(As an aside, let's try our hand as a film critic..)
"Forgotten Miracle" sheds some light on a subject that's unfortunately not very well known. The 1960 US Olympic team had a lot of "firsts". They were the first American team to defeat the Soviets. They're one of only a handful of teams to have beaten the Canadians. They were the first American hockey team to win the gold medal.
Despite all of this there is no major Hollywood movie like "Miracle" to document the 1960 team. There was no dramatic call by a sportscaster like Al Michaels to spawn a famous catchphrase, in fact the 1960 games were the first ones televised.
"Forgotten Miracle" rights that with it's hour-long story about the Americans. In many ways it mirrors the 1980 sqaud: the ever present Massachusetts v. Minnesota regional battles, the tough coach drilling his players relentlessly, the long odds and seemingly untouchable opponents to beat before finally winning it all on home soil.
But the 1960 team doesn't have the names of their stars etched in the collective memory of the public, or even many hockey fans. Which is a shame, since they're considered to have been perhaps the best US team ever iced. They never lost in the Olympics, which is quite impressive considering how strong the Canadian and Soviet teams were.
These men, even to this day carry a confident, quiet pride about what they did. It's touching to watch them re-count the events of 50 years ago.
If you enjoy stories about "old time hockey", some nice illustrations and a good original soundtrack, "Forgotten Miracle" is definitely something you should check out. Here's a link to the main webpage for more information. If you're a student of the history of the sport, you'll learn something for sure, in an entertaining format. And I think we all deserve to remember the first forgotten US gold medal team.
Pittsburgh connections:
- Herb Brooks was the final cut of the 1960 team. He'd, of course, go on to coach the US in 1980 and go on to coach the Penguins and be involved as something of an advisor/consultant to players and executives alike until his 2003 death.