Never, in the history of sport, has one game had such an impact on its future. It is easy to forget that the Miracle on Ice wasn’t actually the ultimate gold medal winning performance. In those days, the group was played as a ‘round robin’, not elimination, and the USA team had to repeat their performance for the other two games in the group, against Sweden and Finland. The biggest fear now was that, after the monumental giant slaying performance against Russia, it was still possible to come away finishing fourth in the group. It was imperative that they win their next two matches. They found themselves 2-1 down against Finland in the third period of their last game. Brooks was not having it at all, in the dressing room between the periods he simply told the 1980 USA Hockey Team, ‘if you lose this game, you’ll take it to your graves’. It was enough; the team eventually triumphed 4-2.

The Soviet team were in a state of shock. In the dressing room after the match against the 1980 USA Hockey Team, the coach told the first-line players of Tretiak, Petrov, Mikhailov and Kharlamov, that ‘this is your loss’. They crushed the Swedish team by 9 – 2 to win the silver medal, but did not even send the medals for inscribing, as is customary. The Soviet Union was stunned at the loss. The Soviet media news office at Lake Placid was closed the following day with a note on the door. Many other Soviet newspapers simply did not mention the game.

The Miracle on Ice was complete. The team lined up to receive their gold medals and listen proudly to the National Anthem. The podium was only large enough to hold the Captain of each team, but after the anthem, the team captain Eruzione signalled for the rest of the team to join him on the podium – today the podiums are big enough to accommodate the whole team, and quite rightly so.

The Miracle on Ice re-ignited a feeling of national pride in the citizens of America, something which was badly needed after the turbulence of the 1970s. Although the Soviet team re-gained its Olympic supremacy until 1991 when the country broke up, for the next 5 years they did not lose another international hockey game, and it was 1991 until an American team could once again beat the mighty reds, but nevertheless, the Miracle on Ice will live on in the memory of many, as the greatest sporting achievement of all time.

That a young amateur team of collegiates could use their youth, strength, stamina and speed to beat such an experienced and talented squad is really a remarkable achievement, one that was made possible by the confrontational methods and determination of coach Herb Brooks. He worked the team hard physically and psychologically, messing with their minds and sticking to rigorous training schedules right through the Olympic campaign, but it paid off. He believed in Miracles, and he made one happen.