Speaker 1: Welcome to this Moment in Sports History. Podcast number The
Speaker 1: Miracle on Ice gets its Gold February third, nineteen eighty.
Speaker 1: While the Miracle on Ice game itself occurred on February
Speaker 1: twenty second, nineteen eighty, February third, nineteen eighty marks a
Speaker 1: pivotal moment in that legendary story. It was the date
Speaker 1: when teen USA played their first game of the thirteenth
Speaker 1: Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York, defeating Sweden
Speaker 1: two to one. This opening game set the stage for
Speaker 1: what would become the most celebrated moment in American hockey history.
Speaker 1: The nineteen eighty US Olympic hockey team, composed entirely of
Speaker 1: amateur and collegiate players with an average age of twenty one,
Speaker 1: faced seemingly impossible odds. They were going up against professional
Speaker 1: teams from hockey powerhouses, including the seemingly invincible Soviet Union,
Speaker 1: which had won gold in five of the previous six Olympics.
Speaker 1: On that chilly February third morning inside the Olympic Center
Speaker 1: in Lake Placid, coach Herb Brooks and his young squad
Speaker 1: onto the ice for their opening match. The game against
Speaker 1: Sweden was crucial, not just for points, but for confidence.
Speaker 1: The Swedes were a formidable opponent, ranked among the world's best.
Speaker 1: The Americans fell behind early, but showed the resilience that
Speaker 1: would define their tournament. With the scored tied one one
Speaker 1: late in the third period and time running out, Bill Baker,
Speaker 1: a defenceman from the University of Minnesota, scored with just
Speaker 1: twenty seven seconds man aiming to salvage a two to
Speaker 1: one tie. Olympic hockey used a different format then, and
Speaker 1: this result gave the US valuable points in the standings.
Speaker 1: This dramatic last second goal was the first sign that
Speaker 1: something special might be brewing with this team. Brooks had
Speaker 1: spent six months drilling his players relentlessly, implementing a hybrid
Speaker 1: playing style that combined North American physicality with European finesse
Speaker 1: and speed. His practices were legendary for their intensity. Some
Speaker 1: players later called them harder than the actual games. The
Speaker 1: tie against Sweden gave the Americans crucial momentum. They would
Speaker 1: go on to win their next three games, setting up
Speaker 1: the February twenty second show down with the Soviets, a
Speaker 1: team that had recently demolished the NHL All Stars six
Speaker 1: to zero in an exhibition game and had outscored their
Speaker 1: Olympic opponents fifty one to eleven in their first five games.
Speaker 1: What makes February third significant in retrospect is that it
Speaker 1: represented the humble beginning of an improbable journey. There was
Speaker 1: no fanfare, no expectation of miracles, just a group of
Speaker 1: college kids and amateurs who refused to quit scoring with
Speaker 1: twenty seven seconds left to earn a tie. They probably
Speaker 1: didn't deserve. That perseverance on February third foreshadowed what was
Speaker 1: to come. The four to three upset of the Soviets
Speaker 1: and the subsequent gold medal victory over Finland. The team
Speaker 1: that learned to never give up on February third would
Speaker 1: captivate a nation two weeks later. Sports Illustrated called the
Speaker 1: Miracle on ice the greatest sports moment of the twentieth century.
Speaker 1: But it all started with a last second goal against
Speaker 1: Sweden on February third, a goal that taught a young
Speaker 1: team they could compete with any one if they believed
Speaker 1: and battled until the final buzzer, And that wraps it up.
Speaker 1: Join us tomorrow and be sure to hit that subscribe
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