OK, I don't think I ever understood the medal-round format, but Jim McKay just gave us the 411. So, the United States and Sweden qualified for the medal round from the Blue Division; the Soviet Union and Finland, from the Red. Each team carried its record against the other team from its division into the medal round, and then each team played the two teams advancing from the opposite division. You get two points for a win, one for a tie and none for a loss, and the top point total wins the gold.
So, entering tonight's game, which was actually played at 5 Eastern time but is being shown on tape delay in prime time, here are the standings:
USSR 1-0-0 (2 points) USA 0-0-1 (1 point) Sweden 0-0-1 (1 point) Finland 0-1-0 (0 points)
After this game, Sweden and Finland play each other tonight. And then the United States plays Finland and the Soviets play Sweden on Sunday, Feb. 24.
No, apparently not. OK, good. I wonder what's a worse sign--getting confused and writing the post multiple times or getting confused and thinking you had written a post previously and then discovering you hadn't?
I remember being stunned that the U.S. team could beat Czechoslovakia and Norway--those places sounded like they should be icy countries with big, tough guys. But I had done a report on Romania for social studies one year, and I knew that things there seemed pretty bleak; I was not surprised by the United States' 7-2 win over Romania on Feb. 18.
And then, on Feb. 20, there was a 4-2, come-from-0-2-behind win over West Germany that I don't remember at all. That game must've been amazing, and I'm sure I watched it because we stayed home every night to watch the Olympics. Any sort of presidential convention, Olympics, big TV miniseries, etc. ... that's all we did in the evenings until stuff like that went off the air. Then we'd go back to the occasional trips out to drink Cokes on the riverfront or eat Long Johns at Donut Kastle or whatever.
I do know that, by the time the medal round started, I was gaga for this team. I knew the odds were against the United States; I'm pretty sure we watched this exhibition on Wide World of Sports or whatever before the Olympics started. But still ... I was 11, and I figured this was a team of destiny.
I really wish this YouTube video was the original ABC telecast with the commercial breaks and the cut backs and forth to other events, but, still, the Internet is Amazing--and thank you, YouTube user "andy15hockey," who posted this.
It wasn't like I could watch and get a sense of how the game was going by recognizing some matchup shift or strategy change; it was just all about hearing the excitement or doom in the voice of Al Michaels and the Lake Placid fans and the looks on the players' faces.
Now I'm sitting here following the same clues. Except this time I know how the result comes out, so I'm just trying to remember or imagine what 11-year-old me was feeling or what my parents might have been saying.
"The host team is attacking again," the Soviet TV commentators are translated as saying. They consistently refer to the Americans as "the host team," not "the Americans" or "the United States" or whatever, in the clips in this movie.
Well, that really is incredible. The United States, who scored in the last couple of seconds of the first period to tie at 2, ties at 3 in the last couple of seconds of a power-play opportunity.
11:21 to go, "and," Al Michaels says, "finally the building has come to life!"
And here's Mike Eruzione's go-ahead goal ... amazing ... that ecstatic, high-stepping, fist-pumping run that Eruzione does after his score ... wow ... that really is so great ... 10 minutes to go, Herb Brooks is smiling and, Michaels says, "now we've got bedlam!"
After a couple of Soviet misses, Michaels starts to, again, contextualize what's happening for us ... USSR enters this game with two points; USA, one ... American win would give us three points to Soviets' two, and win over Finland would clinch gold ... 6:47 to go ...
Oh, weird ... I went to lunch, came back and discover that the ESPN movie is no longer available on YouTube. Apparently, it was not posted by there by ESPN; I thought it had been. Well, it's a terrific movie. I hope to see the end on ESPN Classic some time.
Michaels cautions that the Canadians led the Soviets after two periods and that Finland led the USSR with five minutes to go in their game ... oh, shut up, Al Michaels!
Turn away from the screen if you plan to watch the tape delay and do not want to know the final score.
ReplyDeleteOK, I don't think I ever understood the medal-round format, but Jim McKay just gave us the 411. So, the United States and Sweden qualified for the medal round from the Blue Division; the Soviet Union and Finland, from the Red. Each team carried its record against the other team from its division into the medal round, and then each team played the two teams advancing from the opposite division. You get two points for a win, one for a tie and none for a loss, and the top point total wins the gold.
ReplyDeleteSo, entering tonight's game, which was actually played at 5 Eastern time but is being shown on tape delay in prime time, here are the standings:
USSR 1-0-0 (2 points)
USA 0-0-1 (1 point)
Sweden 0-0-1 (1 point)
Finland 0-1-0 (0 points)
After this game, Sweden and Finland play each other tonight. And then the United States plays Finland and the Soviets play Sweden on Sunday, Feb. 24.
Eleven-year-old me dialed in to this U.S. team early. I was playing on the shag carpet in my bedroom when Bill Baker scored the tying goal in the 2-2, tournament-opening draw with Sweden that would ultimately put the United States into the medal round. That sounds made up, but it's not. I totally remember it, and even 11-year-old me thought it was just crazy that the extra-skater strategy actually worked and produced the tie. From that goal on, I was totally jazzed about this team and everything Olympics.
ReplyDeleteThat game was on Feb. 12. Then the United States beat Czechoslovakia, 7-3, on Feb. 14 and Norway, 5-1, on Feb. 16.
ReplyDeleteWait, have I done this post before? I think I might've written about all of this stuff at the HP before.
No, apparently not. OK, good. I wonder what's a worse sign--getting confused and writing the post multiple times or getting confused and thinking you had written a post previously and then discovering you hadn't?
ReplyDeleteI remember being stunned that the U.S. team could beat Czechoslovakia and Norway--those places sounded like they should be icy countries with big, tough guys. But I had done a report on Romania for social studies one year, and I knew that things there seemed pretty bleak; I was not surprised by the United States' 7-2 win over Romania on Feb. 18.
ReplyDeleteTurns out the win over Czechoslovakia win was a stunner, particularly the 7-3 margin and Herb Brooks's televised language at the end of it.
DeleteAnd then, on Feb. 20, there was a 4-2, come-from-0-2-behind win over West Germany that I don't remember at all. That game must've been amazing, and I'm sure I watched it because we stayed home every night to watch the Olympics. Any sort of presidential convention, Olympics, big TV miniseries, etc. ... that's all we did in the evenings until stuff like that went off the air. Then we'd go back to the occasional trips out to drink Cokes on the riverfront or eat Long Johns at Donut Kastle or whatever.
ReplyDeleteI do know that, by the time the medal round started, I was gaga for this team. I knew the odds were against the United States; I'm pretty sure we watched this exhibition on Wide World of Sports or whatever before the Olympics started. But still ... I was 11, and I figured this was a team of destiny.
ReplyDeleteThis whole ESPN 30 For 30 movie on the Soviet team in 1980 is fantastic, and one of its especially excellent parts is where it addresses the exhibition in context with a recently completed series with NHL stars and how that all contributed to Soviet overconfidence.
DeleteThere's all kinds of great stuff in this movie. For example, I did not know that the Olympic Village in Lake Placid was a prison. Per Wikipedia:
Delete"... With the selection of Lake Placid for the 1980 Winter Olympics the inmates worked on the Olympic trails at Mount Van Hoevenburg. The camp facilities were used for Olympic staff housing, which led to renovation of the water treatment plant, sewage system, housing and food service areas. During the games, the inmates were relocated to other prison facilities in the state, and were replaced by 900 State Police and 300 U.S. Customs Bureau personnel, National Guard and security forces of foreign governments who provided security for the Games. An area of 200 acres (81 ha) of the facility was used as the site for the Olympic Village; after the games it became a new federal prison, the Federal Correctional Institution, Ray Brook. ...
Then the Soviets took 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 leads in the medal-round game with the United States, and inevitability seemed to be settling in on Team USA, Klinger and me. I don't remember this particular instance, but, so often in games where my team was hopelessly behind, Dad would come into my bedroom and try to prepare me emotionally for a loss. That was always the worst. I wouldn't even look at him. I'd just keep my eyes fixed on my little black-and-white set, while he stood in the doorway trying to head off my disappointment. I imagine something like this was going on after two periods.
ReplyDeleteThe goal to tie things at 2 comes with 1 second to go in the first period. The Russian goalie says he and his two defensemen had glanced up momentarily at the scoreboard clock, allowing the American, Mark Johnson, just enough of a window to slice through and slap in the perfectly timed attempt. "After that, the proceedings were very serious," says a Soviet journalist.
DeleteAt this point, the Soviet coach benched his star goalie. "For the Americans," says the Soviet captain, "it was like a life-saving gulp of air."
DeleteLook. Even Jim Craig looks like he has lost hope.
ReplyDelete"Everybody still believed we would win," says a Russian forward in the great ESPN movie.
DeleteI really wish this YouTube video was the original ABC telecast with the commercial breaks and the cut backs and forth to other events, but, still, the Internet is Amazing--and thank you, YouTube user "andy15hockey," who posted this.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know anything about hockey then, and I still don't now.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't like I could watch and get a sense of how the game was going by recognizing some matchup shift or strategy change; it was just all about hearing the excitement or doom in the voice of Al Michaels and the Lake Placid fans and the looks on the players' faces.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm sitting here following the same clues. Except this time I know how the result comes out, so I'm just trying to remember or imagine what 11-year-old me was feeling or what my parents might have been saying.
ReplyDeletePower play for the Americans ... color-commentator Ken Dryden calls the penalty questionable ... oh, shut up, Ken Dryden ...
ReplyDelete"The host team is attacking again," the Soviet TV commentators are translated as saying. They consistently refer to the Americans as "the host team," not "the Americans" or "the United States" or whatever, in the clips in this movie.
DeleteWell, that really is incredible. The United States, who scored in the last couple of seconds of the first period to tie at 2, ties at 3 in the last couple of seconds of a power-play opportunity.
ReplyDelete11:21 to go, "and," Al Michaels says, "finally the building has come to life!"
"Our defenseman made a mistake," says the Russian commentator.
DeleteAnd here's Mike Eruzione's go-ahead goal ... amazing ... that ecstatic, high-stepping, fist-pumping run that Eruzione does after his score ... wow ... that really is so great ... 10 minutes to go, Herb Brooks is smiling and, Michaels says, "now we've got bedlam!"
ReplyDelete"I couldn't make sense of what was happening," says the replaced Soviet goalie.
DeleteAfter a couple of Soviet misses, Michaels starts to, again, contextualize what's happening for us ... USSR enters this game with two points; USA, one ... American win would give us three points to Soviets' two, and win over Finland would clinch gold ... 6:47 to go ...
ReplyDelete"Every second that passes ... very little time left, but enough to correct the situation," says the Soviet commentator.
DeleteOh, weird ... I went to lunch, came back and discover that the ESPN movie is no longer available on YouTube. Apparently, it was not posted by there by ESPN; I thought it had been. Well, it's a terrific movie. I hope to see the end on ESPN Classic some time.
DeleteMichaels cautions that the Canadians led the Soviets after two periods and that Finland led the USSR with five minutes to go in their game ... oh, shut up, Al Michaels!
ReplyDelete3:23 ...
ReplyDelete"2:25 ... 2:24 ... 2:23 remaining," says Michaels ... "2:09 ..."
ReplyDelete"A minute, 58 ... a minute, 57 ..."
ReplyDeleteAnd there it is. That still really is so excellent. Hurrah! HURRAH!
ReplyDelete"Imagine American football being played in the Summer Olympics, and imagine an all-star team of Canadian college boys beating the Pittsburgh Steelers," says Jim McKay. "It's that big an upset.
ReplyDelete"Bob Beattie tells us he was in a restaurant called Jimmy's across from our hotel when the result was announced there, and he said all the people in the place spontaneously stood up and started singing the National Anthem. I personally can't remember something like that happening since World War II.
"It's just ... it's just such a great night of national ... achievement and pride. But, more specifically, I think it's pride in the spirit and the determination and the faith of the young people of this country. They are just sensational--the hockey team and Phil Mahre. What a day."
Incidentally, the Chuck Mangione song at the opening of ABC's telecast is "Give It All You Got," which was the official theme of the XIII Olympic Winter Games.
ReplyDelete