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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 nineteenth, nineteen eighty. On January nineteenth,

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<v Speaker 1>in sports history, one of the most iconic underdog stories

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<v Speaker 1>ever told, began its journey toward immortality. While most people

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<v Speaker 1>remember The Miracle on Ice for its stunning climax on

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<v Speaker 1>February twenty second, nineteen eighty, the story actually starts on

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<v Speaker 1>this date, when the United States Olympic Hockey team arrived

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<v Speaker 1>in Lake Placid, New York, to begin their final preparations

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<v Speaker 1>for the thirteenth Winter Olympic Games. What makes this date

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<v Speaker 1>significant isn't just the arrival, but what it represented. A

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<v Speaker 1>ragtag group of college kids and amateurs were about to

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<v Speaker 1>face the most dominant hockey machine the world had ever seen,

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<v Speaker 1>the Soviet Union's Big Red Machine. The context makes this

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<v Speaker 1>moment even more remarkable. The Cold War was at its

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<v Speaker 1>frostiest point in years. Just weeks earlier, the Soviet Union

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<v Speaker 1>had invaded Afghanistan. President Carter was considering an Olympic boycott,

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<v Speaker 1>and American morale was at a low point with the

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<v Speaker 1>Iranian hostage crisis dragging on the idea that a team

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<v Speaker 1>of American college players with an average age of twenty

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<v Speaker 1>one could compete against the Soviets, who had won four

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<v Speaker 1>consecutive Olympic gold medals and hadn't lost an Olympic hockey

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<v Speaker 1>game since nineteen sixty eight, seemed preposterous. The Soviet team

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't just good, they were legendary. They had embarrassed the

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<v Speaker 1>NHL All Star six to zero just months earlier at

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<v Speaker 1>Madison Square Garden. Their roster included names like Vladislav Tretiak,

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<v Speaker 1>considered the world's best goaltender, and players who had been

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<v Speaker 1>playing together for over a decade as a unit. Meanwhile,

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<v Speaker 1>coach Herbrooks had assembled his American squad through grueling tryouts,

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<v Speaker 1>deliberately creating a team built on speed, conditioning, and heart

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<v Speaker 1>rather than raw talent. He had made the controversial decision

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<v Speaker 1>to cut his own goalie from his University of Minnesota

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<v Speaker 1>Tik to select Jim Craig. He chose Mike Arizunia, a

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<v Speaker 1>little known player from Boston University, as captain. As the

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<v Speaker 1>team settled into Lake Placid on January nineteenth, they carried

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<v Speaker 1>the weight of impossibly low expectations. Bookmakers had them as

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<v Speaker 1>one thousand to one long shots to win gold. Sports

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<v Speaker 1>Illustrated predicted they'd finished seventh in the eighteen tournament. Even

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<v Speaker 1>their own families doubted they'd medal. What happened over the

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<v Speaker 1>next month became the stuff of legend. The shocking four

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<v Speaker 1>to three victory over the Soviets not the gold medal game,

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<v Speaker 1>as many misremember, but a metal round game, followed by

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<v Speaker 1>the four to two win over Finland to actually claim

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<v Speaker 1>the gold medal al. Michael's call of do you believe

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<v Speaker 1>in miracles Yes became one of sports's most famous moments.

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<v Speaker 1>But January nineteenth represents something special, the moment of arrival,

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<v Speaker 1>when dreams were still just dreams, when the impossible hadn't

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<v Speaker 1>yet been challenged, and when a group of young Americans

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<v Speaker 1>were about to embark on a journey that would transcend

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<v Speaker 1>sports and become a cultural touchstone for an entire generation.

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<v Speaker 1>And that wraps it up. Join us tomorrow and be

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<v Speaker 1>sure to hit that subscribe button so you never miss

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<v Speaker 1>a daily slice of sports history. This has been a

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<v Speaker 1>Quiet Please Studios Production. For more check out Quiet Please

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<v Speaker 1>Dot A. I thank you for listening.