Get Primed for the Winter Olympics With a Rousing New Documentary on 'The Miracle on Ice'

With the Winter Olympics primed to take place in Milano in the coming weeks, we will see, once again, the inclusion of NHL stars as they suspend the season so they can suit up for their respective countries. Thursday will be the final night of the schedule before players will kite over to Italy for a couple of weeks.

This also marks the 45th anniversary of what is inarguably the most impactful sporting event in the nation’s history, the 1980 Miracle On Ice. (Do not try debating this fact in the comments; it has been scientifically established.) The remaining members of the team recently visited the White House ahead of the Games, and marking this milestone, Netflix has released a new documentary – “Miracle: The Boys of ‘80.”

In that era, the Olympics had differing standards that prevented professional athletes from participating, so the U.S. fielded a team of upstart collegians to play on the international stage – but at home, in Lake Placid, New York. The story is legion, and the reason this became such an athletic touchstone is based on social and political realities at the time. Everything from the Cold War, inflation, gas shortages, unemployment, and the Iran hostage crisis had been playing out, and the nation was in a spiritual morass. This team quite literally sparked America’s comeback.

There has been plenty of media to come out on the team. Disney produced a feature film, “Miracle,” and for the 25th anniversary, HBO had a stirring documentary, “Do You Believe In Miracles?” One dramatized the formation of things and how it all played out, while the doc was more centered on the gameplay. The new Netflix feature, meanwhile, is more about the players, with some intriguing elements.

The remaining roster has been brought together, back at Lake Placid, and they are interviewed both as a group and individually. Throughout the feature, we see the guys as they review footage from that year, sometimes seeing clips for the first time or recalling interviews they conducted at the time. They are also seated across the bench in the very arena where they played, interviewed together, but also watching the games and commenting on the inside details.

There is plenty of new footage not previously seen, and the whole effort delivers a new perspective. Locker room details, coaching discussions, and the direct experiences the players had throughout the Olympics are all deeply felt.

The way this all took place was the result of the efforts of the late head coach, Herb Brooks. While the Russians had flouted Olympic standards by fielding what was by all accounts a professional team, Brooks had to cobble together a roster of amateurs. The coach of multiple national college championships picked from the best he could find, and remarkably showed no favoritism.

As an example, one of the goalies selected was Steve Janaszak, from his own team, the University of Minnesota. Brooks not only tabbed Jim Craig to be the starter, but Janaszak was the only player on the USA roster who never had a minute of ice time throughout the Olympics.

The Russians were more than a favorite at the time; used as a propaganda tool for the Communists, they were an elite powerhouse that dominated international hockey for a decade. Brooks knew they had little expectation against this giant of a squad, so to have a chance, they emulated the Russian training methods; he put the team through a months-long playing schedule, including stops in Europe, and pushed players to new limits.

He also recognized he had another challenge. There was a schism on his roster, with kids from the upper Midwest and the East Coast, and they inherently did not like each other. His solution was to hammer and badger everyone; he let it be known that nobody’s spot was secure, and he had the players bonded with a mutual disdain for him.

One moment in the second game galvanized everyone – the team, and the nation. During a blowout, one Czech player made a cheap, open ice hit on star forward Mark Johnson. While he was down on the ice, the cameras caught head coach Brooks barking intently at the Czech player, repeatedly declaring he would personally ram his stick down his throat.

The team realized with this display that their coach actually had their backs. But as a country, it was the first instance of bold leadership seen in a very long time. That became a rallying moment. This hockey team became something to embrace, a source of pride in a nation that had little to be proud of before that moment. Then, progressing to the medal round of the tournament, they had the historic moment where the enduring Cold War was played out on the ice.

“Miracle: The Boys of ‘80” is more than a worthwhile viewing. It takes us back to a moment that seems rare right now. That nation came together, and from that game forward, we rebuilt into the powerhouse nation we are today. That it was sparked by a contemptuous group of hockey players was unexpected, that they turned a country around was unimaginable, and that it still manages to feel unreal makes it all the more significant.

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