Hey Berkshires, Did You Witness The “Miracle” 42 Years Ago Today?

What a special day today is in history. And, no, I'm not just referring to the fact that today is "Twosday"--2/22/22. Whether you're a sports fan, or a hockey fan, or a Winter Olympics fan, or a fan of America, you have to remember the year 1980 and the "Miracle On Ice" that occurred at the 13th Winter Olympics.

I can still hear Al Michaels asking that immortal question..."Do you believe in miracles?" Here's the thing that a lot of people seem to forget: The "Miracle On Ice" wasn't even the final game of that 1980 Winter Olympics. It was not the gold-medal winner.

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No, what happened on the ice on this date 42 years ago, is what many consider to be the top sports moment of all time. The Soviet Union, which was heavily favored to win, by the way, was beaten by the United States by a final score of 4-3 on that day so long ago in Lake Placid, New York.

The Soviet Union entered the game having previously won the last four Olympic gold medals and they had not lost an Olympic hockey game since 1968! That's why they were the heavy favorites to win.

On the other side, the United States had the youngest team to be in competition at the Winter Games, they were also the youngest in U.S. team history, and the team was comprised of mostly amateur players. WOW! Talk about some serious odds to overcome!

But the U.S. hockey team managed to do the unthinkable and pulled off the upset. They went into the third period down by one, 3-2, and proceeded to score the next two goals, held on, and won by the final of 4-3.

Think about this, though. It was so important for us to beat the Soviet Union, that the rest almost seems anti-climactic. The United States beat Finland a couple of days later and that win got us our gold medal in Olympic Hockey.

However, it doesn't seem like anybody remembers or talks about that gold-medal-winning game against Finland. It was the game against the Soviets on February 22, 1980, where we skated away with the victory that everyone remembers--"The Miracle On Ice". Check out this clip of that game's final minute:

Ken Dryden and, obviously, Al Michaels were the commentators for that game and they did a tremendous job. I would have loved to have been one of the 8,500 in attendance for that game, but at least I got to see it on the TV.