Thirty-five years ago today, on February 24, 1980, the United States hockey team defeated Finland, 4-2, to capture the gold medal in the 1980 Winter Olympic Games, delivering a much-needed lift to a downcast America.
The improbable journey to victory of those eager young amateurs – which included the defeat of a heavily-favored Soviet team to earn a place in the gold medal game – galvanized a nation and made, for a week or two at least, hockey fans of all of us. The so-called "Miracle on Ice" provided Americans a joyous emotional release in the midst of our anger and frustration over countrymen held hostage in Iran, outrage at the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and the burden of soaring energy prices and interest rates. The USA hockey team served as a reminder that, with hard work and the right kind of chemistry, it was possible to overcome long odds, stare down adversity, and reclaim what politicians today promote as “American exceptionalism.”
With the benefit of hindsight one can see the victory in Lake Placid for what it was in the world beyond sport: a propitious crack in the ice of the Cold War. One can also make a case that the feel-good nationalism unleashed that night helped set the stage for Ronald "It's Morning in America" Reagan's defeat of Jimmy Carter in the presidential election the following November.
For that moment, though, it just felt great to cheer for one kick-ass American hockey team.