“Do you believe in miracles? YES!”
Those were the infamous words spoken by Al Michaels as he called the conclusion of one of the most iconic hockey games of all time.
It was 1980, and an underdog US Olympic team was making waves through the games played in Lake Placid, New York. With a 2-2 draw against Sweden, and an utterly amazing upset of Czechoslovakia by a margin of four goals, the US olympic hockey team continued their way through the round robin tournament.
Facing a familiar adversary, the game between the US and the Soviet Union could not have been scripted any better. Outside of the hockey world, this David and Goliath matchup was taking place right in the middle of the Cold War. Tensions between the two nations were already elevated, and the Soviet hockey team had been gold medal recipients in five of the six previous winter games.
While the game was not a gold medal game (as the Olympics are currently played), the US team was able to pull off the upset by taking the lead for the first time in the game during the third period. What followed was an offensive onslaught by both teams in an effort for one side to preserve their lead and the other’s furious effort to score the tying goal. In what was touted as “the longest ten minutes of their lives,” the clock ticked down as Al Michaels and Hall of Famer Ken Dryden counted down the last 10 seconds of the game.
Following the game and celebration, the US team went on to win the gold medal by defeating a strong Finnish team. The rest, as they say, is history.
As a nod to this iconic game, we set out to design a glove that would exemplify that “miracle” moment back in 1980. For those that lived through it, as well as the millions who have watched documentaries or films about the game, this victory is etched in the memory of American hockey fans. Not easily forgotten, this event will be remembered for years to come.
We spent over a year working on the design of this glove to get it as close as possible to the ones used in that iconic victory over the Soviets. Proudly featuring red, white and blue coloring, these gloves come equipped with a cuff with lace tie-up, one-piece finger design and a soft-feel palm.
Shop the Miracle Gloves today, and grab a piece of American hockey history.