of it all! For the gold medal final in soccer, the game was played at the University of Georgia's football stadium, Sanford Stadium and UGA is where both of my parents attended so that's bragging rights! The Atlanta Braves' second baseball stadium, Turner Field, was the site of the opening and closing ceremonies, along with track & field The city is now forever a living monument of the world's biggest competitive stage and I'm lucky to have been alive for that piece of history
Post- season hockey is the best sport in the world. If you want to get into hockey I’d suggest watching 3 games in a row of a playoff series. The first game you watch will basically feel like a waste of time because you don’t know anything and you won’t be able to keep up with the puck. The second game you’ll hear a repeated story or 2 about players, and by the end of the game you’ll catch a couple rules and players, but you’ll still be lost. The third game is where you’ll be used to the speed of the game, be able to track the puck, predict where the puck will be, understand basic strategy, recognize players and their numbers and which ones are standouts, and a lot of this will come from the commentators. But you gotta stick with it for three games because if you give up and then try again, you’ll forget everything and be lost again and you’ll give up. But after that third game you’ll make sure you catch the fourth playoff game because nothing tops the speed and intensity, and there’s more strategy than soccer, basketball. Plus fighting.
My friend cleaned the ice there. He said day after they beat the Soviets Brooks was tearing into his team while they practiced for Finland. He told them if they don’t play well in that game they would take it to their f--ing graves
This did not happen during practice. This happened during the actual game, and it happened inside the locker room, after the end of the second period. Your friend would not have been inside the locker room during the actual game to hear that conversation. From the game's Wikipedia page: "Needing to defeat Finland to secure the gold medal, Team USA faced a 2-1 deficit at the end of the second period. According to Mike Eruzione, coming into the dressing room for the second intermission, Brooks turned to his players, looked at them, and said, "If you lose this game, you'll take it to your fucking graves." He then walked towards the locker room door, paused, looked over his shoulder, and said to them again, "Your fucking graves." Team USA came back in the third period to defeat Finland 4-2".
Best Sports moment ever… I was a freshman in HS when this happened. There have been many amazing things in sports since then. But having been alive at that time to experience it, there’s been nothing like it since.
Voted the #1 moment in the history of sports. When the Sports Illustrated edition following the win was published, it contained no captions. Only the photo of the celebration was included. Everyone in America knew what it meant, so no explanation was needed. Glad you could finally get to this gem.
Number 1 in American Sports not world sport
@@ianknight8131of course. I’m guessing the vote in Russia went a little differently.
In American sports history
Canada 9 gold 🇨🇦🏒
@@Tom-Mac1975 I would say there was a slight bit of jealousy back in the day but when it comes to best on best, Canada has dominated the Soviets. The time they talk about in the movie was one of the few times the Soviets had the upper hand
No sour grapes
It was a miracle
But not the most amazing event in sports history
Don’t forget it wasn’t professional players back then either 🇨🇦🏒
I would say that the 72 summit series was more significant
And this movie followed true events very closely!!! Kurt Russell did an outstanding job of portraying the coach!
Agreed, amazing job, my favorite Kurt Russell movie for sure 👍❤️🏒
Fun fact: The kid who plays Schneider is Billy Schneider, the real life son of Buzz Schneider who played on the team.
And casting didn't know until AFTER he was cast!
Also his dad didn’t want him to do it
THAT'S CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!
Interesting fact, the Russian Slava Fetisov and American Mike Ramsey ended up as teammates on the 1996 Detroit Red Wings. Fetisov helped the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup 2 Times in 97 and 98.
"Do you believe in miracles???" is the most iconic broadcaster call of all time.
Second best!
The most iconic is "He's moving like a tremendous machine!"...the call of Secretariat winning The Preakness by 31 lengths.
@@mikeeckel2807 I get the chills every time I re-watch the actual footage of Secretariat racing. The movie is great, too.
"THE BAND IS ON THE FIELD" enters the chat
ruclips.net/video/vsyYMfEA1sg/видео.htmlsi=6_pqD33et6TggDhe
One of those actors in the first scene played General Hammond on Star Gate SG1.
The actual Miracle on Ice game took place in 1980. I was born in 1951. My whole younger life, until the Soviet Union fell in 1991, was lived in the shadow of threat from the USSR. i remember bomb drills in grammar school where we had to take shelter under our desks (like that would have helped!). People built bomb shelters in their yards. When these young Americans beat what was, in actuality, a professional Russian hockey team, it WAS a miracle for us. It was almost beyond belief and one of the most famous games in sports history (maybe the most famous😊).
11:30 The thing to remember is that Herb Brooks was on the 1960 Olympic Hockey team, but ended up like Ralph Cox. Brooks was cut from the Team three days before the Olympics started in Squaw Valley. That Team won the Gold Medal, and it was the last Gold Medal the US Hockey Team won. The Soviets won in '64, '68, '72, and 1976 before Brooks and his Team won in 1980.
The really cool thing about this movie is instead of teaching actors to play hockey, they got hockey players with some acting experience. It's why the hockey scenes feel so authentic
Agreed and adding on to that, the actors all shot the same way as the actual players and they worked hard to duplicate actual events as realistic as possible.
This is a very cool comment.
Thank you.
Buzz Schneider was played by his own son 🤗
I love this movie. Watched the documentary too. As a hockey mom, I didn’t know this about the movie. Amazing. And makes so much sense. You can’t throw an actor out on the ice… 😊
Other than Jimmy who was played by an actor because you can't see his face on the ice anyway. They could have used Keanu Reeves LOL, he actually played goalie in Youngblood
It’s impossible to overstate how HUGE this was. I was 15 and living in Florida. Had a curfew and called home to beg my parents to let me stay at my friend’s house until the end. Dad answered and said ‘yeah shut up’ and hung up on me. I’m riding my bike home through the neighborhood and everyone was out in their front yards yelling and cheering, honking their horns. Core memory.
Our whole neighborhood watched this game in our living room. I still remember how exciting it was.
Jimmy Craig was a BEAST in this game, and defended 36 of 39 shots on goal!
Meanwhile, the U.S. scored 4 out of only 16 shots on goal!
@@tipigi3570Half on the best goalie in the world
@@Dr.Acula76 Yep, he wasn't playing well at the time. He let in 4 vs Canada earlier in the week.
Thats getting peppered! Having to stop that many goals is insane. If I was the goalie , I would’ve wore couch pillows.
@@tipigi3570 Also the Netherlands.
As a Minnesotan, this moment is EVERYTHING. These players' names are legendary up here!
Bill Baker is from my home town and this town went crazy when the USA won the gold. A good movie and always enjoy watching it. Thanks for doing this movie, Rob and Amber.
Even Mark Johnson the Wisconsin boy? Lol
As a Detroiter, Fetisov and Larionov brought Stanley to Detroit after too many years. Heck, Larionov brought the Stanley cup to Russia for the first time ever. If the Soviets weren't amazing, this movie would be merely mediocre.
Brock Nelson’s (Islanders) uncle is Dave Christian. 🙃
His Grandpa Bill Christian and Great Uncle Roger were on 1960.
@@IslesYankeeLady... A few random thoughts...
I'm Canadian, a grandfather and great grandfather twice over (although only 65). We saw this game LIVE here in the Great White North and I still remember where I was. The game started at 5 pm EST and ABC/NBC or whatever it was, had it on tape delay, and didn't show it till prime time at 8 pm ... So most Yank hockey fans, by the time of the US TV broadcast, already knew the final score... having heard the game live, on the radio...
xxx
They used REAL HOCKEY PLAYERS, not actors, in the making of MIRACLE... One of the players/actors was the actual son of one of the original 1980 team members... I'm gonna guess and say Mark Johnson's son played him, BUT that's probably wrong...
I'm much too lazy to look anything up... Plus it feels like cheating... So, strictly from memory, Mark Johnson, Neil Broten, Ken Morrow and Craig Ramsay, from the 1980 US OG Team, all went on to have distinguished NHL careers... I remember one former NHLer named Steve Christof. amd another named Dave Christian, think it was?... Pretty sure the latter played for the 1980 US Olympic Hockey Team too...
xxx
You guys mentioned 2 critical turning points for team USA... The 'We're a Family' moment... and the one where they score with less than a minute left to tie Sweden... If that doesn't happen, Team USA never makes the medal round...
Setting aside Herb Brooks peerless contribution... Both those moments, 'We're a Family' AND 'the tying goal vs Sweden' came courtesy of the same US player. Namely...
BILL (Word is, team mates called him 'Billy') BAKER_
PEACE OUT
This Soviet team beat the NHL All-Star team. Then lost to a bunch of motivated college athletes. Nothing is impossible.
@@phila3884 You mean they didnt play in their national league?
They beat the all-stars, then lost to a real team.
@@sumelar keyword TEAM
@@donelton1839 none of the players on the miracle team were pros. the USA pulled a bunch of players still in college, or just finishing college, together to win.
@@nickb2049 I know, but most of them actually played 50 games for the US team that season and a lot of them went to NHL right after the olympics. Its not like they were untalented students playing hockey for the first time.
Ken Morrow went from winning the gold medal to winning 4 straight Stanley Cups with the Islanders.
Interesting fact, the Russian Slava Fetisov and American Mike Ramsey ended up as teammates on the 1996 Detroit Red Wings. Fetisov helped the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup 2 Times in 97 and 98.
Probably the only hockey player ever that can say they won 4 Stanley Cups AND and Olympic Gold Medal
OH! Did I find the Islander fan? My boys! 😝😍
They beat the Soviets exactly 4 years before I was born, so I missed the cups. 😭
Of the dozens of great sports related movies, this has to be a top 5. Not just because It was based upon a true story, but because it was a true story that I, and millions of others, experienced.
THE FLYING SCOTSMAN is a true story about Graeme Obree. He built a bike out of a washing machine and set the hour record twice. His rival was Chris Boardman who had a £500,000 LOTUS carbon fiber bike. Johnny Lee Miller stars before he married Angelina Jolee I think. It's a forgotten gem 💎 the governing body banned Obrees riding style the superman and always tried to put obstacles in his way 👍
I watched this live when it happened and it was unbelievable. When it was over people were coming out of their houses and yelling at their neighbors, we did it! we did it! It was a truly amazing experience.
Were you there? One of the great injustices of this story is that ABC did not broadcast the game live. So if you were watching on TV, you were watching a recorded version. If you didn't know the ending, then it doesn't make a difference. I was in college and when it happened, word started spreading throughout the dorm. Of course, we watched the recording anyway.
@@bobsandler4563 I got to see it live in Germany!
This moment is why I'm a lifelong hockey fan! I was only 9 years old and my Grandpa was watching the Olympics... He loved sports but never watched Hockey, but this year against the Soviets was huge. And when they won we were all cheering and I just love this movie SO much! Brings back all those memories ❤❤❤❤❤❤🏒
yes, all over the country, you just couldn't help it, going out on the front lawn and jumping up and down and yelling and screaming...
I remember seeing this in theatres and when Al Michaels goes "DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES!! YES!!!" The WHOLE room ERUPTED as if everyone was at the game. Also they tried to duplicate the "Do you believe in miracles" call and tried acting it out but they couldn't replicate the raw excitement so they used the actual footage from the game.
They still had to win one more game for the impossible dream to come true. Not sure why they didn't even touch on that.
And they cut it out of the edit shame.
@ckobo84 It's a shame they never made a director's cut with Finland left in.
USSR would have gotten Gold if USA lost to Finland because they only had one loss vs USA having one loss and one tie.
I don't believe USA would have even gotten Bronze.
The filmmakers made a great choice and used the actual broadcast audio in the movie for that line. If you listen carefully you can hear the switch
@@ckobo84 It is in the actual movie but just not this review. It shows some highlights with Brooks narrating "2 days later the miracle was complete. My boys defeated Finland to win the gold medal, coming from behind once again".
I am an aging Gen-X'er and I had the privilege to watch this live when I was a kid. Being from NC, I knew nothing about hockey but as the team played it built some kind of national momentum so by the time of the medal game, I was pumped. By the time Al M, said the immortal line, "Do you believe in miracles"; sitting in my house losing my mind over a hockey game -- yes Al I do believe in miracles! I swear some of that magic still lingers on me to this day. I also became a hockey fan on the spot. NC finally got an NHL team and I got the chance to take my daughter to the games and I remember we were at our first NHL hockey finals game and the place is going nuts it is just rocking to whole time -- and I had the same feeling that day as I did back when I was a kid and the arena started shouting USA USA USA!! Sometimes sport is just magical.
Mystery, Alaska is another great hockey movie.
Absolutely!
Russell Crow
Oh, they absolutely have to react to Mystery, Alaska
Slapshot is better but Mystery Alaska is pretty good.
@@Fred-vy1hmslap shot was not even close to an inspirational sports movie and I never get when anyone throws it in the ring with actual sports movies😅
This game is widely acknowledged as the moment in sports history when the “USA” chant started.
I’m not even American and I love this film, there’s not much better in life than giving everything as the underdog and prevailing, against the red machine no less.
The fact that the entire country of USA went so crazy with joy after beating the Soviets was probably the greatest compliment the Soviet hockey team ever had. They really were that unbeatable of a team. And yet, we beat them. With just a bunch of kids.
yep. The game wasn't broadcast in America, we all heard it on the radio, and we didn't even hear that until we already knew they had beat Russia. So those following the game the news reported and let us know that the Americans had won, and everyone celebrated. Later we were able to hear the radio broadcast of the game to enjoy it. It wasn't until later that the actual game footage reached us. I think the game was at 5pm but they didn't televise the game until like 8-9pm because they wanted a big audience and more viewers could watch at that hour, plus everyone knew the Americans won so everyone was on watching the actual footage at 8pm.
@@eolsunderthe game was tape-delayed in the US because the Soviet hockey federation didn’t want to move the game time. Since the USSR was a colossus of a country with many time zones they wanted as many people as possible to have the chance to see the game at a reasonable time back home.
@@eolsunder Yes, to clarify, the game WAS broadcast in the U.S., but it was on tape delay. It was not broadcast live. During the showing of that tape delay, those of us in the Detroit area were treated to a SPOILER by TV anchorman Bill Bonds, who announced during a commercial break that "the U.S. beats the Soviets, news at 11." Jerk.
Watched this with my son and my father. I was 12 when this happened. At the end my son asked if it was really that good. I couldn't lie, I had to tell him, "No, it was better than that." You kids have no idea what it meant at the time when the US was seen as weak, our power was doubted. This was the dawn of hope.
"Pro's" weren't allowed in the Olympics at the time, although the US seemed to be the only one adhering to that rule at the time.
Greatest upset in Sports History.
Team USA odds against being Olympic Champs were 1,000:1.
I was 13 and watched the quarter-final, the semi-final and the final. People forget the Russians were the Semi-Final.
I was 12 as well there was nothing like it before or since
@@gk5891 In soccer, the odds of Leicester winning the premier league was 5000:1.
@donelton1839 The actual odds for the 1980 Olympics have never been subsrtantianted. Modern recreations usually place them at 1,000:1 to 2,000:1. I posted the lower of the two figures.
I'm not 100% sure on how the Premier League functions.. 16 Teams get promoted? I would say whatever the odds were for Leicester at that point would be roughly equivalent to the US Team odds. They were at least 1:000:1 in a 12 Team competition.
@@gk5891 Premier League has 20 teams. But its also more about money spent by the teams. Arsenal, placed 2nd, paid almost 200M£ in salaries compared to Leicesters 80M.
To explain the "Coneheads" reference: The Coneheads was a very famous/popular Saturday Night Live sketch from the 1970s about a family of 3 aliens who come to live on Earth. The joke is that they have gigantic cone-shaped heads and are very obviously alien but, no one ever seems to notice. (They, actually, made a full movie version of Coneheads in the 1990s that was filled to the brim with SNL alums and comedians). In "Miracle", they call those 3 players "Coneheads", basically, because it indicates that they are 3 hilarious weirdos who are their own special unit. They just as easily could've called them the Three Stooges. Very similar vibe.
I was 13 (now 58) when this game was played. I along with my Mom, Dad and older sister went out to eat. I snuck off to an area just outside of the bar and listened for updates (the game was not carried live). When the game was over I went back to the table where my family was sitting and informed them that our team had just defeated the Russians. Word quickly spread through the dining room and there was an impromptu celebration. Good times.
I’m also 58 and we huddled around a radio too in upstate New York. What a memory.
This game was on my 12th birthday, vividly remember sitting on the family room floor, next to our round coffee table with a globe in the middle. Was such an incredible moment in time.
Yes, I was 10 and had the measles or Chicken pox at the time with a bad fever. When they Finally broadcast the game it was so intense my fever broke my pajamas were soaked from sweating but I was feeling much better! I was fortunate to meet many of these guys at sports shows. Even when my favorite sports teams wins a championship. Nothing compares to this. As a Chicago Fan I saw The Bears win a Superbowl in 1985 That was magical team, Michael Jordan and the Bulls win 6, The White Sox won a world series, The Blackhawks won three stanley cups, And the Cubbies broke the curse. This game still give me chills when its replayed on espn.
Brooks’ pregame speech before the gold medal game against Sweden was classic. “If you don’t win this game, you will take it to your grave…..your f’ing grave!”
That speech was between periods in the gold medal game against Finland.
@@geneticrex Finland, been a while👍
@@tonygreene3941 Yeah it has.
It was not a gold medal game because there was none. It was a four team round robin medal games. If USA lost to Finland on the last day, they could have finished even as low as 4th.
Came back after watching the reaction. I saw this game in 1980 and I’ve watched this movie more times than I can count. I know what happens yet I still cry every single time when Al Michael’s says, “Do you believe in miracles, YES!”. They used his original call in the movie. While Al recorded a lot of the calls for the movie, he said he couldn’t do that final call again with any integrity if he tried, so he asked them to use his original call. The choreography of the hockey and celebrations especially on Eruzione’s game winning goal and the victory celebration at the end on ice, it was how they all looked and celebrated.
I’m now 54 years old and it’s crazy to see how watching sports has changed. There was no internet, there were no multi-channel Olympics. There was 1 channel for the entire games in the US, ABC. That was it. You saw journalists with corded landline phones trying to communicate the action. You saw all the paper telegrams from fans on the walls as the team was walking out onto the ice. No texts, tweets, emails.
The Coneheads reference was a popular skit at the time on Saturday Night Live. Dan Aykroyd (you may know him from Ghostbusters and other movies) Jane Curtain and Laraine Newman were a family of extraterrestrials with bald cone heads. They were weird, quirky, yet a part of pop culture for that era. So when Assistant Coach Craig Patrick referenced the Coneheads for the line of Pavelich, Harrington & Schneider, he was referring to how they were the quirky guys on the team who happened to connect. And how Coach Brooks was not in touch with pop culture, thus not in touch with his team.
So here’s a tidbit. The game was not broadcast live at the time. Only the Canadian broadcast had it live. Everyone in the States saw it tape delayed in the prime time night broadcast of the Olympics. And the game had ended an hour before the broadcast started, yet no one (hardly anyone) in the US knew the outcome in advance. There were no spoilers back then. No means of communicating the outcome to the masses.
And finally, there are still many who didn’t realize that game was not for the gold medal. It was the semifinal. They still had to win another game for Gold.. and they did. All things considered, greatest moment in sports history.
Thank you so much for loving this movie as much as you did. It touched my heart. Please check out some of the documentaries on this.
The men that we have lost since are truly missed.
Herb Brooks, Mark Wells, Bob Suter, Actor Michael Mantenuto (Jack O’Callahan in the movie), Actor Kenneth Mitchell (Ralph Coxe) and my friend’s brother Mark Pavelich are watching from above.
May they rest in peace and in celebration of all the joy they gave us.
You two REALLY ought to see a live hockey game. It makes much more sense in person.
For line changes on the fly, the player leaving the ice, will use one of two doors to get back on the bench, whereupon the player subbing in, will hop over the boards. Forward lines and defensive pairings stay together on the bench, which is why you see players scooching around on the bench.
Getting the line change procedure wrong, can get the offending team a bench minor penalty, for "too many men on the ice." It even happens in the NHL. It's not as easy as it looks.
Pulling the goalie typically happens under two circumstances: a delayed penalty assessment, or a team is trailing late. A goalie who leaves the ice for an additional skater, can't go back out there, until the next stoppage in play.
On a delayed penalty, it's not usually an issue: if the penalized team regains the puck, play is stopped, the penalty is assessed, goalie goes back in. But late in the game, it's a genuine roll of the dice, which can often be decisive one way or the other. Any time you see a goal marked EN in a box score, that's an empty net goal, scored without a goalie to stop it.
Offside is a little easier to understand than it is in soccer, but that's not germane in this movie.
Come to the rink. Our game is pretty cool.
And yes, there is professional hockey in Oklahoma. The Tulsa Oilers are the ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Anaheim Ducks. (ECHL is the VERY rough equivalent of Double-A baseball.) It is the offseason, but if you wanted to exchange a little influence, this is a good time of year to try it.
Tell them, honestly, that you run a reaction channel that's pushing 200K followers, you recently reacted to Miracle, you're curious about seeing a live game, and see what happens. I can't guarantee anything, but minor league teams, and their fans, tend to be a very welcoming bunch.
I live in Bakersfield Calif. Where we dont get snow or ice or cold winters. But we got a team of semi pros named The Condors. We got bonds to build a Hockey Stadium it is beautiful. This was 25 years ago. My husband and I bought season tickets, second row, right next to the penalty box and for 10 years we went 3 or 4 or 3ven five times a week during the season. Greatest time of our lives!, our grown kids and grandkids came and it was family and these young wonderful boys who played their hearts out every year!! Best time ever!!!
Perfect description. Simple and easy to follow and 100% spot on. Solid idea on trying to use the channel. You never know, at the very least they would send some simple swag.
It’s always interesting how sports change. Back in the day, you wouldn’t see a goalie pulled until it was totally necessary, and now it feels like it happens all the time.
I’m sure Oklahoma has a minor league team 😊
I'm from MN 9 out of 8 players were from Minnesota so it was pretty much team Minnesota vs the world
Right up there with Remember the Titans!
I was a senior in HS when this happened. Although the USA chant was first used in the Civil War, I never heard a crowd chant it until this event. And then ever since. The ending always makes me tear up just remembering it
I think the chant had been used in a few instances before this tournament but it was definitely popularized there.
the USA v Soviet game is when it was popularized
Herb Brooks’ lockerroom speech was beyond iconic, epic. Wow!
Just to really put it in perspective, this occurred at one of the most intense cold war periods. Also the Iran Hostage crisis happened in November 1979, 3 months before the Olympics. And the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan earlier that year. America was almost as divided internally as it is now over the external and internal pressures at that time. This Olympics almost didn't happen, because president Carter had announced the US was boycotting the summer Olympics in Moscow in 1980. This period was a real low point in America. But these kids, competing against what was a professional Soviet team, did tge absolute unthinkable thing, and reunited this country like nothing else since pearl harbor
My friend Laurent Soucie was on the Men's Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestling Team that year and did not get the chance to compete in the Olympics.
This wasn't the Gold Medal game, they had to settle down and beat Finland for the Gold.
Yes...The "Miracle on Ice" has become so mythical that most people think that this was the Gold Medal game.
They say this at the end of the movie, people who are hockey fans def know it.
And of course, they were trailing in the gold medal game and had to come from behind then as well.
Neither was the Finland game. There was no gold medal game. If game against Finland was gold medal game, how come Soviets god silver and Sweden gold? It was a four team round robin, and team with most points after those games won gold. If USA lost to Finland, they could have finished even out of the medals.
this is the most critical moment in sports history for the United States, beating the chief adversary of hockey at the time AND their opponent in the Cold War, at their own game, on an ice rink that's on home soil
After the Summer Olympics in 1972 when the Soviets got handed the gold medal in basketball, this was an excellent way to even it up, where we EARNED the win fair and square
Also contains the most iconic sports call in history: "Do YOU believe in miracles? YES!!!"
The last few seconds of the game in the movie, including that line, are the real audio. The director felt it would not be fair to Al Michaels (the commentator) to recreate the excitement in his voice a second time for the movie. So a few seconds before the final buzzer they spliced the original audio in.
@@MikeR773 That's awesome! I hadn't heard that, but what an amazing way to do it.
I remember watching this in a college dorm. I was a baseball player and lived with hockey players who knew the US team well. The affect this game had on the emotions of our citizens will never be seen again, grown men were openly weeping. We were in a horrible situation with the hostage crises in Iran. Our economy was its worst in decades, joblessness, unbelievable inflation etc...our people sensed we were losing our standing in the world and were considered not all that special. The USSR was flexing, berating, and threatening us on the world stage (cold war), scary. Then a group of unknown college kids lifted an entire nation, I've never seen anything like it before or after. This sense of pride carried us to the Reagan years (which started several months later) where the hostages were released immediately and we slowly climbed out of recession and our national pride was restored.
I was 9 in 1980. I listened to my parents, my uncles, my father and his friends, guys at the barbershop. It was a tough time in America. Hostages in Iran, inflation and of course the red threat. We did nuclear fallout drills in school. This was a defining moment in my young life. I watched the game in Madison square garden on tv. I didn’t think we had a chance in the Olympics. To this day I get misty when they replay the last 7 seconds. Because of this team, I do believe in miracles.
I’m a hockey player from Toronto 🍁 love your channel and Hockeys still super underrated but glad more people are starting to tune in💙🏒
Love this movie. Kurt Russell is my favorite actor. You definitely need to watch Big Trouble in Little China. Such a great popcorn flick
I’m 56 and grew up a diehard Boston sports fan. This game still stands as the most exciting sports event I’ve ever watched.
The game was played in the afternoon, as the Soviets protested the proposed switch to evening. Which would have made it a 3:30am game in Moscow.
ABC showed the delayed broadcast that evening in prime time. Almost everybody stayed away from knowing the final score, which was pretty easy to do in 1980.
With the score tied 3-3 in the third, the local ABC affiliate ran a spot promoting the local news broadcast after the game. Yep, you guessed it. His lead was "The US scores a major upset in Olympic hockey". Now back to the conclusion of the game.
I thank Herb Brooks for so much. Mostly for the lessons he taught Craig Patrick, the long-time GM of the Pittsburgh Penguins. My hometown hockey team who have meant so much to me as a sports fan my whole life. Hockey is a beautiful sport. Lemieux, Jagr, Crosby, so many others. Love the sport so much. Plus, shout out to the classic Disney sports movies. They always knew how to make a great sports movie.
Yes! Let’s Go Pens!
My favorite Herb quote never made the movie. Before the gold medal game against Finland, Herb walks into the locker room and says "If you lose this game, you'll take it to your grave" he starts walking out, turns around and says "your f***kin' grave!"
Jay and Amber, hockey season's coming up. I'll come down to OK, watch a game with you and teach you hockey 101.
I have lost count how many times I have seen this movie. I still emotional each time I see it.
Jack O’Callahan is from my hometown … Charlestown, MA! ☘️🇺🇸🇮🇪
Summer for me is track (I ran 400s and 800s in hs) and basketball also. In winter it’s hockey. This movie is the absolute best. They actually got hockey players and taught them to act figuring it was easier than the other way around. And one of the actors actually played his dad in the movie.
I’ll never forget this win against the USSR. I woke up that morning in a dorm room at OU in Norman. The two week banking school ended at 1pm…I had to make it to my home in NJ in 6 hours. I had to get from OKC to St. Louis….no delays….no hold ups!!! I had to change planes in St. Louis to fly to Newark….no missed connections, no delays….made it to Newark!!! Now the limo had to be there…IT WAS!!! The puck dropped as I walked through my front door!!! DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES??? I was 30 I’m now 75….I’ll
never forget that game….Never!!
I saw this game when I was 15.
Another good Olympics movie is Eddie the Eagle, who was an...unlikely long-jump skier for England.
One of the great things about this film; along with Kurt Russell’s excellent portrayal of the late Herb Brooks, was having Al Michaels and Ken Dryden; the two broadcasters who called each of the Olympic Hockey games, redo some of their commentary for the film.
The one exception being the famous call by Al Michaels during the game; the infamous “Do You Believe In Miracles?” call, that had to be used in the film because it was impossible to recreate. If you watch the film, and you hear Michaels’ commentary, it fades from 2004 Al Michaels to 1980 Al Michaels.
Great, amazing story and movie! But Wisconsin's Eric Heiden gets totally overlooked in that 1980 Olympics because of "The Miracle on Ice!" Heiden won FIVE Gold Medals in Speed Skaking from the sprint to the 10,000 Meters. And he won those Golds OUTSIDE, in the wind and elements while setting several World Records! Eric Heiden is an American Hero too!
Eric Heiden was my second Olympics crush-I was born in ‘66. My first was four years earlier, when pre-pubescent me completely fell for Franz Klammer, the Austrian downhill skier who had one of the most reckless runs in Olympic skiing history.
He was an incredible athlete. I certainly haven't forgotten what he accomplished.
I knew Michael Mantenuto (OC), when we were in the army together at a school. I didn't know him well enough to call him my friend but everyone liked him. One day, Miracle comes up due to Herb Brooks' speech given while talking about motivation. Manny gets called out for being in the film and he talked about his experience filming it a little bit. One of the things he talked about was that he got into a fight with another skater during tryouts/audtions and thought he'd get dropped or kicked off the set for it, but in fact it was a part in how he got the part for Jack. They liked his attitude and it fit OC's character. Broke my heart when I found out what happened to him. RIP brother.
I’m Canadian but I was so cheering for the US in the final game. I love Jim Craig!
FYI; The Soviet team's Vladislav Tretiak was considered the best goaltender in ice hockey in 1980. The Americans scored two goals against him before he was pulled from the game at the end of the first period. Another fun fact; He played the Russion coach in the movie you just watched~!
The behind the scenes making of this movie is amazing. They show how they filmed the hockey game scenes, how they trained, and interviewed the actors and the players they portrayed.
Lol, in 1980 I was 17 and my dad say's, Hey, I know you're not really into hockey, but you might want to start watching this US Olympic Hockey team, they've beat all expectations and won their first couple games". Man oh man, am I glad I DID start watching them because I'm 60 years old now, I've watched a LOT of sports and there are two things I'll just NEVER forget:
Eruzione high-stepping across the ice after his goal, and both my dad and I EXPLODING off the couch when the clock FINALLY ran out! In my 60 years, that HAS to have been the absolute BEST moment in sports, bar none. Yeah... Good stuff! 😊
“Eddie, The Eagle” another great movie with a lot of heart about a guy who wants to be in the Olympics so bad he teaches himself to ski and then teaches himself to ski jump and gets into the Olympics!!
Sure won over the crowd!!
"They looked like the happiest people in the world. And we wished we were them."
----Team Russia on the Miracle on Ice
My favorite Olympic memory…watching from Columbus Ohio, as a college student, sitting next to my girlfriend (wife now of 42 years)…not believing what we were seeing…and then on our feet, counting down the final 30 seconds…and hearing Al Michael saying - Do you believe in Miracles?
Herb started my D1 hockey program St. Cloud State University after. He would attend a home and home weekend when we would play the University of Minnesota which was an hour drive away. He would go into our locker room and chat us up before the game.
Bah the coach for St. John’s University shared our rink and got to know him very well.
As a goalie you have to be the weirdest guy in the room to stop vulcanized rubber traveling over 100 MPH at you. lol glad you guys enjoyed it.
You guys should watch “do you believe in miracles!” A documentary about the team. Probably the best documentary ever.
Even now I remember how amazing it felt to watch it at the time. You could hear the cheers from all the houses when we won. I actually got to meet Mike Eruzione when he came home and saw his gold metal. We both lived in Winthrop MA.👍♥️🤘
I was 16 years old and watched every game. The night of the game against Russia, I was at my local ice skating rink and the office kept announcing highlights. But they put the final minute or two on the PA from the TV broadcast. So we all heard Al Michaels’ iconic call “Do you believe in miracles?” The whole place went nuts!!! It was an amazing moment!
I was 12 years old in Buffalo, NY. when this game was played, We got Rammer Mike Ramsey he later became the Buffalo Sabers captain. Watching this movie and watching RUclips reactors still this day gives me goosebumps and a little teary-eyed every time.
Minnesotan here.
I still have never neen I-94 backed up as far as it was the day of Herb's funeral. Then this film came out.
He never saw it, he lived it.
and I might be biased, but hockey is the greatest sport of all time.
I was 12 years old watching this live with my family. It still brings a tear to my eye.
Technically it wasn’t live lol.
We didnt get to see it live. It was tape delayed!!! But I rememeber watching it on tv, i was 12, and it was amazing.
Fun fact: they brought Al Michaels in to do some voice ins over his original commentary of the game. But the final 10 seconds, they knew it would be impossible to recreate his genuine emotion from when he actually called the game. So if you listen closely, they actually loop in the original broadcast audio of him saying “the countdown going on right now” all the way to “do you believe in miracles? Yes!”
i’ve been obsessed with this movie and the story for AGES. this movie was my go-to pump-up movie. it was part of my routine for every major championship meet in swimming, up through my D1 college career, to watch this movie every night before bed beginning the night before the first session. I still uncontrollably cry at the end. I have the speech from herb brooks memorized word for word - our college coach actually had my best friend/teammate recite it before the last finals session at conference champs my junior year as a semi-joke 😂
I saw this game on TV when I was 8 years old. I remember my parents were stunned at the outcome. I’m pretty sure it was on tape delay because nobody thought it was possible.
Cool runnings a great summer Olympics true story.
I had a dance teacher who was pretty tough. She wouldn't let us stop until the windows were fogged up...in the summer time. She didn't build a family atmosphere, per say, but she did give me a chance to experience truly working hard at something I loved. Though I no longer dance, I still work my butt off at the things I'm passionate about. I thank her for that. Great teaching/coaching can last a lifetime
The most brilliant thing Brooks did was being able to get the Soviets to play an exhibition 3 days before the start of the Olympics. Fear was their main weapon, and he knew he didn't want the first time these kids played them to be IN the Olympics. You saw why (10-3). By the time they played them in the Olympics, they had shaken off that loss, got on a winning streak, and there was no fear of the unknown playing the Soviets because they had already seen them recently and knew basically what they were going to get.
Ken Morrow went right from the Olympics to the New York Islanders and won 4 cups in a row. They made it to 5th cup but lost to Gretzky and Messier. That’s a great run! USA gold right into 4 cups!!
It wasn't televised live, but was was broadcast during the primetime hours later. No one talked about the game and it was as if it was live. I had turned off all television and radios. It was a Friday and everyone was tuned in. I was back from my tour of Germany, my job had me, well, let's say clued into the Soviets. Watching this, was SPECTACULAR! It was so awesome. I was jumping up and down in my living room yelling. I could hear others in the apartment building doing the same. They had a game after this before they won the gold, against Finland they won 4-2. It didn't really matter though, we beat the Soviet Union. The tears were flowing.
Listened on the radio, our entire family. A moment never to be forgotten.
They were truly all amateur team unlike many of the current Olympic teams. The actual game was on a television delay feed from Lake Placid but this was pre internet and cell phone days so even on delay most of America did not know the outcome. We could only listen live on the radio feed.
No surprise that so many of the players went on to become motivational speakers.
One of the reasons this is such a good sports movie is that they used real hockey players to play the olympians. Rather than trying to make actors look like hockey players. Hockey is a game you can't fake.
There is a video on RUclips of Kurt Russell and the director interviewing Herb Brooks before they made the movie. It's definitely worth watching.
Michael Mantenuto, the guy who played the cocky Jack O’Callahan, joined the Army a few years after this movie came out and became a Green Beret. Unfortunately he took his own life several years later while on Active Duty.
That is so sad.
I didn’t know that. Terribly sad that people who sacrifice everything for their country don’t get the mental health care they need and deserve when they come home. RIP.
The actor who played Ralph Cox, Kenneth Mitchell, died in 2024 from ALS.
@@jeffmattson5766 Jesus. That's horrible.
@@jeffmattson5766 Jeez…. Did not know that one.
1980. I was 12 yrs old and this event solidified my love for sports and the underdog. You said you couldn't imagine watching it in real time, that you would probably cry...I can't remember for sure if I cried when I watched it, I probably did, but I know for sure that I cry now every time...even when this reaction video just began. It seems as the years go by it becomes even more emotional to me.
I grew up just outside Madison, WI and loved our college hockey team. Mark Johnson made us all so proud and still does as the coach of our women's team. Class act. This movie is in my top 3 all-time favorites. Kurt Russell did a fantastic job as Herb Brooks...I read that he stayed away from the kids so that he could maintain a cold/distant demeanor that Brooks had. Brooks died in a car accident and I remember reading the closing credits where it said he died before the movie came out but he didn't need to see it....he lived it. Another great sports movie you might want to check out is "Brian's Song" but make sure you have plenty of tissues nearby!
Great movie! I was 15, our entire block was watching! Every house had their doors open and you could literally hear the gasps, yelling, and cheering! Magical! This was not the Gold Medal game, we had to beat the Russians to get there, where we beat Finland for the gold! A lot of fun! Rest in peace Herb Brooks! Kurt Russell was perfect for this role! Al Michael's "Do you believe in miracles? Yesssss!"
There was no gold medal games at that time. It was a round robin medal round. If USA lost to Finland, they could have finished even as low as 4th.
@@RoyalMela the USA flag was a little higher than the other 2, medal or no medal.
Another Olympic film is Cool Running’s. It’s based on Jamaica sending a bobsled team to the Winter Olympics. It’s got John Candy and it’s a really great film.
I kept waiting for the Al Michaels call, but never heard it "Do you believe in Miracles?"
Every time I watch it, I feel 10 yrs old again- an Italian kid from Boston- & the excitement of watching every minute of every game on TV- seeing the movie as an adult, I get chills over my entire body, watery eyes, & a runny nose when Eruzione scored that goal- and the 10 minutes that followed hoping & praying they would hold on- they did- & in doing so gave us all a memory & a feeling that will last our entire lives!
Hard to believe this was not broadcast live. It was played late afternoon early evening and then replayed in full during prime time.
YES!! Thank you for reacting to this movie! Y’all did an awesome job, as usual. Fun fact they brought Al Michaels back to re-record the announcements for all of the games, except for the last “Miracle” call. They said in that they couldn’t duplicate the magic of that call so in the movie you can tell a difference in the clarity of the broadcast for that call. It was the actual play call from the game in 1980. Again thank you for watching this movie and I am so glad y’all loved it. USA USA USA!!!
I was 10 years old when this happened you can't believe how big it was. In those days nothing was live they showed it later on during prime Time on TV. I remember my older brother not going anywhere all that day because he didn't want anyone to tell him who won. That night my brother my dad and me all watched the game together. It was great
This game was (is?) considered the greatest sports moment in US history and most of the country didn't see it live. Only people living near the Canadian border that received Canadian broadcasts could watch it live. The game was played at 5pm but was shown tape delayed at 8pm. 36 million US households tuned in. It was a record at the time. I was 10 when I watched the game (on tape delay of course) and Mike Eruzione running on the tips of his blades after scoring the winning goal is still one of my favorite sports memories.
As the mom of a 13-yo girl hockey player who just made a AA all-girls nationals hockey team (and who had played three seasons of co-ed hockey), don’t underestimate the strength of our girl hockey players. Power!!! ✌️❤️😊
Although this suggestion is not related to the Olympics, I recently watched "Mr. Smith goes to Washington" 1939 and I have a suggestion of another older classic award winning movie which is "Marty" 1955. Only you could do justice to a reaction of this movie. Your reactions have always been spot on and I am surprised you don't have millions of subscribers on all your channels. Respectfully, Kenneth
Mr Smith Goes To Washington would be a great reaction on the Monday night before the election. The movie stars James Stewart aka George Bailey of It’s A Wonderful Life and is directed by Frank Capra who directed It’s A Wonderful Life.
My grandfather was an NHL goal judge for the Washington Capitals back in the day and because of that I was able to meet the team. I was only a month old and don't remember it, but my parents tell me every time this movie comes on.
The original game was not shown live on television it was on tape delayed a few hours later. During the live game, you had to watch for scrolling at the bottom of the screen for scoring moments.
I was 11 , and will never forget “Do you believe in miracles” my house went nuts.
What made it just a little sweeter was the 1980 Winter Olympics were held in Lake Placid, NY in the USA😁
I’m pretty sure this is what started the trend of Americans chanting “USA! USA! USA!” at international sporting events. I remember seeing a clip of a British sportscaster talking about how the Brits didn’t think it was proper (or polite or something like that) - but he thought that secretly they were jealous of the freedom we felt to root for our team with such enthusiasm.
My mom and I always watch the Olympics and we were watching this when I was a kid. I vividly remember us both jumping up and screaming as they won.
I think somebody was cutting onions while I was watching y'all watch this.
I was 8 when this happened and I still get chills when Al Michaels says, " Do you believe in miracles? Yes!!!!"
I was 9. I will never forget this game or that broadcast. Best moment in sports of all time.
As hockey fan in Canada my whole life saw this in theatre with our entire family despite the border Al Michael's call which is the orginal call cause he didnt think could do it justice if he had to recast it. Was echoed by the entire theatre. I cant imagine a better sports let alone a better hockey moment.
We maybe rivals when it comes to hockey alot of national pride on the line but this sports moment is #1 for hockey. We may have Wayne Gretzky but USA will always have the miracle and it beautiful I wish I had of been alive to see it in real time. Truly a special and beautiful event in world history and sports history.
One of the nice things about this movie is that you don't have to know a lot about hockey to really enjoy it and get swept up in it.
I remember exactly where I was when the first broadcast of this game was shown. Even though it was recorded, abc presented it as a live broadcast. The racquetball courts were silent and the TV lounge was packed. It was amazing! those college kids weren't expected to win anything.
As we all know, the Olympics came out to Atlanta in 1996 for the Centennial of the modern Games and that was one of the highlights of my family's lives
My parents were both volunteers that started giving out merchandise and gear for the Games as soon as the city received the hosting bid in 1990 and they worked at the Tennis Center that was in Stone Mountain
I was 2 at the time so I never got to directly participate in the fun BUT there are some great pictures of it all!
For the gold medal final in soccer, the game was played at the University of Georgia's football stadium, Sanford Stadium and UGA is where both of my parents attended so that's bragging rights!
The Atlanta Braves' second baseball stadium, Turner Field, was the site of the opening and closing ceremonies, along with track & field
The city is now forever a living monument of the world's biggest competitive stage and I'm lucky to have been alive for that piece of history
Post- season hockey is the best sport in the world. If you want to get into hockey I’d suggest watching 3 games in a row of a playoff series. The first game you watch will basically feel like a waste of time because you don’t know anything and you won’t be able to keep up with the puck. The second game you’ll hear a repeated story or 2 about players, and by the end of the game you’ll catch a couple rules and players, but you’ll still be lost. The third game is where you’ll be used to the speed of the game, be able to track the puck, predict where the puck will be, understand basic strategy, recognize players and their numbers and which ones are standouts, and a lot of this will come from the commentators. But you gotta stick with it for three games because if you give up and then try again, you’ll forget everything and be lost again and you’ll give up. But after that third game you’ll make sure you catch the fourth playoff game because nothing tops the speed and intensity, and there’s more strategy than soccer, basketball. Plus fighting.
My friend cleaned the ice there. He said day after they beat the Soviets Brooks was tearing into his team while they practiced for Finland. He told them if they don’t play well in that game they would take it to their f--ing graves
This did not happen during practice. This happened during the actual game, and it happened inside the locker room, after the end of the second period. Your friend would not have been inside the locker room during the actual game to hear that conversation. From the game's Wikipedia page: "Needing to defeat Finland to secure the gold medal, Team USA faced a 2-1 deficit at the end of the second period. According to Mike Eruzione, coming into the dressing room for the second intermission, Brooks turned to his players, looked at them, and said, "If you lose this game, you'll take it to your fucking graves." He then walked towards the locker room door, paused, looked over his shoulder, and said to them again, "Your fucking graves." Team USA came back in the third period to defeat Finland 4-2".
Best Sports moment ever…
I was a freshman in HS when this happened. There have been many amazing things in sports since then. But having been alive at that time to experience it, there’s been nothing like it since.