“Do you believe in miracles?” (Al Michaels). The United States as a country were in a state of uncertainty and not very much hope. A major component was our arch nemesis Russia formally known as the Soviet Union (USSR). The cold war was running rampant around the time of 1979 and 1980, lots of Americans were very insecure about the wellbeing of themselves because they knew the power house of the soviet military. There are many differences when comparing the 1980 team and the 2014 team. For instance the 1980 team was full of college kids who either had just graduated or were still in college, however the 2014 team is full of professional athletes who all play in the NHL and back in the 1980’s professional athletes were not allowed to compete for their countries in the olympics. In fact 1992 was the first year professional athletes could participate. Many people believe that there will never be another dream team in the sense of words that just a group of kids can take on the powerhouses of Europe and the rest of the world. What is very exciting about these two teams, Americans and the Soviets, is that there is a lot of controversy surrounding both teams in their route for the gold. Through comparing the 1980 and 2014 Olympic Men’s Hockey teams and what was found was that only a team of 20 young college kids can change a nation to be optimistic and believe in miracles. Winning in any sport you need the right players and coaches to fit into a certain system to accomplish the goal that you set out for yourselves. Before the Olympics began the USA were in search of a new coach and a new hope not to be a joke compared to other countries around the world. After the long interviewing process of attempting to hire a coach they finally w... ... middle of paper ... ...ct him. Lots of hard work and dedication did not necessarily pay off right away in the games before the olympics but they did have a big win over an all star team but when push came to shove, the soviets dominated them 10-3 at Madison Square Garden in front of all of America which did not give the Americans lots of hope and excitement for their boys in red, white, and blue. Despite the disbelief in the team the country was still very excited about the Olympics being in Squaw Valley. USA started out the preliminary round with a big tilt against team Sweden. The game was extremely close and the Americans were down by a score of 2-1 with about five minutes left in the game and with less than a minute left Baker scored on a one timer slapshot to tie the game at two. The Americans needed to beat or at least tie the sweden team to even have a chance for the medal round.
In the book “The Boys of Winter” by Wayne Coffey, shows the struggle of picking the twenty men to go to Lake Placid to play in the 1980 Olympics and compete for the gold medal. Throughout this book Wayne Coffey talks about three many points. The draft and training, the importance of the semi-final game, and the celebration of the gold medal by the support the team got when they got home.
Brooks' 1980 Olympic hockey team consisted of college students whose average age was 22 years, and was full of rivalry because of players being from different universities. This young team was being matched against some opponents who had played and practiced together year-round, for several years. The Soviets had beaten a team of National Hockey League all-stars the year before, and they triumphed over this young U.S. team at an exhibition game in New York a week before the Olympiad (Herb Brooks). Herb did not ...
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.
a sport with no pressure to do better than anyone else, there are no winners or
Every Canadian had some kind of fear on what’s going on in the outside world. The cold war was well underway at the time of the series. There was a lot tension in the world, no one was sure what was going to happen, there was always a threat of attack or nuclear bombing. There was always scepticism of letting the soviet communists into Canada. There was a lot of hatred between the two nations at the time. Harold Ballard The owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the time did not want to let the soviets into his arena because he hated communists. Before the series the soviets were much more hated. During the series Canadians were shown that the soviets were not communist robots and that they were a lot alike. In a way citizens were relieved to see the two nations battle over something that doesn’t involve war, the soviets became a little more accepted in the Canadian
Ice hockey is a sport that is played and loved all around the world. The hockey culture is like no other. I have firsthand experience with this culture and it’s different from many things. Hockey gets the reputation as a brutal sport with a bunch of goons trying to kill each other, but most people don’t get to see on the other side. Hockey brings people together whether you are a different race, have different beliefs, or a different gender it’s like one big happy family. Ice hockey wasn’t invented or it didn’t have a specific year it began. It all started around the 1800’s in Windsor, where three college students from King’s College, adapted their knowledge of the game field hockey to the ice, where a new winter sport was born. The boys called the game Ice Hurley which later got called to what we know today as Ice Hockey. As the years went by, the game was being played by soldiers across Canada, where it was carried o...
There are many stereotypes in the American society that bestows an idea of the depiction of Russians. From past Olympics, we see that the Russians excel in sports and are powerful individuals. We also see the power and intelligence which come from this country.
Hill, Christopher R. "The Cold War and the Olympic Movement." History Today. History Today, 1999. Web. 18 May 2014. .
...rk, Michael A. "Winning. How Important Is It in Youth Sports?" Youth Sports Institute: Michigan State University.
...faster than the Soviets during the Space Race. The Americans only accomplished one mission faster than the Soviets, where as the Soviets accomplished three missions faster that the Americans. But the only reason that the topic of putting a man came up was because the Americans were embarrassed at being behind the Space Race. In 1961 President Kennedy went to congress and announced that he wanted to be the first to put a man on the Moon so that they could at least win one mission against the Soviets. One thing the Americans did was give credit to all of mankind because of what Neil Armstrong said, “This is one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” Even though they were losing the space race they still believed that everyone should get credit for this accomplishment. So, The Soviets won because of many more accomplishments during the Space Race.
LOS ANGELES, California (Achieve3000, February 23, 2010). It was the game that decided which of the men's basketball teams would capture the 2008 Olympic gold medal. Near the end of the fourth quarter, the team from the USA was up by only five points. Their opponent, Spain, could still defeat them. Team USA, made up entirely of NBA superstars, was supposed to be the best in the world, yet its players were struggling to stay ahead.
...d 1950’s Czechoslovakia was considered a world power. If they had stayed as one nation there is an argument to be made that they could have been the best nation in the world when it comes to ice hockey. There have been several incredible stories to come out of Czechoslovakian ice hockey, along with several incredible players and teams along the way. The Czech hockey players definitely suffered a few bumps in the road, such as tragedy and legal issues, but they also had many positives. They expanded the game across their nation to be considered a world power at one point, and that legacy has carried over to the future. The Czech Republic and Slovakia have taken things from hockey in Czechoslovakia and expanded it to their individual nations. Overall it is pretty incredible what Czechoslovakia went through in the process of developing into a very strong hockey nation.
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
“‘They score! Henderson has scored for Canada!’” Foster Hewitt wordlessly described” (Pelletier) when Paul Henderson scored the series-winning goal. This allowed Canada to win the 1972 Summit Series, a moment that no one would ever forget since it all happened during the climax of the Cold War. Prior to this, the Soviets had won the previous three Olympic gold metals since Canada could not use its NHL players. Thus, this provided Canada with the chance to play hockey against the USSR using its best players. This raised the question: if Canada were able to send its best players, would it still be enough to beat the Soviets? Everyone in Canada was certain that the Soviets would not win a single game, but little did they know they underestimated the extent of the Soviets abilities. Tied in the last few minutes of game eight, Canada had to score or they would lose the series. However, when Paul Henderson scored the game-winning goal, never before had a single sporting event meant so much to Canadians. Therefore, Paul Henderson’s goal is a defining moment for Canada in the twentieth century becauseit provided Canada with the opportunity to evolve hockey, proved that Canada and our democratic society were superior to the USSR and their communist society, and brought citizens together to unify Canada as a nation.
Despite their obvious contributions to our nation, recent developments in U.S. immigration policy are making it more difficult for these athletes to travel and compete, and nearly impossible to pursue a path to citizenship. Immigration is what made our country great. The ambition, passion,