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FEBRUARY 22 1980


CowgirlsFan

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Do you believe in miracles?

Wifey and I were at dinner with some friends and they had the game on in the background.

It was a stunning victory. But it was not the gold medal game. They had to beat Finland to get the gold.

Felt elation with that win, maybe even more than the gold medal game.

Edited by Nanker
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Do you believe in miracles?

Wifey and I were at dinner with some friends and they had the game on in the background.

It was a stunning victory. But it was not the gold medal game. They had to beat Finland to get the gold.

Felt elation with that win, maybe even more than the gold medal game.

 

And in fact, had the US lost that game the Soviets would have won the Gold and it was possible for the US to not medal at all. The Finland game was huge and almost as tense as the Soviet game, in an "Oh my God, don't blow it now!" way.

 

But yeah, the intensity of the USSR game was incredible; and ironically, IIRC it was shown on tape delay.

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Saw the game on CTV from Canada (it was tape delayed on ABC) and was just stunned....greatest sports moment I've ever witnessed even if it was only on TV. Watched the game again on ABC and even though I knew the outcome I was still nail-biting through the last half of the 3rd period. As strange as it sounds, even if they hadn't won the gold, that game would have been good enough. HBO did an incredible documentary on it in 2000. Iff you can keep a dry eye while watching it, your heart is made of coal...or your Russian :)

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I too watched the game live on CTV with a buddy. It seems to me it was late afternoon, or early evening game. I remember we stood for the last half of the 3rd period. No way we could sit down -- too excited. After the game we went out to our favorite sports bar/watering hole and enjoyed watching the game again. As I recall, that game got us to the medal round. We didn't win the gold with that game, but we never would have won gold without that win.

 

Aside from the comeback game vs Houston, that may have been my best sports moment.

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It was late afternoon. 5pm start to be exact. As good as the guy was on CTV (Ron Roush I think) Al Michaels' call still takes the cake. Channel 7 broke in with the story after the game (7:30) even though most people were going to be tuning in at 8 for the tape delay. Back then cable was not common and if you wanted to watch Canadian TV channels depending on where you lived you had to move the TV around the room to get a good signal! That was the first medal round game. We then had to beat Finland on Sunday for the gold.

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i dodn't remember the event itself, but the movie was pretty good. i imagine for anyone around at the time and able to understand the magnitude of the accomplishment, it must have been incredible.

The movie is good, but the documentary is incredible.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Believe-Miracles-Story-1980-Hockey/dp/B00005TPC7

 

No matter how many times I've seen it, its no less moving or interesting.

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In the documentary they describe Herb Brooks' speech to his players in the break between the 2nd and 3rd periods of the Gold Medal game against Finland, with the US trailing 2-1..

 

Brooks left the dressing room at the beginning of the break and didn't return.The players and the asst. coaches thought he'd snapped and given up on them. Just seconds before they were to retake the ice, the door cracked open and Brooks stuck just his head inside.

 

 

He glared at his team and said this: (maybe the greatest motivational speech ever delivered, with appologies to the Gipper)

 

"If you lose this game, you'll carry it to your graves. To your fuc#ing graves!"

 

US then scored 3 goals and won the gold medal 4-2.

Edited by ChevyVanMiller
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Was lums a bar? I seem to recall in the early 70's a hot dog place in north Syracuse called lums... their hook was they cooked the hot dogs in beer

 

 

I seem to remember there was a big snowstorm in Buffalo that night. We were stranded in a bar across the street from Lum's on Walden.

There were many rounds on the house after that win . Good times.

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didnt think they had a chance against the commie bastards so didnt watch. watched it on the replay and recall how boring a game it seemed after all that hooplah in the press. did watch the gold game, thought theyd lose that one just to mess with our heads

 

one of the all-time greatest moments in sports history.

 

unless youre a commie bastard

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Was lums a bar? I seem to recall in the early 70's a hot dog place in north Syracuse called lums... their hook was they cooked the hot dogs in beer

I think you may be correct about Lums. I think they were a small chain in NY State. A couple of them in B-Lo.

The one we ate at was next to Gilligans Night Club. They had OK food and you could get a beer, but I don't remember a bar.

But I do think they did cook their hot dogs in Beer. A lot of musicians ate there at the time. But it was kind of a family place.

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