The Sheila Variations

There was a local connection to the team for me also, as quite a few players and Brooks were from Minneasota. I was 18 and it was such a depressing time with the hostage crisis and the economy down and much more bad news. The miracle on ice was just so hugely uplifting, a strong and timely shot of inspiration and hope.

Eh...Minnesota...uff da.

I was 17, a junior in high school, and living in North Dakota. I still identified, like my parents, as a Democrat - but was horrified at what my future looked like, in those days of hostages and Mutually Assured Destruction (I lived among the missile silos) and Stagflation and Malaise.

I remember watching the game at home, and feeling the exhilaration rippling through me. It felt like an amazing time to...just *be*, like when the Berlin Wall fell.

I don't want to oversell the event - but it, along with the "Malaise" speech and the Brandenburg Gate speech, were big events in my life.

Of course, Red, your writing on the subject captures the whole time better than just about anyone going...

Oh, yeah - and being in NoDak, having half the team from Minnesota (our suburbs) was pretty cool, too.

With the crap regarding those moron speedskaters, it's nice to be reminded of true Olympians.

26 years ago today, we had the Miracle on Ice.

A few hours ago today, with the defeat of USA Hockey (with NHL players) in the quarterfinals, we had the Debacle on Ice.

What a difference 26 years makes.

(And a Super-Duper-Ultra-Mega Debacle on Ice for Team Canada, also gone via a shutout loss to Russia)

I sure I've posted a comment on this before but:

I was a senior in HS. Instead of the regular Friday night "keg" party that everyone went (meaning the "cool" crowd), instead it was a hockey party. Oh, sure, we still had a keg, but all the action was around a big screen TV (remember at this time these were real expensive and were basically projection TVs). The game was on tape delay so everyone vowed to leave the radio off on the way to the party so we could enjoy the excitement (To this day, I am absolutely stunned that a key game like this that was being played on the east coast of the US was played during the afternoon.) If anyone actually knew who won they sure weren't letting on that they knew.

It was at least 40 of us watching, when there was a commercial break with less than 3 minutes to go in the game. Right before the return to the national broadcast, the local weekend anchor had a 15 sec spot to hype the broadcast following the game. Yes, she DID announce that the US had beaten Russia in hockey... details at 11:00!!

Arghhh!!!

Mitch-Exactly, and that suburb thing is so cute.

JFH-I listened to the game on radio that afternoon, just getting more and more stunned and excited at what was happening. I couldn't believe it. No one else was home though, so there I was freaking out and yelling and going insane all by myself. Nice video that would be. If I remember right, later that night when it was broadcast on TV all my friends already knew.

The thing that was so fantastic about that was that they were not professionals NHL players. They were just amazing team players with an amazing coach. There will never be anything like that again.

Dave E - hahaha I love the image of you freaking out by yourself!!!

I actually remember vividly the last 10 minutes of that game - after Eruzione scored 'the goal' - when it just kept going and going and going - and nobody was scoring - and it just kept getting louder and louder ... you couldn't believe what you were watching. When I watch that game now (on the HBO documentary) it's incredible to watch how HARD the Russians skated in those last 10 minutes - it's almost like you can feel them start to realize: holy shit, holy shit, holy shit ...

JFH - oh my god, that is so infuriating!!!

Many have made the point that today's Olympics don't have that immediacy because of the internet. You could NEVER avoid knowing the results. Heck, ESPN runs a ticker along the bottom of their channels, 24-7.

For hockey, you also have the pros gumming up the works. Many of the '80 squadders did go on to succeed in the NHL (Neal Broten, Mark Johnson, Ken Morrow - heck, also Viacheslav Fetisov) but they weren't there yet.

This game made me a hockey fan for life. I had no sports allegiances at all at that point (I was seven), but We Beat the Russians was the moment it all began.

True postscript - as the USSR began to crack apart and some of their players began to dream of lives abroad, many were signed by NHL teams. Russian goalie Vladislav Tretiak was never permitted to come across, however, in part because he was bitterly critical of being lifted in the '80 game against the US. Keeping him in Russia was their revenge.

Tretiak, remember, was considered the finest goaltender in the world. Ed Belfour and Evgeny Nabokov wear #20 in the NHL in tribute to Tretiak's skill. His rights were owned by the Montreal Canadiens. Imagine him in their nets from, say, '87-'94. And then, wonder what would have happened to the prospect that he would have bumped, a who-dat by the name of Patrick Roy.

I live in Warroad, MN...otherwise known (to many...really!!) as "Hockeytown, USA". Dave Christian of the 1980 team is from here. His father and uncle, Roger & Billy Christian of the 1960 gold medal team live here as well. The Broten's are from Roseau, our county seat just down the road. I can't begin to tell you what that day in 1980 was like for people around here...population 1722. We have 17 State High School Hockey Tournament appearances (1st place 4 times-2nd place 5 times. There's been 5 or 6 Olympic players from Warroad and a number of pros. It's not so fun around here if you're into basketball....

Our boy's high school team beat the Women's Olympic hockey team here in town last month.

Another good documentary was on ESPN2 recently-it told the story of the 1960 team and it was damn good. What amazed me was watching those guys play without helmets...even the goalie! Men were men in those days...stupid men, but MEN, by God....

Anyway, just wanted to pump up our little town...(also the home of Marvin Windows & Doors...please buy!).

Colleen - I read that story; even posted on it, as I recall. I still wonder why the women's team would have even agreed to a match, it's such a lose-lose proposition. Either beat high schoolers (wow, some challenge) or lose to them (you did WHAT?!?).