The premise of the movie is that Herb Brooks, Head Coach of the Minnesota University Hockey Team, is in a recruiting meeting with the U.S.A. National Team in 1979, for the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. The problem is they are all afraid of facing the powerhouse U.S.S.R. team, that won the gold medal in the past four Olympics in a row, well, everyone but Herb. He thinks that he can get a team together, of young college talent, and beat the Soviet Union. They laugh, but ultimately give him his team, and allow him to pick his talent.
He chooses his team, and works them hard. They go across the seas to play an exhibition game, and they get embarrassed. After the game they do suicides for four hours after the game. They then continue to practice hard, and get ready for the games. Two weeks before the games, they play the Soviet Union at Madison Square Garden, and they get blown out 10-3. This team earlier that year had also beaten a team comprised of NHL All-Stars and Greats 2 games to 1. They were destined to lose.
They then came from behind all the games to win, and face the Soviet Union in the semi-finals, to see who would face Finland in the finals. They went down 2-0 early, but they come back in the first period to end in a 2-2 tie. Then they fall behind again 3-2, but then tie the game 3-3 near the end of the second period. Then halfway through the third period they grab a 4-3 lead, that they would never give up. They win the game, in what is called the Miracle on Ice. They later beat Finland 4-1, and won the Gold Medal, like he said they would a year earlier.
This movie is such a great movie, because of the speech that Herb Brooks gives to the team, before they face the Soviet Union. It has been called one of the greatest sports speeches ever given.
I love this movie so much, and I strongly suggest that everyone watch it soon, as Monday, February 22nd, is the 36th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice game being played.
Have you ever seen this before? If so, what did you think of it? Would you go and watch this movie?
DGS
Quotes of the Day: "Maybe I'm sort of like the players... there is still a lot of little boy in me." - Herb Brooks
"We should be dreaming. We grew up as kids having dreams, but now we're too sophisticated as adults, as a nation. We stopped dreaming. We should always have dreams." - Herb Brooks
"You know, Willie Wonka said it best: We are the makers of dreams, the dreamers of dreams." - Herb Brooks