The most memorable moment in hockey history came thirty-four years ago with the 1980 Miracle on Ice. The Americans defeating the dominant Soviet team at the Olympics was not only an important triumph for USA Hockey, but for the entire nation. Contrary to popular belief, the underdog win was not only the result of a miracle; it was also the result of a hard-working team led by Coach Herb Brooks. With increasingly negative views on the position of the United States in the Cold War, the Miracle on Ice and the gold medal win lifted the spirits of the nation and brought hockey into the American spotlight. In 1980, it seemed like the United States was not as dominant in the world as it had been before. The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union began after World War II. The two nations had joined forces as members of the Allies, but tensions arose after the war. The Americans were very worried about the spread of Soviet communism, and tried to prevent it with a policy of containment, where the United States would protect countries from outside oppression. The Cold War also expanded to include the race between the Soviets and Americans to create atomic weapons. Furthermore, there was a race between the two countries to put the first man in space, which was accomplished by the United States in 1961 (“Cold War History”). The Cold War was a standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union to try to prove their dominance in the world. Each country wanted to have more power and diminish the power of the other. At home, Americans were paranoid with the thought of Soviet spies and communists hiding amongst them, dubbed the “Red Scare.” President Richard Nixon and the Soviet premier Leonid Brezhnev signed the Strategic A... ... middle of paper ... ...ital it is to work together as a team in order to be successful. Also, success is something that should not be taken for granted, as captain Mike Eruzione said: “I think Americans have to realize its not easy to win that, and when you do, it’s something that’s unique and special” (qtd. in Thompson). To the U.S. team, the win over the Soviets was just another hockey game, even though it was special to them. To the nation, it meant much more. The game was proof that America could still hold its own in the world, and could compete with the most powerful countries. Having been caught in the Cold War for decades, defeating the Soviets on the ice provided hope that they could be defeated elsewhere as well. Hockey grew in the United States thanks to the popularity of the Miracle on Ice. The game was an opportunity for Americans to feel pride for their country again.
As stated in my thesis statement, the sport of hockey has been forced to compete with the growing mass popularity with other sports such as basketball and football. There once was a point in time where hockey had just as much popularity as those sports but because people are finding more interest in those sports, the National Hockey League found itself in a “drought” of unimportance with other sports. With not televising the sport as “commonly” as other sports.
In the Miracle speech, the coach is using pathos to get to the player’s heart and wanted them to win by saying : “ Tonight, we are the greatest team in the world. You were born to be hockey players--every one of you, and you were meant to be here tonight” . He puts pressure on them for being the best team that they can be, for them to shut down the Soviet’s team. He speaked aggressive so the players would want to push their capability of playing, and for the players to put in their head that they’re the best so that they won’t give up in the game. Moreover, the coach want to put the team in the situation that they have to beat the Soviet’s team by using pathos when he said: “ This is your time. Their time is done. It’s over. I’m sick and tired
The Cold War was a period of dark and melancholic times when the entire world lived in fear that the boiling pot may spill. The protectionist measures taken by Eisenhower kept the communists in check to suspend the progression of USSR’s radical ambitions and programs. From the suspenseful delirium from the Cold War, the United States often engaged in a dangerous policy of brinksmanship through the mid-1950s. Fortunately, these actions did not lead to a global nuclear disaster as both the US and USSR fully understood what the weapons of mass destruction were capable of.
Shortly after he retired, he was named the Executive Director for Canada’s Men’s Olympic Hockey team. Gretzky used his great leadership skills to help guide the team to winning Gold Medals in 2002 after a 50 year drought. It is easy to see that Gretzky’s presence helped end the streak and earn Canada a medal. While Gretzky had acquired his position with the Canadian team, he also took a position for the N.H.L.’s Phoenix Coyotes. He first bought part of the Coyotes before eventually becoming the team’s head coach in 2005.
If you ask any Canadian what they were doing on september 28 1972, there it a good chance they will say watching the Canadians and soviets battling it out for the title of the summit series. It was one of the largest rivalry games in Canadian history. Kids in school watched the games during class, People across the nation sat on the edge of their seats for the month of september and were thrilled when Canada pulled off the victory. All of the hype leading up to the event made people wonder if the summit series was the biggest event in Canadian sports history or even Canadian history in general.There is no doubt that the summit series was a huge milestone for Canada and brought the nation together for an exciting ride, even to this day we still see the effects of this great event, it sculpted the game of hockey that we know and love today.
People consider the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team to be one of the greatest things to happen in U.S Olympic history. Their game against the Soviets is known as "The Miracle on Ice." The world was stunned when the United States defeated the Soviets in the semi-final game of the 1980 Olympics. The Soviets hadn't been beaten in the gold medal game in years. This miracle game is still greatly known around the world and will not be forgotten by Americans any time soon.
But, the most meaningful way I have connected myself to Russian culture is through ice hockey. I have played hockey throughout my entire life and many of my favorite players are Russian. I realized this connection when my teammates and I were watching the movie Miracle at a hockey tournament in Lake Placid, not in 1980 though. In the movie, it showed the Soviets having the best ice hockey program in the world at the time, while the young U.S. ice hockey program was developing. Throughout the entire movie, I was cheering for the Soviet Union because it was my homeland. But what I didn’t know at the time was that I was the only one in the room who had not seen the movie. During the first game that the U.S. played, the Soviets crucified the U.S. 10-3. … And then came the Olympics
Today, the term hockey describes differing games in various parts of the world, but specifically in North America it refers
Today, Canada’s Hockey players lead the world in this sport and more than half of the current NHL players are from Canada. Some of the players, past and present, are outstanding and famous. For example, this year’s Art Ross Trophy winner was Martin St. Louise, and the Conn Smythe Trophy winner was Brad Richards. They are both Canadians. Among the many famous Canadian hockey players that have originated in Canada are Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard, Bobby Ore, Ken Dryden, Bobby Hull, and the most famous and greatest Hockey player to live, Wayne Gretzky.
In 1990 women’s hockey had its first World Championship. Team Canada was made to wear pink jerseys as described in Hockey: A People’s History which showed a clear difference in the opinions of men playing versus women, as the women did not get to wear the red and white that the men wore to represent their country. However, this was still an important step. Men’s hockey was introduced to the Olympic Games in 1920. Women’s hockey was not included until 1998. It took 78 years for female hockey players to get to the same level on an international scale that men had been welcomed to. Olympic competition is arguably the best of the best; as countries send their most successful athletes to compete against the best from countries that they may not have the opportunity to play against in regular competition. While it may have taken many years, the introduction of women’s hockey into the Olympics was a clear display of the legitimization of the game. Thanks to the addition, many girls in Canada and around the world have had more exposure to women playing hockey. Especially for Canadian’s, seeing Team Canada dominate so frequently on the world stage has helped the growth of the game for women and has helped with the acceptance of female
In his first two seasons in the NHL, Wayne Gretzky won the Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded to the league’s most valuable player twice, and the Art Ross Trophy, awarded to the league’s leading goal scorer once. In his first season he became the youngest player to score 50 goals. In his second season he broke the NHL record for most points and assists in a season. But during the 1981-1982 season, just one year after Mike Bossy did the unthinkable, Gretzky took it to a whole other level, and set out on a path to transcend not only hockey, but sports and society as we know it.
The grind of the playoffs can have a huge impact on players physically and mentally. The format of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is a 16 team bracket with teams playing a best of seven game series against each other. The format has undergone minor changes through the years such as the first series being best of five and only the top four teams make the Playoffs. The unwritten code of the playoffs is playing hurt. Players play through immense pain as to not let their team down. The thought is that is you can hold a stick and sit up straight, you are good to go. In 2012, Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron played through a cartilage tear in his ribs, a punctured lung, and a separated shoulder. In the 1999 playoffs, Mike Modano broke his wrist and played the rest of the playoffs while having to have his wrist shot up before every game. Dallas won the Stanley Cup that year (Bernstein 187-212). Winning the Stanley Cup leaves many players speechless because it is such an honor to win it. The thought process that goes into winning the Cup is something that is different for every player. The fact that these players have been dreaming of hoisting the Cup their whole lives and then finally getting to see their dream unfold before their eyes is something that is very special to them. “To win the Cup was just a dream come true, it really was” (Bernstein 44). Because of the
Since the United States isn’t very powerful in the field of hockey, this event is merely celebrated throughout the country. If the tiniest things hadn’t of went our way, the ending would be a completely different story. The best call was deciding to put in Mark Johnson in the end of the first quarter. Not only did he play incredibly, but he scored the goal to tie the game at three to three. The coach of this team is Herb
Skkkt..skkkkt...your ice skate blade grits across the ice. But what are you doing, figure skating? No it’s hockey! Did you know that the first hockey team was formed in 1877 and that hockey was originated in Windsor, Nova Scotia? Would you like to play ice hockey? Well, a famous NFL (national hockey league) player by the name Shae Weber said, “I’m definitely hoping to stay, just like anyone would. That’s the ultimate goal, but I’m just taking things one step at a time.” Shea Weber is currently an alternate captain for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League, and he is an NHL All-Star and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. Most people say hockey is boring, but it’s very challenging, fun, and a exciting way to stay active.
While watching the movie, I learned a lot about America in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Before watching the movie, I thought that travel to the Soviet Union from the United States and vice versa would have been cut off due to the Cold War tensions between them. Instead the movie showed that the Soviets had no problem getting to the U.S for their games at Lake Placid and Madison Square Garden. I did not know that the United States were not allowed to play professional hockey players in the Olympics at that time. This created a big problem because the US team was full of young college players who had not played together, while the Soviets were much more experienced and had played together since a young age. I was not aware of the huge impact the game had on American society. During this time period America’s economy was not flourishing in any means and the Cold War was in progress, but this win showed the people that there is hope and that the Soviet Union was no longer an unbeatable world power. This helped spur American nationalism and led to a decrease in Soviet