“Do you believe in Miracles?!” exclaimed Al Michaels as the final seconds of the semifinal of the 1980 Olympic hockey tournament trickled down on Friday, February 22, 1980. That day in history was nothing short of a miracle as the United States’ “amateur” hockey team bested the veteran forces of the Soviet Union in Lake Placid, New York, by a score of 4-­3.

This past Monday, the thirty- ­sixth anniversary of the infamous Miracle on Ice was celebrated throughout the United States. The 1980 Olympic Winter Games came at the height of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Cold War was not so much a bloody battle between the two sides as it was a series of threats and a constant looming feeling of uneasiness. Just as there was tension in the two countries’ relationship, there was tension on the ice.

A physical game, the United States were able to grind out the victory with help from a goal by team captain and Winthrop, Massachusetts, native Mike Eruzione; Eruzione scored with ten minutes left to seal the victory.

During a time of political turmoil and economic stagnation in the United States, this victory was not only significant to American sports on a national scale but also to American nationalism.

An event so significant to our country’s history is unlikely to ever be repeated not only because of the chaotic state of the United States, but also because of the format of the hockey teams, as there was little participation in the Olympics by NHL players at that time. The United
States’ hockey team was composed primarily of college players from Massachusetts and Minnesota.

Ironically, the United States’ Junior Olympic hockey tournament triumphed over rival Canada by a final score of 5­2 in Lillehammer, Norway on Sunday, February 21, just one day before the 36th anniversary. Three players on the American roster were from Massachusetts.