Miracle on Ice facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Miracle on Ice

1 2 3 Total  Soviet Union 2 1 0 3  United States 2 0 2 4
Date	February 22, 1980
Arena	Olympic Center
City	Lake Placid, New York, U.S.
Attendance	8,500

Herb Brooks Arena (2019)

The "Miracle on Ice" was an amazing ice hockey game that happened during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. It was played on February 22, 1980, between the host country, the United States, and the powerful Soviet Union. The Soviet team had won many gold medals before and was expected to win easily. But the young American team surprised everyone with an incredible 4–3 victory!

The Soviet Union was a hockey powerhouse. They had won five out of the last six Olympic gold medals! Their team was made up of experienced, professional players. The U.S. team, however, was very different. Coached by Herb Brooks, it was mostly made up of college students and young players. It was the youngest team in the whole tournament! Even so, the U.S. team played very well in the early games. They tied Sweden 2–2 and beat strong team Czechoslovakia 7–3. Both the Soviet and American teams went into the medal round undefeated.

In their first medal round game, the Americans faced the Soviets. The game was tied 2–2 after the first period. The Soviets took a 3–2 lead after the second. But in the final period, the U.S. team scored two more goals! They took their first lead and held on to win 4–3. This amazing win set the stage for the U.S. to win the gold medal. Two days later, they beat Finland 4–2. The Soviet Union earned the silver medal after beating Sweden 9–2.

This victory became one of the most famous moments in sports history. The TV announcer, Al Michaels, famously shouted, "Do you believe in miracles? YES!" as the game ended. The team was named Sports Illustrated Sportsmen of the Year in 1980. In 1999, Sports Illustrated called it the best sports moment of the 20th century. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) also named it the top international hockey story of the past 100 years in 2008. The team received the Congressional Gold Medal on December 12, 2025.

The Story of the Miracle on Ice

Meet the Teams: USA vs. Soviet Union

The Soviet Union was the team to beat in Lake Placid. They had won four gold medals in a row since the 1964 Olympics. Their record was amazing, with 27 wins, 1 loss, and 1 tie in the Olympics. They had not lost an Olympic game since 1968.

The Soviet team had many legendary players. These included Boris Mikhailov, their captain, and Vladislav Tretiak, who was considered the best goalie in the world. Other stars were Valeri Kharlamov, Viacheslav Fetisov, Vladimir Krutov, and Sergei Makarov. Many of these players later joined the Hockey Hall of Fame. Unlike the American college players, the Soviet players were full-time athletes. They played hockey for their country as their main job.

The Soviet team's Vladislav Tretiak (pictured here in 2008) was considered the world's best goaltender in ice hockey in 1980.

U.S. coach Herb Brooks held tryouts in Colorado Springs in 1979. Only one player, Buzz Schneider, had been on the 1976 Olympic team. Many players came from rival college teams like the University of Minnesota and Boston University. Brooks even gave them a special test to see how they would handle pressure. He chose the best 20 players for the team.

The U.S. team was very young, with an average age of 21. Coach Brooks pushed his players hard. He wanted them to be ready for anything. He helped choose Mike Eruzione as the team captain. Jim Craig was the main goalie. Craig Patrick was the assistant coach.

The U.S. and Soviet teams had a strong rivalry. This was partly because of the political tensions between their countries at the time. The U.S. President was even thinking about not sending American athletes to the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. This added to the excitement and importance of the hockey game.

Exhibitions: Preparing for the Olympics

Before the Olympics, Soviet club teams often played against National Hockey League (NHL) teams. They usually did very well. The Soviet national team had even beaten NHL All-Stars in 1979. The young American Olympic team had many promising players. Some of them had already signed contracts to play in the NHL after the Olympics.

The American team played 61 exhibition games in five months before the Olympics. Coach Brooks taught them a new style of play. He made them do tough skating drills, which they called "Herbies." After one game where they tied Norway, Brooks made them skate "Herbies" for over an hour, even in the dark! He pushed them to be their very best.

In their final exhibition game, the U.S. played the Soviets at Madison Square Garden on February 9. The Soviets won easily, 10–3. This big win made the Soviet coach, Viktor Tikhonov, think the Americans were not a threat. This turned out to be a mistake. American defenseman Jack O'Callahan was injured in this game.

Olympic Group Play: The Road to the Medal Round

In the Olympic group games, the U.S. team surprised everyone. On February 12, they tied Sweden 2–2. They scored with only 27 seconds left! Then they had a stunning 7–3 victory over Czechoslovakia.

The U.S. team then won three more games. They beat Norway 5–1, Romania 7–2, and West Germany 4–2. This meant they advanced to the medal round with a record of 4 wins, 0 losses, and 1 tie. Sweden also advanced from their group.

In the other group, the Soviets were unstoppable. They won all their games by huge scores. They beat Japan 16–0 and the Netherlands 17–4. They also defeated Poland 8–1, Finland 4–2, and Canada 6–4. The Soviet Union and Finland moved on to the medal round.

The Miracle Game: USA vs. Soviet Union

Before the game, the TV network ABC wanted to show it live in the evening. But the hockey officials said no. So, ABC decided to record the game and show it later. Many people who watched it on TV in the U.S. thought it was live.

The arena was completely full with 8,500 fans. Before the game, Coach Brooks told his players, "You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here. This moment is yours." He truly believed they could win.

Brooks wanted his team to play short shifts. This meant players would be on the ice for only about 40 seconds at a time. This helped them stay energetic for the whole game.

First Period: A Surprising Start

The U.S. team fell behind early, just like in some other games. Vladimir Krutov scored for the Soviets at 9:12. But Buzz Schneider scored for the U.S. at 14:03, tying the game! Then Sergei Makarov scored for the Soviets, making it 2–1.

In the last seconds of the first period, Dave Christian shot the puck from far away. The Soviet goalie, Vladislav Tretiak, blocked it, but the puck bounced out. Mark Johnson quickly shot the puck past Tretiak. He scored with only one second left! The period ended in a surprising 2–2 tie.

Second Period: Soviets Take the Lead

After Johnson's goal, the Soviet coach made a big change. He replaced their star goalie, Tretiak, with Vladimir Myshkin. This surprised everyone. The coach later called it his "biggest mistake."

The Soviets played very strongly in the second period. They took many more shots than the Americans. Aleksandr Maltsev scored a power play goal for them. After two periods, the Soviet Union was leading 3–2.

Third Period: The Comeback and the Win

In the third period, the Soviets got a penalty. This gave the Americans a chance to score. Mark Johnson scored another goal at 8:39, tying the game at 3–3!

Just a minute later, Mark Pavelich passed the puck to Captain Mike Eruzione. Eruzione shot it past the Soviet goalie. The U.S. team now had their first lead of the game, 4–3, with 10 minutes left!

The last 10 minutes felt like forever for American fans. The Soviets attacked fiercely, trying to score. But the U.S. team held strong. They kept playing offense and even took more shots. The Soviet goalie, Myshkin, stayed in the game, which surprised the Americans.

With seconds ticking away, the crowd started counting down. Sportscaster Al Michaels famously yelled, "Do you believe in miracles? YES!" as the game ended. The U.S. team had won 4–3! Coach Herb Brooks ran to the locker room and cried tears of joy.

American Aftermath: Gold Medal Glory

Winning the Gold Medal

Jim Craig's gear from 1980, at the Hockey Hall of Fame

Winning against the Soviet Union did not automatically mean gold. The medal round was a round-robin format. This meant the U.S. still had to play Finland. A win against Finland would secure the gold medal.

Two days later, on February 24, 1980, Team USA faced Finland. They were behind 2–1 after the second period. Coach Brooks told his players, "If you lose this game, you'll take it to your [graves]." The U.S. team scored three goals in the third period. They defeated Finland 4–2 and won the gold medal!

After winning, the players stood on the ice for the national anthem. Captain Eruzione waved for his teammates to join him on the podium. President Jimmy Carter called to congratulate them.

The March 3, 1980 cover of Sports Illustrated ran without any accompanying captions or headlines.

The March 3, 1980, issue of Sports Illustrated showed the American players celebrating. It had no captions because everyone knew what had happened. The U.S. team was named "Sportsmen of the Year." In 2004, ESPN called the Miracle on Ice the top sports headline moment.

The U.S. team lit the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Life After the 1980 Winter Olympics

At the 1981 Canada Cup, the U.S. team played the Soviet Union again. The Soviets won that game 4–1. At the 1982 World Championship, the U.S. lost to the Soviets 8–4. On February 22, 2026, 46 years after the Miracle, the American men's hockey team won gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Of the 20 players on the U.S. team, 13 later played in the NHL. Five played over 500 NHL games. Three played over 1,000 NHL games.

• Neal Broten played 1,099 NHL games and won a Stanley Cup in 1995. He was the first player to win championships at the college, Olympic, and professional levels.
• Ken Morrow won the Stanley Cup in 1980 with the New York Islanders. He was the first to win an Olympic gold and the Cup in the same year.
• Mike Ramsey played in 1,070 NHL games over 18 years. He was a five-time All-Star.
• Dave Christian played 1,009 NHL games and scored 783 points. He was an All-Star in 1991.
• Mark Johnson played 669 NHL games. He later became a successful coach for the University of Wisconsin–Madison women's team. He led them to many National Championships.
• Mike Eruzione, the team captain, did not play high-level hockey after the Olympics. He felt he had achieved his biggest goal.
• Herb Brooks, the coach, later coached several NHL teams. He led Team USA to a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics. The Olympic arena in Lake Placid was renamed in his honor in 2005. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2006.
• Al Michaels became a very famous sportscaster after the Miracle on Ice. He continued to cover major sports events for many years.

The Miracle on Ice brought fame to Al Michaels, and several players subsequently played in the NHL.

Soviet Aftermath: Silver and Continued Dominance

The Silver Medal and Beyond

In the Soviet locker room, Coach Tikhonov was very upset. He blamed his top players for the loss. Two days later, the Soviet team defeated Sweden 9–2. They won the silver medal.

The Soviet players were so disappointed they did not get their names inscribed on their silver medals. The Soviet media did not focus on the hockey loss. Instead, they highlighted the Soviet team's overall success at the Olympics. They won 10 gold medals in total.

Despite the loss, the USSR remained a top power in international hockey. They did not lose a World Championship game until 1985. They did not lose to the United States again until 1991.

Soviet Players in the NHL

Former Soviet National team player Helmuts Balderis, pictured in 2014. Balderis played a season late in his career with the Minnesota North Stars of the NHL.

In the 1989–90 season, Soviet players were allowed to join NHL teams. Six players from the 1980 Olympic team joined NHL clubs. Sergei Makarov won the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year. Viacheslav Fetisov won two Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and 1998. He became a member of the Triple Gold Club.

Notable Rematches: USA vs. Russia

The U.S. and the Soviet Union met again at the 1988 Winter Olympics. The Soviets won 7–5 and took home the gold medal. The U.S. team finished seventh.

At the 1992 Olympics, the Unified Team (the new name for the former Soviet Union team) beat the U.S. 5–2 in the semi-finals. The Unified Team won the gold medal.

The U.S., coached by Herb Brooks, and Russia, coached by Viacheslav Fetisov, met twice at the 2002 Winter Olympics. They had a 2–2 tie and then the U.S. won 3–2 in the semi-finals. This semi-final game was played exactly 22 years after the "Miracle on Ice." The U.S. won silver, and Russia won bronze.

The U.S. and Russia played a thrilling game at the 2014 Winter Olympics. The game was tied after overtime. The Americans won in a long shootout. This match was called the "Marathon on Ice."

Team Rosters

USA vs USSR, starting line-ups, 1980 Winter Olympics, Final Round Game

Herb Brooks Arena in 2005

United States Team Players

Soviet Union Team Players

* Starting line up

Game Statistics

February 22, 1980 (1980-02-22) 17:00 EST

United States

4–3 (2–2, 0–1, 2–0)

Soviet Union

Olympic Center Attendance: 8,500

	Jim Craig	Goalies	Vladislav Tretiak, Vladimir Myshkin	Referee: Karl-Gustav Kaisla Linesmen: Nico Toemen François Larochelle
	0 – 1 9:12 – Krutov (Kasatonov) Schneider (Pavelich) – 14:03 1 – 1 1 – 2 17:34 – Makarov (A. Golikov) Johnson (Christian, Silk) – 19:59 2 – 2 2 – 3 22:18 – Maltsev (Krutov) (PP) Johnson (Silk) (PP) – 48:39 3 – 3 Eruzione (Pavelich, Harrington) – 50:00 4 – 3
	6 min	Penalties	6 min
	16	Shots	39

See also

In Spanish: Milagro sobre hielo para niños