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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 sixteenth, nineteen eighty five. On

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<v Speaker 1>January sixteenth, nineteen eighty something extraordinary started brewing in Lake Placid,

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<v Speaker 1>New York, though few could have predicted just how legendary

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<v Speaker 1>it would become. This was the day that Team USA's

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<v Speaker 1>hockey roster was officially finalized for the thirteen Winter Olympic Games,

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<v Speaker 1>setting in motion one of the greatest underdog stories in

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<v Speaker 1>sports history. Head coach Herb Brooks had spent months assembling

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<v Speaker 1>and training a ragtag group of college kids and amateurs

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<v Speaker 1>to face the world's best hockey teams. The final twenty

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<v Speaker 1>man roster he submitted on this date was met with skepticism,

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<v Speaker 1>if not outright derision by hockey experts. The Soviet Union's

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<v Speaker 1>hockey team was considered virtually unbeatable. They had won gold

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<v Speaker 1>in four consecutive Olympics and had recently demolished an NHL

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<v Speaker 1>All Star team six zero in an exhibition match at

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<v Speaker 1>Madison Square Garden. Brooks's squad was incomposed of superstars. These

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<v Speaker 1>were young men, most barely in their twenties, pulled from

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<v Speaker 1>college programs across America. Mike Arizunio, who would become the

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<v Speaker 1>most famous name from the team, was a twenty five

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<v Speaker 1>year old former college player who had been working in

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<v Speaker 1>a sporting goods store. Jim Craig, the Goldender, was fresh

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<v Speaker 1>out of Boston University. Mark Johnson from Wisconsin, Rob McClanahan

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<v Speaker 1>from Minnesota. These were talented kids, sure, but they were

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<v Speaker 1>about to face professional Soviet players who trained year round

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<v Speaker 1>and played together as a cohesive unit for years. What

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<v Speaker 1>made this roster submission on January sixteenth so significant was

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<v Speaker 1>that it represented Brooks's controversial vision. He had cut several

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<v Speaker 1>talented players in favor of those he believed could execute

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<v Speaker 1>his hybrid style, combining North American physicality with European finesse

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<v Speaker 1>and skating. He'd worked his team mercilessly, creating unity through

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<v Speaker 1>shared suffering. The players initially hated him for it. The

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<v Speaker 1>date also marked exactly one month before the Miracle on

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<v Speaker 1>Ice game itself, February twenty second, nineteen eighty. In those

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<v Speaker 1>intervening weeks, Team USA would warm up with exhibition games,

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<v Speaker 1>showing flashes of potential, but nothing suggesting they could compete

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<v Speaker 1>with the Soviets, who were averaging over eight goals per

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<v Speaker 1>game in international competition. What unfolded from Brooks's January sixteenth

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<v Speaker 1>roster decision became the stuff of legend. Team USA's improbable

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<v Speaker 1>four to three victory over the Soviet Union, followed by

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<v Speaker 1>their gold medal clinching win against Finland al Michaels is

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<v Speaker 1>a mortal call. Do you believe in miracles? Yes? Would

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<v Speaker 1>become one of sports broadcasting's most iconic moments. That roster

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<v Speaker 1>submission might seem like mere administrative paperwork, but it was

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<v Speaker 1>the final commitment to a dream that most considered impossible.

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<v Speaker 1>Brooks had made his choices, and there was no turning back.

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<v Speaker 1>Those twenty names on that piece of paper submitted on

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<v Speaker 1>January sixteenth, nineteen eighty would soon make history and prove

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<v Speaker 1>that heart, determination and brilliant coaching could overcome even the

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<v Speaker 1>most daunting odds. The Miracle on ice transcended hockey and

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<v Speaker 1>even sports itself, providing a Cold War era America still

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<v Speaker 1>reeling from various national crises, with much needed moment of

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<v Speaker 1>pride and unity. And it all became official on this date,

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<v Speaker 1>forty six years ago, and that wraps it up. Join

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<v Speaker 1>us tomorrow and be sure to hit that subscribe button

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<v Speaker 1>so you never miss a daily slice of sports history.

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<v Speaker 1>This has been a quiet Please Studios Production. For more

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<v Speaker 1>check out Quiet Please dot Ai. Thank you for listening.