The Miracle on Ice - February 22, 1980

You'll excuse me for departing from registry-related material for today's blog post.  This is the 32nd anniversary of "The Miracle on Ice" in which the USA defeated the Soviet Union in men's hockey in the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York.  The Americans went on to defeat Finland to win the gold medal while the Soviets got the silver.  Besides being a fantastic display of hockey, this game had enormous symbolism to the nation.  Just three months before, the US Embassy in Iran had been seized by radical students and the embassy staff continued to be held hostage (a situation that would persist until January 1981).  Two months earlier, the Soviet Union had invaded Afghanistan and the US could do nothing but weakly protest.  In early 1980, it seemed that the Soviets were in the ascent, at least in foreign affairs, while the US was in a period of post-Vietnam decline.  This one hockey game seemed to alter the mood of the nation and signal the beginning of an American resurgence.  Ten years later, Communism collapsed and the Soviet Union ceased to exist.  The video below shows the final minute of the US v Soviet game, with Al Michaels' iconic play-by-play.