A Game That Inspired America

            Where were you when the Twin Towers were attacked? When Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans? When the campus of Virginia Tech was turned into hell on Earth for an entire student body? Those days stopped our nation, brought us together as a country, and burned lasting memories into our minds forever. February 22, 1980 was also a day Americans will always remember as 20 young men challenged the Soviet Union in the ice hockey semifinals of the Olympic Games. This was more than a simple sporting event, however. This game was being viewed as a test of power between the Americans and the Russians, this game invoked nationalistic feelings absent since World War II, and this game swept over a nation needing something to believe in once again. The “Miracle on Ice,” deftly depicted in Miracle, not only helped to heal an ailing country but also epitomized the values on which the Founding Fathers created this country.

            Herb Brooks, the coach of the 1980 Olympic ice hockey team, once said, “Great moments are born from great opportunity.” With those simple words, Brooks epitomized every ideal that this country was founded on in 1776. Our forefathers carried that attitude that anything was possible with the right combination of determination and luck. Brooks seemed to take that notion and devote his life to taking luck out of the equation, believing that he could not fail if he was properly motivated.

            During his interview for the coaching job, Brooks was told his goals of beating the Soviets and winning a gold medal were “pretty lofty.” Simply, he replied, “That’s exactly why I want to pursue it.” In my mind, Brooks’ message should be plastered on every dormitory, dining hall, and classroom on every single college campus throughout America. This man decried mediocrity as another word for failure, an ideal that every college student should model his or her life after. Brooks never settled for second-best and neither should the scholars of America.

            Besides showing the true meaning of America through sport, Miracle also depicts the value of friendship and camaraderie within a team. The roster started at 26, having to be cut down to 20 before the Opening Ceremonies. As those young men fought and competed through months of vigorous training, they develop an “us” versus “him” attitude with their very aloof coach. The film shows the coming-together of the team under the harsh rule of Brooks, with the climax coming after an exhibition game against Norway. Unhappy with his team’s play, Brooks decides to condition his team after the game’s conclusion, something that is rarely done in sports.

            Brooks seems content to let them skate all night, but someone unexpected steps out of the shadows that night. Mike Eruzione, a player who would later garner the captainship of the squad, skates forward after hours of conditioning and yells to Brooks, “Mike Eruzione. Winthrop, Massachusetts.” When the coach prompts him to announce who he plays for, Eruzione takes a deep breath and exclaims, “I play for…the United States of America.” Brooks stares through him and simply walks off the ice. Seems simple, but many players on the team pinpoint this moment as the moment they became a team, the moment they would do anything for each other, and the moment they wanted to win for the guy standing next to them more than for themselves. College students who are members of sports teams can fully relate to this scene, as can members of any fraternity, sorority, or extra-curricular club. Win or lose, first or second, success or failure, your friends are the ones who stand beside you proclaiming a job well done. As the old saying goes, “A friend bails you out of jail. A best friend sits beside you in the jail cell saying, ‘Damn, that was fun.’ ”

            Critics of Miracle question why such a commotion is made over a sporting event, something so trivial in the big picture of the world. Fact is, this hockey game brought out feelings this country hadn’t seen since World War II and brought people together in the middle of the Cold War. America had been at odds with Russia for years on the international stage, and this game allowed a gateway to determine who was mightier. People who did not follow hockey followed this game, people who did not watch hockey watched this game, and people who did not know anything about Herb Brooks loved him by the end of this game. This was more than just a hockey game, it was a way for the American people to display their nationalistic pride, something that had been sorely missing for several years. In the middle of nearly five-decade Cold War, this game pitted the Americans and the Soviets, and when the “Miracle on Ice” was complete, many felt it was a victory ominous of another for the red, white, and blue.

            There are certain days that every person feels a connection to each and every person they pass on the street. Not because they know each other or because they’ve seen each other before, but simply because they both consider themselves citizens of the United States. The “Miracle on Ice” did more than earn the States a place in the gold medal game; it brought American citizens together as this country declared in one voice that it would emerge from battle victorious. Such as days of death and sorrow have brought our generation together, February 22, 1980 was a day of triumph that brought our parents’ generation together as one. The author of that miracle, Herb Brooks, recalled, “As America and the world watched, a group of remarkable young men gave the nation what it needed most – a chance, for one night, not only to dream, but a chance, once again, to believe.”