Ep. 072 - Lake Placid: Filled with Russian Tears

The Miracle on Ice: Revisiting Lake Placid's Iconic 1980 Winter Olympics

Nearly every American old enough to remember knows exactly where they were on February 22, 1980 as they watched a group of amateur college athletes take down the mighty Soviet Union hockey dynasty in a stunning upset now simply known as the "Miracle on Ice". Yet over 40 years later, many key details about the events leading up to the legendary game and what transpired after have faded in popular memory. In this retrospective, we'll revisit some little known aspects about the iconic showdown at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics and why it still elicits national pride over four decades later.

Setting the Cold War Stage

To fully understand the significance of the game itself, some geopolitical context is required. In 1980 at the height of the Cold War, tensions between the United States and USSR ran extremely high with global consequences at stake. The nuclear arms race was escalating rapidly, the Soviets had just invaded Afghanistan, and the Iranian hostage crisis preoccupied the American consciousness for 444 days. The USSR had also long dominated Olympic hockey, winning gold in 1964, 1968, 1972 and 1976 by humiliating scores against the best European teams Sweden, Finland and Czechoslovakia, let alone leading up to Lake Placid in an exhibition game at Madison Square Garden where they clobbered the US by an embarrassing tally of 10-3. Due to Olympic amateur rules of the era, the American squad comprised mainly college players while the Soviets boasted experienced athletes from their national leagues. Almost no one realistically expected the US to even make the medal round, and a gold medal seemed unfathomable.

First Period Fisticuffs

Early on in the opening period, tensions quickly rose as players threw hard hits and sticks were swung high in retaliation. The physical style of play seemed to unsettle the Soviets who preferred to capitalize on finesse and intricate passing skills honed under their disciplined program guided by the principles of collectivism. After a Russian goal early in the second period putting them up 3-2, it appeared a blowout was imminent just as in years prior. Yet a never-say-die American spirit buoyed the underdogs who managed to tie it up midway through the final frame, finally igniting a formerly apprehensive crowd at the height of the Cold War rivalry to erupt into a frenzy.

Misconceptions About the Miracle

In collective memory, Al Michael's famous call of the "miracle on ice" is tied to the US victory clinching the gold medal when in fact they had to defeat Finland two days later to formally top the podium. Additionally, popular perception often associates the landmark comeback that catapulted the squad into the medal round as the game that secured gold when in reality meeting the Soviets proved necessary simply to advance.

Kurt Russell's Character Connection

When Disney released the feature film 'Miracle' in 2004 recapping the Lake Placid hockey classic for new generations, director Gavin O'Connor did his homework. He mandated his actors undergo a grueling 5 month training boot camp learning to skate and operate as a cohesive unit under coaches who played for Brooks in 1980. Leading man Kurt Russell developed an emotional rapport with the mercurial coach, having played for him years earlier on a celebrity team for a charity game. After Brooks died in a car accident right before shooting, Russell requested a pay decrease so the production could provide hundreds of extras portraying fans with a hot meal during lengthy shoots in cold conditions. His gesture spoke to Brooks' player-first mentality that coaxed every last ounce of effort from his Olympic charges in upending the Soviets.

Lasting Legacy

Today in Lake Placid, proud vestiges of the town's Olympic legacy appear everywhere from street murals to the very arena dubbed the Herb Brooks Center where new generations now strive to realize world-class aspirations. Across the nation, the signature win now stands as an inextricable pillar of American culture symbolic of the underdog triumphing through teamwork and determination against seemingly impossible odds. As hockey great Wayne Gretzky nicely surmised, the squad's achievement "gave people something to cheer about and to be proud of. If 20 guys from nowhere can shock the world, then we all have a chance to shine somehow".

10 Fun Facts about the Winter Olympics:

• The first Winter Olympics was held in 1924 in Chamonix, France.

• Figure skater Sonja Henie (Norway) won more gold medals (3) than any other female Winter Olympian in history.

• The USA leads the all-time Winter Olympic medal count with 305 total.

• The USA's Eric Heiden is the only Olympian to win 5 gold medals in a single Winter Games (speed skating in 1980).

• The 2022 Beijing Olympics had the most number of women competing (45%) in Winter Games history.

• Snowboarding halfpipe made its Olympic debut at the 1998 Nagano Winter Games.

• Jamaica, Mexico, Morocco, and the Cayman Islands have all competed in the Winter Olympics.

• Sweden has won a record 143 total medals in men’s & women’s curling.

• The Winter Olympics torch relay traditionally starts at Olympia, Greece, site of the ancient Olympic Games.

• Only figure skaters and ice hockey players have been younger than 17 years old at the Winter Olympics.

  10 Fun Facts About Lake Placid / Catskills / Albany / Saratoga Springs Region

• Melvil Dewey, inventor of the Dewey Decimal System, was instrumental in Lake Placid's early winter tourism promotion and sports development starting in 1895.

• The Lake Placid area was formerly home to abolitionist John Brown who later led the famous raid on Harper's Ferry prior to the Civil War.

• Singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey grew up in the Lake Placid area and gained early exposure performing in local clubs.

• The Adirondack Mountain region boasts the largest state park in the contiguous United States spanning 6 million acres.

• Herman Melville wrote his renowned novel Moby Dick while residing in the Catskill area at his family estate.

• The Albany region was home to prominent suffragettes Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton who advanced women's rights.

• America's first Shaker settlement was founded outside Albany in 1776 which later greatly influenced furniture design aesthetics.

• Saratoga Springs has been a popular resort destination since the 19th century known for harness racing and natural mineral springs.

• The Saratoga Battlefield was site of a major Revolutionary War victory over the British that is considered a turning point.

• Tech Valley, the 19 county region surrounding Albany, has given rise to pioneering technological advances over the past century.