In 1980, the US was not in a great place. Russia had invaded Afghanistan, which was seen as an existential threat to the world’s oil supply. In Iran, the hostage crisis ground on. The economy was in the doldrums and the previous June, President Jimmy Carter had given what would become known as the malaise speech.
As noted, it wasn’t a felicitous time for America and there was absolutely no reason to think that the Winter Olympics would change that, least of all in hockey.
In 1980, there was a ban on
professional hockey players just as there was on professional basketball players. Well, sort of, anyway.
The Soviet Union had what was for all intents and purposes a professional hockey team and it was seen as the best hockey team in the world. The US wasn’t thought to have a chance in hell of beating them.
But coach Herb Brooks built a different sort of team and really lit a fire under those guys and they did what was considered impossible: they beat the Soviets, 4-3.
This game became known as the Miracle on Ice and it was an astonishing accomplishment that really had an effect on the American psyche. It remains one of the greatest upsets and greatest wins in American sporting history.
There is a shot at the end of this video of Soviet player Alexander Golikov just leaning on his stick, looking at what had just happened. What was going through his mind? He looks somewhat bemused by the whole scene and seems intent on taking it in. It’s impossible to say. Like the rest of the world, he was most likely just in disbelief at what the US had pulled off.
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