Team USA is one game away from its first gold medal in men’s hockey since the ‘Miracle on Ice.’ That team still inspires

By Patrick Snell, CNN

(CNN) — If Team USA is looking for inspiration ahead of the men’s Olympic hockey final Sunday against fierce rivals Canada, it need look no further than the iconic exploits of the “Miracle on Ice” heroes from 1980.

It’s been 46 years since the last time the United States won gold in the competition, but what a journey it was for the Americans along the way to glory at Lake Placid in New York.

Against all the odds and at the height of the Cold War, a group of mostly amateur and young college-age players took to the ice for their country going on to defeat the mighty Soviet Union, then far and away the best team in the world and seeking a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal.

It was the ultimate David-versus-Goliath contest, and it would result in one of the greatest and most stunning upsets in sports history – a win that also gave a timely boost to the country at large.

“Once we went to Lake Placid, we were just going in to play in a hockey tournament, knowing what was going on in the country, but that was our life back then. We lived with gas lines, we lived with high unemployment, high interest rates,” Jack O’Callahan, a key defenseman on that history-making team told CNN Sports.

“We knew it wasn’t very good, but that being said, we were hockey players, we were going to play in the Olympics in Lake Placid, and we were focused on that,” he added.

‘They were not easy to run over’

A world away from the era of the NHL superstars that we see today, the US – under its legendary coach Herb Brooks – was the overwhelming underdog going into that game. Few, if any, gave them a chance against the all-conquering Soviets, especially given the fact the American team had been humbled 10-3 in an exhibition game at Madison Square Garden just days before the Games started.

On the surface, that defeat should have been demoralizing, but the reality was very different. It served as one huge wake-up call. If motivation was needed to put things right, then this was it.

“I was competitive. I was physical. I was a pretty talented player as well. I led the team in penalty minutes all year. I didn’t really like the Russians very much and they had beaten us up pretty good in New York. If I had a chance to run one of those guys over, I was going to do it. But believe me, they were not easy to run over. They were big, strong, incredibly talented, cohesive unit,” O’Callahan said.

The now 68 year-old – who also played in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks and the New Jersey Devils – was recently reunited with his former teammates for a newly -released Netflix documentary, “Miracle: The Boys of ’80,” which took the players back to the scene of their greatest triumph.

Having recently returned from injury, O’Callahan played a key role in that epic win with a huge check on a Soviet player that led to the goal that tied the game up at 1-1. Team USA then trailed 3-2 entering the third period before hitting back in style to win. It would be captain Mike Eruzione who sealed a sensational 4-3 victory with 10 minutes left in the game.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever felt that euphoric about anything else playing hockey. It was just an outpour of genuine, authentic emotion and everybody was so excited and like I said, euphoria, but we had to get it together the next day in practice because we had another game to play and we sure wouldn’t be having this conversation if we had lost that game against Finland,” O’Callahan reflected.

Herb Brooks and the keys to the kingdom

While the shock victory over the Soviets grabbed the attention of the world, it wasn’t enough to secure the gold medal for the United States who then had to face Finland for a chance to win the country’s first Olympics gold since 1960.

Brooks was the coach who masterminded the team’s epic journey to become Olympic champions. Brooks himself had been the final player cut from that 1960 team, but he would not be dissuaded returning 20 years later to put together the unlikeliest of underdog teams that would go on to shock the world.

An intense and demanding motivator of his players, nobody could ever be entirely certain of their place on the team.

“He kept everybody guessing and it made us work hard. He held the keys to our kingdom, and he used it against us. And he held it over our heads, and it really did drive us,” O’Callahan says.

Having just beaten the Soviets, if the young Americans thought they could take their foot off the gas, they were in for a rude awakening.

“He didn’t want us patting ourselves on the back and he came in the locker room the next day and there were people signing autographs. And Herbie came in and saw how loosey-goosey we were, and he tipped the table over and got pretty upset with us and was very adamant about being prepared for the next day,” O’Callahan said.

“He put us through a very difficult practice. He did not talk to us. He had a mean face grimace throughout the whole practice, and he pushed us very hard. And at the end, he made some pretty strong statements to us about what would happen if we lost that game the next day.”

‘The gold medal belongs to the country’

Losing simply wasn’t an option and yet, once again, the Americans found themselves trailing before scoring three goals in the third period to come from behind to overpower Finland 4-2. The team’s miracle run was now complete.

“We were down a goal going into the third and we got together in the locker room and we just kind of stood up and looked at each other and said, ‘This is our game and they’re not taking it away from us.’ We did not need a coach in the locker room to talk to us at that point. We just needed to be together and to just put our heads down and go on the ice,” the defenseman said.

“It was the best 20 minutes of hockey we played, and it was a hell of a way to win a gold medal. To go out there and just blow their doors off in 20 minutes. It felt really, really good. And it felt like you could actually breathe.”

Tragically, Brooks passed away following a car crash in 2003 at the age of 66 and the now iconic venue in New York where history was made has been renamed the Herb Brooks Arena in his honor.

Brooks’ legacy lives on though, but for the players themselves, there remains an indelible bond that can never be pried apart.

“There’s just so many memories and not only from the Olympics in 1980, but in the years since then. It’s just been a great run and a great ride for us, the entire team. We’ve maintained our friendships and our closeness has even grown over the years,” O’Callahan said.

“And it was really nice, even in the Netflix documentary to hear Rob McClanahan say something like, ‘We loved each other, we still do.’ We’re a family and it really made me feel good,” O’Callahan added.

February 22, 1980, is a day forever etched in history. It was the time a Cinderella team of college youngsters gave their country a never-to-be -forgotten moment to cherish.

Now exactly 46 years to the very day, a new chapter is open for the current generation of American players to write.

“The gold medal belongs to the country, it really does. It belongs to other Americans that have struggled through things, and they look at us and say, if they can do something like that, you know what, maybe we can too,” O’Callahan said.

“And if it gives somebody a spark or a lift-up, I mean, that’s what it’s really all about.”

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