Sports Miracles

There have been many events in sports that have been considered miracles. One of the most famous would have to be "The Miracle on Ice". This occurred when the United States played the Soviet Union in the semi-finals of hockey in the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. The Soviets were considered to be the best team in the world. They had won every gold medal since 1964. The team was not considered professionals but were enlisted in the "Red Army". They had the best training facilities and best coaches. They had also beaten the NHL All-Star team six to zero. This truly showed the Soviets' dominance in the sport.

Just days before the Olympics began, the U.S. and Soviets played an exhibition game. The Soviets won easily 10-3. The U.S. and Soviets each made it through the preliminaries and into the semi-finals of the Olympics where they faced off. Many believed that the Soviets would walk past the competition to earn the gold medal. They had easily won all their preliminary games, two of which were by thirteen goals or more.

After the first period of the game, The score was tied at two. The U.S. had scored their second goal with only one second left in the period. After the period the Soviets put in their backup goal keeper. During the second period both teams were held scoreless. The Soviets would score first in the third period. However, the United States scored two more goals and won the game 4-3. This game is considered by many to be the biggest upset in sports history.