The Miracle on Ice: The US Hockey Team

The Edmonton Oilers were one of the 4 new teams that entered the NHL during the 1979/1980 expansion team. Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky were on the team at this time. Although none of the players that came from the 4 expansion teams could claim the calder trophy because they played in the WHA for the first 3 games. The oilers made the playoffs that year but got eliminated very early

The Summit Series was a hockey series between the Soviet Union and Canada. This series was during the Cold War in September 1972. The Soviet Union and Canada were considered enemies during the Cold War because Canada was on N.A.T.O and U.S.S.R. was on the Warsaw side. The Summit Series was also known as the “Super Series”. The one thing different with the Summit series compared to other international tournaments, is that Canada was allowed to have players from the National Hockey League. This was also controversial because no players from the World Hockey Association (a competitor league against the NHL) were allowed to play in international tournaments. This affected the great Bobby Hull from playing in the Super Series. The Summit Series was also good for the Soviet Union because they could see how their international hockey team, the “Red Army”, would match up against the pros instead of amateur competition.

The “Miracle on Ice,” where the United States defeated the Soviet Union in the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York will forever be known as one of the greatest moments in American sports history. This game was about more than just sports though, it signified American strength, even when faced the greatest adversities. The United States was suffering through Vietnam, Watergate, and the wrenching upheavals of the 1960s. Many believe this game was even the beginning of the end for the Cold War. The Soviet Union had won the gold medal in six of the seven previous Winter Olympic Games, and were the favorites to win once more in Lake Placid. The team consisted primarily of professional players with significant experience

A tale can be told in several different ways. Many people are aware of the astonishing feat of the 1980 USA Olympic Men’s Hockey team, who were huge underdogs in their bid to win the gold medal against the powerhouse USSR. The movie “Miracle”, directed by Gavin O’Connor, is the dramatic journey taken by this team, from the anxiety-filled tryouts in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to the exhilarating game against the USSR in Lake Placid, New York. The book, “The Boys of Winter” written by Wayne Coffey, is based on the same events, but takes a less emotional, more factual approach to the subject. The purpose of this essay is to compare these two resources, and to discuss how they differ in tone, style, and theme.

first off, Bobby Orr showed that he is one of the most influential hockey players in the NHL from his career statistics and records. "He came into his own two years later, in 1969-70, becoming the only player to ever win all four major awards --

On May 9th 1965 a leader was born, and that leader was Steve Yzerman. Yzerman was born in Cranbrook, British Columbia. He began skating when he was a mere 3 years old, but was still a little too young to play organized hockey with his older brother Mike, who was two years older. At age 5 Yzerman started playing organized ice hockey, but really couldn’t skate all that well. In fact, his first gino (goal) was scored because he had slipped up in front of the adversaries net and an opposing defenseman bounced the puck off a teammate. Since Yzerman was the closest to the puck, he was given credit for the goal. This was certainly not a foundation suitable for a legendary career.

You would never think that a hockey game could have such a crazy effect on the world and America. The medal round game between the United States of America and The Soviet Union would prove to be much more then just a game. The United States was getting more then just a victory and an upset, but our country was getting a much-needed moral boost in the fight against the Soviet Union in the Cold War. This wasn’t just a potential gold medal on the line, it was how we lived and our lifestyle compared to theirs. You want a true “David vs. Goliath” example; well you couldn’t ask for a better example how a David wins.

Another hockey great, who was purely Canadian, and proved his worth in the game of hockey, is the amazing Rocket Richard. He was known for his excellence, but was also just as well known for his great spirit and love for the game. He, as well as Gretzky, was given the honour of being among the best in the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 1955, Richard was, without thought, suspended from the league, Canada, especially Montrealers, went into complete uproar, inducing numerous death threats upon the president Clarence Campbell, as well as what has been called the worst riot in Canadian sports history. This example really shows how dedicated Canadians are when backing up their own players, the ones they know are the best.

The most memorable moment in hockey history came thirty-four years ago with the 1980 Miracle on Ice. The Americans defeating the dominant Soviet team at the Olympics was not only an important triumph for USA Hockey, but for the entire nation. Contrary to popular belief, the underdog win was not only the result of a miracle; it was also the result of a hard-working team led by Coach Herb Brooks. With increasingly negative views on the position of the United States in the Cold War, the Miracle on Ice and the gold medal win lifted the spirits of the nation and brought hockey into the American spotlight.

“There was a prejudicial feeling toward American players that the 1980 Winter Olympics helped to turn around,” adds ESPN analyst Bill Clement, a Canadian who was playing in the NHL in 1980. “Before then, the criticism of American players was that they weren't tough enough, couldn't score when they had to, and couldn't win big games for you or with you. That mentality began to change after 1980.”

In Of Miracles and Men, one fact that stood out is that Russia grew on a less popular sport called Bandy and later transitioned to hockey so they can compete with the rest of the world. When adopting the sport, the Russians combined it with their communist culture to create a new strategy for the game. The new Russian form of hockey directly reflected back to their communist roots. The strategy relied on working as a complete unit, just how communist society is supposed to work. When faced with the Russian strategy, Americans had to recreate the Russian system by changing their hockey culture.

When Team USA beat the Soviet in 1980 it was important for the US hockey world because that team was seeded seventh entering the game against the Soviet Union. During the 1980 Olympic run the average was 22 and all the players were that year were both amateur and college players and the Soviet’s team was mainly professional and experienced players. This win gave coach Herb Brooks a place in history because he did something no other USA coach has done for the last twenty years and that is beat Russia, and he was named sportsman of the year in 1990.

Considering the significant effect that hockey has on the Canadian economy, the millions of Canadians entertained, and the countless decades of celebrated, memorable history, hockey should be named Canada’s true national sport.

Russians are known to have played a form of hockey already in the 19th century. Instead of a puck they used a ball and the ice surface was almost as big as a soccer field. The game was called “Russian hockey” and it evolved into what is more widely known as “Bandy”, which is still played today in different nations, like Russia, Sweden and the USA. The first recorded hockey game between Russians and foreigners took place on the frozen Neva River in St. Petersburg in 1899 between a local team and a group of resident Englishmen.

For more than a century, hockey historians have found that precisely tracing the sports origin is not only a difficult task but, a virtual impossibility. Therefore I can only try to deduce for myself, from the records, claims, and accounts, which are available to me, when, where, and by whom the first ice hockey was played. I’ll also discuss the early problems and obstacles that the NHL encountered. Plus I will also tell a little bit about early equipment, along with early game play and ice conditions that players encountered. Lastly, the Stanley Cup, which is the most prized and oldest sports award of the NHL. It has been won many times, by many different teams. Ice hockey is traceable to games played on fields as far back as nearly 2500