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 But while the American victory over the Soviets at Lake Placid in
1980 is regarded as the sport's ultimate upset and has been
immortalized on film, the game 20 years earlier was in some ways
just as remarkable and, partly due to its comparatively limited
worldwide audience, has been dubbed the "Forgotten Miracle."
Despite having won the silver medal in 1952 and 1956, the United
States were given no real hope of winning the gold when the Winter
Olympics were held at Squaw Valley in California.
Just as they did in 1980, they went into the Games with a team made
up of amateur college players while the Soviets were a seemingly
unstoppable force. They had won the gold medal at the previous
Olympics and had not lost an international tournament in the
intervening years.
Canada, who won the gold in six of the first seven Winter Olympic
competitions, were also a formidable opponent, as were
Czechoslovakia.
The Americans won their opening game against Czechoslovakia 7-5
after trailing 4-2 at the end of the second period then thrashed
Australia 12-1 to qualify for the medal round, which featured six
teams.
They easily won their next two games, against Sweden and Germany,
but then faced the imposing job of beating Canada, the Soviet Union
and Czechoslovakia in their last three games to take the gold.
It seemed an impossible task but the dream started to come alive
when they squeaked past Canada 2-1. Two days later, they played the
mighty Soviets.
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Although the Americans scored first, they were trailing 2-1 at the
end of the first period but scored a goal in each of the remaining
two periods to seal a 3-2 win.
Their final game against the Czechs was scheduled for 8am the
following day and after two periods, the Americans trailed 4-3. But
they woke up in the nick of time, banging in six unanswered goals in
the last period to become the first United States team to win the
gold.
Canada took the silver and the USSR — who went on to win six of the
next seven golds, took the bronze in a tournament that resonated
loud when the Games returned to the U.S. 20 years later.
One of the leading players on the 1960 United States team was Bill
Christian, who was later inducted into the Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.
His son David also won a gold medal, on the 1980 team.
Herb Brooks was selected for the 1960 team but was dropped a week
before the Games. Two decades later, he coached the Miracle On Ice
team.
(Editing by Mitch Phillips)
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