Remembering a Miracle That Changed the Course of the Winter Olympics

Who can forget it? It's the game that captivated a nation, when the U.S. hockey team pulled off an upset that changed sports history.

The gold medal, a Winter Olympics treasure, is preserved at the Lake Placid Winter Olympic Museum in New York. But, its main attraction is in the very back corner where you'll find just a bench and a TV.

Some people could sit there for hours, watching what will forever be known as "the miracle on ice."

It was a special night in Lake Placid back in February 1980.

Tour guide Jim Rogers remembers the game like it was yesterday. He was working for the Olympics that day.

“I walked up to the door and the state police was standing there with locked arms. I showed them my accreditation and they said, 'you can’t go in.'”

The venue had already exceeded capacity.

"So we went home and watched it live on Canadian TV."

The game was tape delayed to the U.S. audience and eyes around the world were glued to their TV screens as the underdog U.S. hockey team, made up of college players, pulled off one of the greatest upsets in sports history.

"That hockey game won by a team that had lost to the same team 10-3 just six or eight games before, which is mindblowing."

The US took down the mighty Soviet squad, regarded as the finest in the world.

They won 4-3 before a crowd of 10,000 people.

Two days later, Team USA beat Finland to win Olympic gold.

Rogers says the game contributed to the preservation of the Winter Olympics in the US.

He also believes it changed Russia.

"Not only the Russians said this, that game started the slide for communism. That’s a strong statement."

Each Team USA player now has his photo safely displayed in the museum.

Some were from Boston, including team captain Mike Eruzione and goalie Jim Craig. Their photos are right next to each other.

It was a moment in time that changed the course of the Winter Olympics.

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