When the U.S. hockey team defeated the legendary U.S.S.R. Red Army team in the “Miracle on Ice” game in the 1980 Olympic semifinals, life changed forever for many of the players.
Coach Herb Brooks’ “miracle men”–mostly fresh-faced college players in their early 20s–won the gold medal when they beat Finland two days later, but it was their spine-tingling 4-3 victory over the mighty Russians that solidified their status as the “Team of the Century,” regardless of sport.
Now, almost a quarter-century later, the release of the movie “Miracle” is enabling millions to relive that story. And again, something is changing for some of the true stars of the film, the 20 young Americans who went head-to-head with the feared Russian sports colossus and made it blink.
“The phone hasn’t stopped ringing,” team captain Mike Eruzione said, laughing.
Eruzione’s 30-foot slap shot broke a 3-3 tie and gave the Americans their victory in a game that transcends the term “classic.”
“I’ve been doing a lot of speaking engagements over the years, but this is insane . . . which is good,” Eruzione said.
“And now it’s a new generation of kids [seeing “Miracle”]. Even in my hometown, kids 10 and 11 years old who have known me look at me differently all of a sudden because they’ve seen this movie and now they know why their parents and grandparents have talked about me and my teammates in ways they didn’t understand.”
The players in that historic game needed some time to grasp the magnitude of what they had done. For some it took months, even years.
“Unless you were alive then, you can’t appreciate what that was like, how that [Russian] team was feared and even hated. It was just unbelievable,” said Jim Craig, the goalie and last line of defense against the dominating Russians.
With “Miracle,” the impact returns for the heroes of Lake Placid. For some it is financial. For others, emotional. For others it’s a matter of satisfaction that a great story has been well told.
Several of the players went to Vancouver during shooting in the spring of 2003, and several Disney executives were on hand as well. Eruzione, still their captain and spokesman, said a few words, then looked at director Gavin O’Connor and the Disney people and said, “You know, 23 years ago we played hockey and we won a gold medal and it was a great time and a great story. Now we’re entrusting the story to you guys. It’s up to you not to screw it up.”
The story holds up well.
“What they needed from us,” said Jack O’Callahan, now a stockbroker in Chicago who played five seasons with the Blackhawks and coached at Loyola Academy, “was our assistance to ensure the reality of it. That was something they recognized early on and struck a deal with us so we would support the movie. If this movie was some schlocky production, and then people called me up to ask what I thought, we’d have been very straightforward about it.
“To their credit they were willing to involve us and involve us in a big way.”
It has created some fresh opportunities as well.
Eruzione, still in demand for motivational speeches, usually does about 20 a year, working them into the schedule he maintains as director of athletic development at Boston University, his alma mater, and assistant hockey coach at Winthrop (Mass.) High School.
This year he has 15 speeches scheduled in February and March alone, all over the country.
“It has been very busy for some time now,” said Bob Murray, a Boston attorney whose firm has represented 19 of the 20 players for several years.
Murray declined to discuss their appearance fees, except to say they are what they always were.
“It really depends on what the occasion is,” Murray said. “But they really enjoy doing these, and it’s amazing how many times people like Mike get asked back to speak by the same companies.”
The players have remained close over the years, but the movie seems to have drawn them closer. The friendships formed during the seven months they were together before the Olympics endured long after the event passed and the “miracle men” got on with their lives.
“As hockey players, when you’re part of a team, you don’t really remember who made the plays or scored the goals sometimes,” O’Callahan said. “You really remember what happened in practice or on a road trip or when you were in a bar or restaurant. You remember the stories that were away from the game . . . sometimes they’re much more memorable.
“You ask any athlete what he misses most and a lot of them will tell you they miss hanging out with the guys.”
All but one of the players were on hand for the film’s Los Angeles premiere, and all agreed actor Kurt Russell’s portrayal of Brooks was a masterpiece. In their view, it is more difficult to capture a real-life character than to create one.
The film’s accuracy was all but assured by the use of some players as consultants, and actor/skater Billy Schneider portrayed his father, Olympian Buzz Schneider. If there was any question, it was whether the players could watch the film and enjoy it as a movie.
“I told Kurt Russell he had a better eye for talent than Herb did because Kurt seemed to play me more in the movie,” John Harrington said, laughing.
O’Connor, the director, told the players his goal was to keep Hollywood out of the way of the story.
“We don’t have to add drama to this because it’s a naturally occurring story,” O’Connor said.
Said O’Callahan: “We lived `Rocky.’ We really did live it. And we’re still living it as a group to this day, the way we’re close and together.”
The film’s portrayal of the team is gratifying, too, because it shows the team beyond just Brooks, Craig and Eruzione, its most recognizable names.
“Back then you didn’t have the media coverage you have now, so there were so many great players on that team that you didn’t get to hear about,” Craig said. “It was so much more than just Herb or Mike or me or any one person. It was all of us, together.
“That thing was a love affair between a coach and a group of 20 guys who shared something and between that team and a country that needed something like that. . . . “
As spectacular as the 1980 Miracle on Ice was, the achievement did not register immediately with all the participants. The players went back to their other teams as soon as the Olympics were over and then pursued their various careers.
Some of the 1980 Olympians went on to play professional hockey–defenseman Ken Morrow won four Stanley Cups with the New York Islanders. Harrington and Phil Verchota played for the U.S. team in the 1984 Olympics. That unhappy experience helped the players grasp what they had been a part of in 1980.
The U.S. team lost right away to Canada and Czechoslovakia and was out of medal contention early despite the presence of future NHL stars Chris Chelios and Pat LaFontaine.
“Losing so quickly made me think, `Wow, how did that happen in 1980?'” Harrington said. “That was the first time when I think I said, `Wow, that was a huge accomplishment.'”
The release of the movie brought the achievement into clearer perspective. All this attention nearly a quarter-century later causes them to shake their heads.
“I’ve dealt with it so much over the last 24 years and this kind of confirms what I’ve been saying for the last 24 years,” Eruzione said. “People coming up to me and stopping me on the street, `Loved the movie,’ and it’s 1980 all over again.
“It just tells me again that this moment meant a lot to a lot of people, not just ourselves. And how many times does an athlete get the opportunity to touch so many lives in such a positive way? That’s what sets this moment apart.”
As Craig said, you really can’t go back in time, “but this was an event when people can stop and look back and remember where they were at that moment. I think maybe that makes it a little bit of a miracle.”
