‘Miracle’ milestone
U.S. Olympic hockey team staged upset for the ages 40 years ago today
The 1980 United States Olympic hockey team struck gold and started a movement.
The American squad was a patchwork of college players from the Northeast and the upper Midwest under the direction of coach Herb Brooks.
They completed their improbable run to the gold medal on Sunday, Feb. 24, with a 4-2 victory over Finland at the Olympic Fieldhouse in Lake Placid, N.Y.
But the movement truly began two days earlier when the U.S. squad stunned the hockey universe with 4-3 victory over the Soviet Union. The CCCP crew was considered the greatest amateur hockey team ever assembled and equal to any NHL franchise.
The game became known as the “Miracle on Ice” and was later glorified by documentaries and motion pictures.
“I was shocked by it because we had no clue, we were just playing hockey and we had no idea that the country or the world was watching us,” said team captain Mike Eruzione of Winthrop. “But everyone was watching, and we were shocked by the reaction.”
Hard times
The United States was in a nationwide state of malaise at the end of the 1970s, hun- gover from the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal while facing calamities both foreign and domestic.
The U.S. economy was reeling from runaway inflation, unmanageable interest rates and high unemployment. The imminent Cold War threat from the Soviet Union was unrelenting while America’s prestige abroad was diminished by the ongoing Iranian hostage crisis, which would last 444 days.
The Red Army had invaded Afghanistan and President Jimmy Carter would later follow through on his threat to boycott the Summer Olympics in Moscow.
The country needed a feel-good moment and a bunch of college kids in Tacks supplied it on a world stage from a small village in the Adirondack Mountains.
“I think at the time there was inflation and the economy wasn’t doing well and in general the country was in a difficult and disappointed state,” said Eruzione. “I think Americans were looking for something to feel good about and all of a sudden we showed up. But honestly at the time we didn’t know how much that moment meant to a lot of people. We were something the United States could take pride in and we took pride in representing the country.”
The ‘Gang of Four’
When Brooks finalized his Olympic roster, four Boston University skaters from Massachusetts made the cut. The quartet included Eruzione, goalie Jim Craig (North Easton), Dave Silk (Scituate) and Jack O’Callahan (Charlestown).
“It was good being around people that you know, but we all bonded right away,” said Eruzione.
The foursome was prepared for what Brooks had in store by their association with BU coach Jack Parker, whom Eruzione described as a “mentor that had the greatest influence on my career.”
Brooks was both a taskmaster and visionary who recognized the greater need for speed, stick-work and team play on the expansive Olympic ice sheet.
“He was a big motivator and he was ahead of his time when it comes to the game of hockey,” said Eruzione. “The way the NHL is today, that’s the way we were playing in 1980 because he was creative and smart.
“In the beginning he was in your face and demanded a lot from you and we responded because we had so much respect for Herb. We all bought in.”
The Red menace
The American team performed well enough in the preliminaries to advance to the medal round. They opened with a 2-2 tie with Sweden and then obliterated Czechoslovakia, 7-3. The U.S. completed the bracket with wins over Romania,
Norway and West Germany.
Because they finished second to Sweden in goal differential, the USA squad was matched with the top-seeded Soviet Union in the semifinals.
This is what the youngest U.S. hockey team ever assembled was up against: The Soviets had won five of the previous six Olympiads and were unbeaten in the 1979 World Championships. They humiliated an NHL All-Star team 6-0 in 1978 and pounded the U.S. squad 10-3 in an Olympic tune-up match at Madison Square Garden.
“There was a lot of emotion and we were excited and we were serious, the other stuff was behind us and we were ready to play in a big game,” said Eruzione. “The other game we played against them was never mentioned and never discussed. I think as a team we were confident, but we knew it was going to be difficult and we knew we had to play well and we did.”
The Americans battled back from two deficits to tie the game, 3-3, in the third. Brooks was attempting a line change when Eruzione hopped over the boards and followed the play into the Soviet end. Eruzione took a pass, advanced the puck and scored on a wrist shot with 10 minutes remaining.
“I got into a shooting area and I was able to get it where I wanted to and gave us the lead,” said Eruzione. “That last 10 minutes took forever and although it felt like a long time, we were never threatened.”
End game
The Olympic Village erupted in euphoric chants of “U-S-A” and broadcaster Al Michaels’ call of the game spread the jubilation from coast to coast. With the celebration in full swing, Brooks was busy regrouping for the gold-medal match with Finland.
“We beat the Russians on Friday night and Saturday’s practice might have been the hardest practice that we had all year,” said Eruzione. “It was a tough practice because Herb had to bring us back down to Earth and get ready for that game on Sunday.”
The U.S. took care of business and defeated Finland, 4-2, to become the first American team to win gold since 1960. The team’s wardrobe featured white cowboy hats and sheepskin suede coats, an ensemble that became a fashion craze in the hockey hotbeds of America.
Eruzione received a tumultuous welcome on his return trip to Boston.
“It was crazy,” said Eruzione. “Logan Airport was mobbed with people and the streets were lined with people through East Boston until I got to Winthrop.”
Heroes live in the moment and “Miracles” never die.