Sunday, February 04, 2001
Sports on TV-Radio
'Miracle on Ice' still give chills
By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer
How good is HBO's Do You Believe in Miracles? The Story of the 1980 U.S. Hockey Team? When Mike Eruzione scores the go-ahead goal against the Soviets, you get chills; when team manager Craig Patrick gets choked up by the memories of the team, you get a knot in your throat, too; and when goalie Jim Craig looks a little amazed all these years later when he says “We beat them,” you're a little amazed, too.
The hour-long documentary airs Monday at 10 p.m. If you have HBO, watch it, tape it, and pass it along to a friend who doesn't have HBO.
It is so much more than a sports story. Producer Brian Hyland uses the backdrop of what was going on in the world at the time to put the story of the U.S. team into perspective.
American hostages had been taken in Iran a few months before the Games. Unemployment and interest rates were out of control. The Soviets had just invaded Afghanistan.
HBO gets all sides of the story. You hear from the American players, the Soviets stars, then-vice president Walter Mondale, and writers and broadcasters who covered the games. Al Michaels, the man who ended the ABC broadcast of the U.S.-USSR game with “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” plays a starring role.
New interviews are mixed with historic footage to give a sense of America's mood at the time. “Nobody felt good,” Eruzione said. “Nobody felt proud.
The program follows the team from the tryouts to the Olympic Games. It shows how the players bonded against Herb Brooks, the coach they hated. HBO dug up video of U.S. players skating from line to line in the dark after a tie with Norway on their pre-Olympic tour.
Do You Believe in Miracles? also does a good job of showing just how long the odds were against the American team.
The USSR beat the U.S. 10-3 in an exhibition three days before the Olympics began. The Soviets gave the U.S. no chance.
“The Americans never really counted,” Soviet goalie Vladislav Tretiak said. “We were professionals, they were students.”
As the story builds toward the big game, you'll see moments along the way you may have forgotten. There was the 2-2 tie with Sweden in the first round after a U.S. goal with 29 seconds left. There was the comeback against Germany.
The game against the Soviets is the big moment. (Footnote: Amazingly, ABC did not show the game live, instead delaying it three hours).
Michaels' call is still fresh 21 years later. But he thought he'd never get to make it. Eruzione's goal came with 10 minutes left.
“Those 10 minutes took forever,” Michaels said. “Time stood still.”
And the story has stood the test of time. Of all the hours of sports programming on the tube this week, Do You Believe in Miracles? is the one you must watch.
SET THE VCR II: ESPN Classic will rerun the 1998 NCAA Championship game, in which Kentucky beats Utah for its seventh national title, at 9 p.m. Thursday.
BAD ATTACK: WCKY-AM (1360 HOMER) continues to have trouble getting the right “Sports Attacks” on the right days. It ran the news of Al McGuire's death on Monday; he died last Friday.
A RANT: Gary from Reading called with this: “Saw your item on Andy Furman getting great ratings. That's good and bad. It's good for WLW because they can charge more for advertising. It's bad for us because we get more commercials. It's so bad that I quit listening. Marty Brennaman is the only one on the station with enough clout to say anything about it. He's always saying on the Hot Stove League that there's not enough time for calls.”
You've got a point, Gary, but I don't see WLW changing anything as long as the ratings stay where they are.
John Fay covers radio/TV sports for The Enquirer. He can be reached at (513) 768-8445.
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