The Miracle Was Not the Final

The image is so complete that it can mislead: American players celebrate, the Soviet team has been beaten, and a seemingly impossible sporting story appears to have reached its ending. On February 22, 1980, the United States won that famous hockey game 4–3 at Lake Placid. But it had not yet won the Olympic gold medal. There was still another game to play.

The Soviet team entered the encounter with a record of international dominance. The American roster was young, and coach Herb Brooks had prepared it for a tournament in which expectations were sharply unequal. Calling the result a miracle expresses how unexpected it felt. It should not erase the training and tactical work that made the players capable of exploiting a chance when one appeared.