It’s been 44 years since Al Michaels asked us if we believed in miracles as the 1980 US Men’s Olympic hockey team took down the Soviet Union to advance to the gold medal round in Lake Placid, where they would eventually win.
The game was one for the ages that has since lived on in the generations of hockey fans, players, movies, books, and more.
What was supposed to be an easy win for the Soviets, who had only one and tied two games in nearly four decades of Olympic hockey games, ended up being one of the US’s greatest sports moments.
For one player on that team, right winger John Harrington of Virginia, Minnesota, the game meant even more after assisting on what would be the game-winning goal.
But even four-plus decades later, Harrington is still not taking credit for his game-winning play.
“I just forchecked the puck and worked it up the wall to [Mark] Pavelich, and he made a play to Mike [Eruzione], and Mike was coming down the slot and scored the goal that ended up being the game-winner,” Harrington said.
However, the goal didn’t come at the buzzer, but with around 10 minutes left in the third period. Harrington described those 10 minutes as some of the longest he’s ever lived.
“I was trying to tell myself not to look at the clock because it didn’t seem to be moving. But it was exciting and just a crazy experience,” Harrington shared.
Minnesotans are no strangers to the 1980 Olympic team, having several natives and eventual North Stars players on the team that shocked the world, winning the nation’s second-ever gold medal in hockey at the Winter Games.