The Challenge Before the Miracle
The Challenge Before the Miracle Joseph DiPietro One of my favorite sports moments happened before I was even born, in a sport I barely watch. That tells you just how special that moment was. Most Americans know about the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team. If you do not, do yourself a favor and watch the Disney classic ‘Miracle’. I was -12 years old at the time, my parents were even a few years from marriage, but the moment is so special it will always be one of my favorites. When Mike Eruzione and his teammates defeated the Soviet Union, followed by a gold medal victory against Finland, the entire country was united, and it was beautiful. The best part of the story to me, however, is not how it finished; instead, the most inspiring part is how it almost never began. On February 9th, two weeks before the victory everyone remembers, the U.S. played the Soviet Union in an exhibition and lost 10-3. 10. To. 3. Any regular team would give up at that moment. Who in their right