Eruzione's Late Goal Lifts U.S. Over U.S.S.R.
By Russell Levine   |   NHL.com    Feb. 22, 2000  

Twenty years ago this afternoon, the U.S. Olympic ice hockey team pulled off one of the most stunning upsets in the history of sports, edging the powerful Soviet Union, 4-3. The following is an account of how the game went:

U.S. and Soviet players shake hands following the game.

As they did in every game but one during the Olympics, the U.S. failed to score first. Vladimir Krutov deflected a slap shot by Aleksei Kasatonov past U.S. goalie Jim Craig to give the Soviets a 1-0 lead. Five minutes later, Buzz Schneider scored to tie the game.

The tie didn't last long, as Sergei Makarov again put the Soviets ahead, less than four minutes after Schneider's goal. Craig withstood a period-long onslaught in the U.S. net, and it looked as if the Americans would make it to intermission down by just a goal.

Instead, they went to the dressing room tied, thanks to Mark Johnson's tally at 19:59 of the first. Dave Christian fired a long slap shot on legendary Soviet goalie Vladislav Tretiak, who gave up an uncharacteristic long rebound. The puck bounced right to Johnson, who tied the score again.

Thinking the period over, the Soviet players headed to the dressing room, only to have the referees force them to return to play the final second. When they returned to the ice, there was a new man in the net. Gone was Tretiak, known in hockey circles as the best goalie in the world. Coach Viktor Tikhonov made the decision to replace him with Vladimir Myshkin.

Remembering the Miracle NHL.com marked the 20th anniversary of the "Miracle on Ice" at Lake Placid with a series of features. Feb. 25, 2000: 'Miracle' Spurs Hockey Growth in U.S. Feb. 24, 2000: Mike Eruzione Chat Transcript Feb. 24, 2000: One More Hill to Climb Feb. 23, 2000: Fetisov Has Mixed Feelings Feb. 22, 2000: 20 Years Ago Today: U.S. Shocks Soviets Feb. 22, 2000: Eruzione Lifts U.S. Over U.S.S.R

The U.S. received a huge boost from Johnson's late goal, and the removal of Tretiak. But Myshkin had proven himself plenty capable when he shut out a team of NHL All-Stars, 6-0, the year before.

While some Soviet players, such as Slava Fetisov, felt the decision to replace Tretiak ultimately cost them the game, ABC color analyst Ken Dryden wasn't stunned by the move.

"It didn't surprise me at all," he recalled. "[Tretiak] had played poorly in the tournament."

The U.S. feeling of elation didn't last long, as Aleksandr Maltsev scored a power-play goal at 2:18 of the second to put the Soviets back in front, 3-2, which was still the score when the period ended.

Perhaps amazed to be behind by just a goal entering the final period, the U.S. emerged from the dressing room energized. Again, Mark Johnson provided the timely score, picking up a loose puck deep in the Soviet zone and pushing it past Myshkin on the power play to tie the score at 8:39.

Suddenly, the U.S. players truly began to believe they could win the game. The winning goal followed shortly thereafter.

Mark Pavelich found Mike Eruzione open in the high slot, and Eruzione beat Myshkin through a screen to give the U.S. its only lead at the 10 minute mark of the third. The goal was stunning, and it changed Eruzione's life, but there was plenty of work to be done in the final 10 minutes.

Most of that work was done by Craig, who withstood a Soviet barrage to finish with 39 saves. "Definitely, it was our goalie, Jim Craig, who saved our bacon," said team member Neal Broten.

In the closing moments of the game, the Soviets never pulled their goaltender for an extra attacker, as teams normally do when down by one goal. Some have suggested because they were never behind, they did not know what to do.

After the U.S. players unpiled from their wild postgame celebration, they lined up to shake hands with the Soviets, who had waited patiently. Even some of the Soviets were caught up in the excitement in the arena, smiling and offering congratulations.

The result left everyone stunned. Al Michaels uttered his famous question, "Do you believe in miracles? Yes." Dryden, calling the game with Michaels offers this recollection: "I was shocked. On the final call, the puck was along the boards with six or seven seconds left. The U.S. struggled, but finally got it over the blue line. There's a voice in the background saying, 'It's over' -- and it's my voice."

In the end, even the U.S. players were stunned by their achievement.

"We probably played as well as we could play and we got goals at opportune times, but it was just a fantastic experience," said Broten. "We didn't think we could beat them, I know I didn't think we could. They were just such a dominant team that it was even kind of ridiculous thinking -- you know maybe hold them close, keep it respectable, but not beating them."

Later, when Broten and Fetisov became teammates with the New Jersey Devils, they reminisced about the game.

"It was kind of funny because [Fetisov] was saying how lucky we were and all that," Broten recalled. "And I said, 'yeah, I know we were lucky. But so what -- we won. No big deal.' Stuff like that. But Fetisov, he's a pretty awesome guy, he was pretty happy for us. I mean, naturally, he wanted to win, but he was happy that we played well and things went well. He was talking to us a little bit that it was kind of a fluke. That if we played you again 10 times we'd beat you all 10. And I said, 'heck yeah, you're probably right. Probably by about 80 goals too.'"

Call it a fluke, a miracle or whatever, but Eruzione, who still gives motivational speeches about his Olympic experience, said the U.S. entered the game with the right mind set.

"I think we were really excited about it," Eruzione said. "I don't think there was anybody afraid. We were obviously anxious and you kind of run the whole gamut of emotions, you know? You're nervous, you're anxious, you're excited. You're like a little kid at Christmastime waiting for Christmas to come."

On Feb. 22, 1980, Christmas came two months late in the tiny upstate New York village of Lake Placid.