Happy Anniversary, 1980 U.S. hockey team

30 years ago today, the "Miracle on Ice" game between the U.S. and Soviet Union happened, and Joe Posnanski has a good column on it on SI.com.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/joe_posnanski/02/22/miracle.on.ice/index.html?eref=sihp

It's still one of the most memorable sports memories of my lifetime. Growing up in SoCal, I wasn't the biggest hockey fan. There were Kings games on TV once in a while, and I knew who Marcel Dionne and Charlie Simmer were, but that was about the extent of it.

I started watching the Olympic hockey games because I knew the Games were going to be on every night and I figured hockey was really the only event I would get into.

And to answer the question: Yes, I did know the outcome when my family sat down to watch the game that night. Being on the West Coast, there was no way I was not going to find out. I was in my room after coming home from school and a little while later, I hear my Mom calling me from the living room to get out there now. I figured I was in trouble, but when I got there to find out what she wanted, she just pointed to the TV. There, I saw the anchorman on the local news (Jerry Dunphy, for those who remember him), with a US-USSR graphic behind, just as he was wrapping up the late-breaking bulletin "... and again the final score, USA 4, USSR 3."


It didn't spoil the game that much for me, because I knew I was watching something special and just wanted to see how it unfolded. Those last 10 minutes of the game would've drove me nuts if I didn't know, though.

 

I heard Peter Jennings, I think it was Jennings, give the result after the game but before it was on TV. I ran through my dorm yelling the USA beat the Russians, before I had time to think about 'spoilers'. Probably too wasted, I did attend Maryland in the early 80's

 

I was visiting a friend at her college dorm and was leaving for home when someone in the hall announced the result.

But I've never been one of those who tries to avoid the result before watching a game, so it didn't bother me in the least. In fact, it made me want to watch it even more.

 

In Detroit, one of the TV news anchors announced the result during a cutaway - during the game. Man, there were a lot of people pissed at him!

 

You can't tell Bill Bonds what he can and cannot do...

 

I dialed SportsPhone -- 976-1313 -- about a hundred times that afternoon/evening.

I was so pissed that ABC didn't show the game live, and there was no way I was going to wait for a tape delay to find out who won.

I feel like an idiot when I watch sports on tape. Here I am rooting for something to happen -- and while I know my rooting, even really hard, has no impact, it feels worthless for an event that's already happened.

 

Couldn't you have watched it live on a Canadian feed?

 

It was USA vs. USSR. Canada probably didn't care.

 

I was driving around that afternoon running errands and heard the result on a radio newscast. Gave me a lot of extra time to plan out the section that night. I don't remember what headline we used, but I do remember there was a photo of Morrow, I think, who somehow got his stick between the boot and the blade of a Russian's skate. It was a pretty cool photo.
Something else I remember: Dave Silk was asked before the game if he could imagine what it would be like to beat the Russians. He said, "If we beat the Russians, we can get any girl in town."
And, yes, I was up at 8 a.m. on Sunday to watch the final game. That was quite a feat because back then I was known as Kolchak: The Night Stalker.

 

Posnanski's story says it was shown live north of the border.

 

He was probably drinking some sauce and forgot he was live.

 

Still remember watching that game. One of the all-time sports highlight moments in my lifetime.