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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to This Moment in Sports History. Podcast number The

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<v Speaker 1>Miracle on Ice begins January eighteenth, nineteen eighty. On January eighteenth,

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen eighty, something special started brewing in Lake Placid, New York.

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<v Speaker 1>Though nobody quite realized it yet, this was the day

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<v Speaker 1>that would mark an early step in what became one

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<v Speaker 1>of the greatest underdog stories in sports history, the US

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<v Speaker 1>Olympic Hockey team's journey toward the Miracle on Ice. While

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<v Speaker 1>the actual miracle game against the Soviet Union wouldn't happen

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<v Speaker 1>until February twenty second, January eighteenth was significant as it

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<v Speaker 1>fell during the critical final preparation period before the thirteenth

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<v Speaker 1>Winter Olympics officially opened on February thirteenth. The young American

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<v Speaker 1>teen with an average age of just twenty one, was

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<v Speaker 1>in the midst of intense training and exhibition matches that

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<v Speaker 1>would forge them into the cohesive unit that shocked the world.

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<v Speaker 1>Head coach Herb Brooks had been putting his squad through

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<v Speaker 1>absolutely grueling practices at this point in the preparation. Brooks,

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<v Speaker 1>known for his demanding and sometimes harsh coaching style, was

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<v Speaker 1>implementing a hybrid hockey system that combined the best elements

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<v Speaker 1>of North American physicality with European finesse and skating. This

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<v Speaker 1>was revolutionary for American hockey at the time. The roster

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<v Speaker 1>was filled with college players, many from Brooks's own University

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<v Speaker 1>of Minnesota, who were about to face the seemingly impossible

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<v Speaker 1>task of competing against the Soviet juggernaut. The Soviet team

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<v Speaker 1>had won gold in five of the last six Olympic

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<v Speaker 1>tournaments and had demolished the NHL All Stars six to

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<v Speaker 1>zero just a year earlier in the Challenge Cup. They

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<v Speaker 1>were professionals in everything but name, training together year round,

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<v Speaker 1>while the American kids were still wet behind the years.

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<v Speaker 1>What made this team special wasn't evident in January eighteenth.

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<v Speaker 1>It was brewing beneath the surface. Players like Mike Eruzioni,

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<v Speaker 1>the future captain, goalie Jim Craid, and young fenem Mark

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<v Speaker 1>Johnson were being muled did by Brooks's iron will. The

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<v Speaker 1>coach famously made the team skate brutal herbies end to

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<v Speaker 1>end sprints after a lackluster exhibition performance, skating them to

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<v Speaker 1>exhaustion to prove a point about effort and unity. This

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<v Speaker 1>date represents the calm before the storm, the preparation before

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<v Speaker 1>the miracle. In just over a month, this ragtag group

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<v Speaker 1>of American college kids would defeat the mighty Soviets four

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<v Speaker 1>to three in what ABC sportscaster Al Michaels would immoralize

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<v Speaker 1>with his call, do you believe in miracles? Yes? The

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<v Speaker 1>significance of Mid January nineteen eighty and Lake Placid was

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<v Speaker 1>that it represented pure potential, the moment before everything changed

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<v Speaker 1>for American hockey and Olympic sports forever. And that wraps

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<v Speaker 1>it up. Join us tomorrow and be sure to hit

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<v Speaker 1>that subscribe button so you never miss a daily slice

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<v Speaker 1>of sports history. This has been a Quiet Police Studio's production.

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<v Speaker 1>For more, check out Quietly dot A. I thank you

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<v Speaker 1>for listening. What