'Do you believe in miracles?' On Feb. 22, 1980 we all did as the U.S. pulled off a hockey shocker
On Feb. 22, 1980, the "Miracle on Ice" took place in Lake Placid, N.Y., as the United States Olympic hockey team upset the Soviets 4-3. The U.S. team went on to win the gold medal.
1980 Olympics hockey
An American flag, left, and a Soviet hockey team banner frame the two teams as they warm up on the ice for the second period action of their Winter Olympics playoff round game in Lake Placid, N.Y., Feb. 22, 1980. The U.S. team is in the foreground and the Soviets in the back. (AP Photo)
1980: Herb Brooks
U.S. hockey team members sitting on the bench watch the action on the ice during last minutes of semifinal game with U.S.S.R. at the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, N.Y., Friday night, Feb. 22, 1980. Coach Herb Brooks is at left, behind player number 10. (AP Photo)
1980 Olympics hockey
USA coach Herb Brooks, center, looks on from the bench during the closing minutes of the semifinal game against the USSR at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games, in a Feb. 22, 1980 photo, in Lake Placid, N.Y. "Miracle on Ice" coach Herb Brooks and Patrick Roy, the NHL's winningest goaltender, highlight the newest class of the Hockey Hall of Fame. (AP Photo)
1980 Olympics hockey
Robert McClanahan, of the U.S. Olympic hockey team, crashes into Aleksandre Golikov, of the Soviet team during first period of Olympic playoff game in Lake Placid, N.Y., Frb. 22, 1980. At right is William Schneider of the U.S. team. (AP Photo)
1980 Olympics hockey
In this Feb. 22, 1980 file photo, The United States' Mark Johnson (10) prepares to shoot puck into the net for the second U.S. goal in the first period of a semifinal hockey game as the Soviet goalie Vladislav Tretjak defends at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y. The U.S. won 4-3. Although Mark Johnson is sitting on the mother of all hockey motivational stories, he's waiting until just the right moment to break it out for the U.S. women's team. Johnson was the reason for the "Miracle on Ice" 30 years ago, scoring two goals for the U.S. hockey team when they toppled the Soviets. (AP Photo/File)
1980 Olympics hockey
Soviet goalie Vladislav Tretiak allows a goal by the U.S. team in the first period of a medal-round hockey game at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y. Tretiak was pulled after the first period, and the U.S. team went on to win the game 4-3 in major upset. (AP Photo)
1980 Olympics hockey
In this Feb. 22, 1980 file photo, Michael Eruzione, left, scorer of the decisive fourth goal for the U.S. in the game against the Soviet Union in Lake Placid, is embraced by teammates John O'Callahan, David Silk, and goalie James Craig after he brought his team into the lead. The rivalry between the two countries is renewed Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014, inside the Bolshoy Ice Dome in Sochi, though this time it's only a preliminary round game instead of a semifinal. What's also different is the diminished tension surrounding this encounter. The 1980 game was played against the backdrop of a still-simmering Cold War, portrayed as a surrogate battle of good vs. evil. Which side was which depended largely on where you viewed it from. (AP Photo/File)
1980 Olympics hockey
The U.S ice hockey team rushes toward goalie Jim Craig after their upset win over the Soviet Union in the semi-final round of the XIII Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, N.Y., Feb. 22, 1980. Team USA won 4-3 to advance to the final game for the Olympic gold. The American players from left are, Mark Johnson (10); Eric Strobel (19); William Schneider (25); David Christian (23); Mark Wells (15); Steve Cristoff (11); Bob Suter (20), who is behind Philip Verchota (27). John O'Callahan is hugged by Michael Ramsey. (AP Photo)
1980 Olympics hockey
FILE - In this Feb. 22, 1980, file photo, The United States ice hockey team rushes toward goalie Jim Craig after their 4-3 upset win over the Soviet Union in the semi-final round of the XIII Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, N.Y., The American players from left are, Mark Johnson (10); Eric Strobel (19); William Schneider (25); David Christian (23); Mark Wells (15); Steve Cristoff (11); Bob Suter (20), Philip Verchota (27). John O'Callahan is hugged by Michael Ramsey. Although Mark Johnson is sitting on the mother of all hockey motivational stories, he's waiting until just the right moment to break it out for the U.S. women's team. Johnson was the reason for the "Miracle on Ice" 30 years ago, scoring two goals for the U.S. hockey team when they toppled the Soviets. (AP Photo/File)
1980 Olympics hockey
The 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team members celebrate after their upset victory over the heavily favored Soviet team by 4-3 score in the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y., on Feb. 22, 1980. (AP Photo)
1980 Olympics hockey
The U.S. hockey team celebrates victory over Finland to win the gold medal, February 23, 1980, at the Winter Olympics, Lake Placid, N.Y. (AP Photo)
USA Wins Against Soviet Union in Ice Hockey
The U.S. hockey team pounces on goalie Jim Craig after a 4-3 victory against the Soviets in the 1980 Olympics, as a flag waves from the partisan Lake Placid, N.Y. crowd, February 22, 1980. (AP Photo)
NO headline in galleries
The victory by the U.S. men's hockey team over the heavily favored Soviet Union on Feb. 22, 1980 is widely regarded as one of the greatest upsets in sports history.