“…tremendously tremendous.” – Ed Olczyk, February 21, 2010
The photo on the left shows U.S. Olympic Hockey Team players celebrating a goal in last night’s surprising 5-3 American victory over the heavily-favored Canadian squad. The U.S. victory in Vancouver was described by MSNBC commentator and 20-year NHL veteran Ed Olzcyk–perhaps unintentionally, maybe humorously, but undoubtedly accurately–as “tremendously tremendous.”
At right is the iconic photo taken thirty years ago this evening, when the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team, composed almost entirely of college players, stunned the world by defeating the vaunted Soviet professional hockey juggernaut 4-3, on their way to the gold medal. The beautifully wordless Sports Illustrated cover conveys the shocked jubilance of the young U.S. athletes and reflects the joy felt by Americans with the win, which was set within the dispirited context of the Cold War, a struggling national economy, and the recent humiliating capture of American hostages in Iran.
The U.S. upset last night does not compare in scope to the 1980 American victory over the Soviets, considered by many the greatest team in the world, in a game that was captured by announcer Al Michaels as the final seconds ticked from the clock with the words, “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” But it did provide all who witnessed it with an exciting lesson of the underdog’s power in competition and a reminder of the unparalleled thrill of that Friday night in Lake Placid, New York thirty years ago.
