Do You Believe in Miracles?

The Olympics have always been fertile ground for Cinderella stories and fairytale endings, and the 1980 Winter Olympics held in Lake Placid, New York, was the epitome of both, as the US Men’s Hockey Team, a rag-tag group of college-age kids, came together to do the impossible, defeat the legendary and, considered by most, unbeatable Soviet Hockey Team, by most accounts, the best hockey team in the world.

And, like most stories of this kind, there were many different angles to be taken into account. Cold War fears were rampant, making a US vs. Soviet anything all the more intense. The Soviets had trained and played together for years while the US team had only known each other and trained together for 6-months. And, of course, there was the intimidation factor. The Soviets were strong, powerful, a well-oiled machine, while the US team was made up of 20 college kids who knew of the Soviet’s prowess.

It didn’t start out easy for the American team. They weren’t really considered a top contender or even on the radar that year. They struggled early, but somehow beat Sweden in their first competition which was a miracle in and of itself. Then, they beat the Czechs, considered to be 2nd best hockey team in the world behind the Soviets.

With growing confidence and momentum, they went on to beat Norway, Romania, and West Germany, which then set the showdown with the mighty Soviets, the only team standing in their way of playing for the Gold Medal, something no US hockey team had won in 20 years.  

The Americans were considered huge underdogs, but definitely had the admiration and emotional support of most people on their side. It had become a 20th-Century version of David vs. Goliath, and the world was loving it.

The electricity in the arena was palpable as the game began. At the end of the first period, the US had held their own and were tied 2-2 with the Soviets, but at the end of the second period, they trailed 3-2. Going into the third and final period, the US team soon tied the score at 3-3, sending the crowd and the watching world into a frenzy.

Midway through the final period, Mike Eruzioni, team captain and emotional leader of the team, slipped in strong from the right side and scored. The US team was ahead for the first time in the contest, 4-3. With pucks flying and power-plays from one end of the rink to the other, the US hockey team held off the Soviets. With 10-seconds left in the contest, the countdown began, and at the 05-second mark, ABC sports commentator, Al Michaels, screamed out one of the most iconic quotes in televised Olympic history…”Do you believe in Miracles? Yes!”

The US Men’s hockey team had done the impossible, the improbable, the downright miraculous! They had beaten the seemingly invincible Soviets and then went on to defeat Finland in the final for the Gold Medal.

Now, while events like this might seem to be miraculous to many people, miracles are really nothing new and actually occur every day. In fact, they’ve been happening since time began. What has changed though, is our perception of what a miracle really is and whether or not we believe in them.

Well, stay with me, because that’s what I’ll be talking about today as we take a good look at what we really believe, and answer the question: Do You Believe in Miracles? That’s coming up on this episode of Living Lite Today!