NBC Sports Celebrates USA Hockey’s ‘Miracle on Ice’ With 35th Anniversary Special (Exclusive Video)
The historic face-off with the Soviet Union during 1980’s Winter Olympics gets a replay during the Kings-Sharks NHL Stadium Series
Debbie Emery | February 18, 2015 @ 5:30 PM
Last Updated: February 18, 2015 @ 7:24 PM
The Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks are getting ready to take the action on the ice outdoors on Saturday, but as the players prepare to lace up their skates, NBC and NBCSN are remembering one of the most influential games in hockey history with coverage both before and after the NHL Stadium Series matchup.
The 35th anniversary of the “Miracle on Ice” between the USA and USSR that captivated fans during the 1980 Winter Olympics will be the focus of an “NHL Live” special as the show goes on the road to Lake Placid, New York, where the medal-round game took place, and for which TheWrap has exclusive video.
Back when politicians for the U.S. and the Soviet Union were still engaged in the Cold War, the underdog Americans went head-to-head with some of the world’s best hockey players from the Eastern Bloc.
The game wasn’t even aired live at the time (although many people thought it was when they watched the tape delay in primetime), but it still became one of the most famous showdowns from any Winter Olympics, sparking an iconic quote from commentator Al Michaels as the sellout crowd counted down the clock. “Eleven seconds, you’ve got 10 seconds, the countdown going on right now! Morrow, up to Silk. Five seconds left in the game. Do you believe in miracles? Yes!!!” he screeched.
Team USA netted a 4-3 victory and went on to win the gold medal after later defeating Finland.
The anniversary special will be part of NBC’s coverage of the Kings-Sharks NHL Stadium Series game on NBCSN, played outdoors at the San Francisco 49ers’ new Levi’s Stadium on Saturday at 7 p.m. PT. It will also appear throughout NBC and NBCSN’s “Hockey Day In America” andNHL Tripleheader on Sunday, which boasts 11 hours of hockey coverage.
Along with the live games, the coverage will include a reunion of the 1980 USA men’s hockey team, and an interview with player Mark Wells, who describes the unexpected win to host Jimmy Roberts as “magic … it was a miracle.”
Wells went on to face his own personal struggles, forced to sell his gold medal to pay medical bills after being diagnosed with a rare spinal disease. “It was the most painful thing in my life — all the years, all the hard work, all the glory,” he said.
The special will also feature a story on Josh Sweeney — Team USA’s sledge hockey hero at the Sochi Paralympic Games — and an interview with Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter, whose father Bob was a member of the 1980 team. Suter Sr. passed away on Sept. 8 and will have his number retired in Lake Placid on Sunday.
The NHL Stadium Series between the Kings and Sharks airs on NBCSN at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET Saturday; The “Hockey Day In America” pre-game show begins at 9 a.m. PT/noon ET on NBC Sunday, followed by the Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins vs. Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild (on NBCSN.)
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Chad Johnson and “Basketball Wives” star Evelyn Lozada’s 2010 reality TV wedding was marred when the former wide receiver was arrested a month later for domestic battery for allegedly head-butting his new wife. Lozada quickly filed for divorce and Johnson avoided jail time with a year-long probation, but was fired by the Miami Dolphins in an embarrassing stand-off that aired on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.”
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Aldon Smith of the San Francisco 49ers was arrested for DUI in 2012 and then received stab wounds that June when a fight broke out at his house party, during which two other people were shot. Next up was crash when he was allegedly under the influence of marijuana, and finally this year a bizarre event at Los Angeles airport when he allegedly told a TSA agent that he had a bomb. Smith is sitting out for the first nine games of the 2014 season.
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After bouncing between teams as a wide receiver, Donte Stallworth’s darkest hour came in March 2009 when he hit and killed a pedestrian while driving on a Miami Beach causeway in the early hours of the morning. Stallworth had a 0.12 alcohol level and tested positive for marijuana, leading to a charge of DUI manslaughter. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail, 1,000 hours of community service and eight years probation, along with settling a civil case with the victim’s family.
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Cherica Adams was eight months pregnant with Carolina Panthers’ Ray Carruth’s child when she was shot four times in her car, calling 911 and naming the wide receiver as the one of the assailants. After both Adams and the unborn baby died, Carruth fled police and went on the run, before finally being found hiding in the trunk of a car in Tennessee. He was later sentenced for murder but escaped the death penalty.
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After signing a five-year, $40 million contract extension with the New England Patriots, Aaron Hernandez had a spectacular fall from grace in June 2013, when his friend Odin Lloyd was fatally shot and his body dumped in an industrial park near the tight end’s Massachusetts home. Hernandez was subsequently charged with first-degree murder and later indicted for a 2012 double-murder. He was quickly dropped by the Patriots and is currently in prison awaiting trial, facing life without parole.
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