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Winter Olympics Lesson: Teaching The Miracle on Ice
The 1980 Olympic USA hockey team is one of the most incredible stories. In order to have memories of this unbelievable event that had a huge impact on the world in America. A person would need to be born before 1974. These people would be at least six years old. A person this age might have a few memories of this incredible story.
There are so many resources about this Cinderella story. Netflix has a documentary that was released in 2026. It was filmed in 2025, 45 years after that memorable Olympic run.
The Netflix documentary is one hour and 45 minutes and tells the story through the eyes of the players, a journalist, coach Brook’s children and the announcers. A teacher can choose to show the entire documentary or select certain segments to show.
Continuity and Change:
Continuity: The philosophy of the Olympics has remained the same over the years. Athletes from around the world come together every four years to compete at the highest level.
Change: Since 1992, with the USA Basketball “Dream Team” the Olympics shifted from amateur athletes to professionals. This has changed the Olympic competition.
In 1980, a collection of college players, who had yet to play in the NHL, came together over the course of six months to defeat the seemingly invincible Russian hockey team. A team that had won four consecutive Olympic gold medals between 1964 and 1976.
Another option would be to show the Disney movie Miracle. This is a great film that many students today have not yet seen. It is great to show in February especially, during a year in which the Olympics are being played.
Kurt Russell, plays Herb Brooks and there are many possible writing prompts a teacher can use.
The last documentary is an hour long and it is titled Do You Believe In Miracles? It is hard to go wrong with any of these options.
In terms of books, the making of a miracle by Captain Mike Eurizione is excellent. There is another book called The Boys Of Winter. A teacher could divide the class into groups and assign a chapter or two for each group to read and review and share back with the class.
An additional assignment could be to create Google slides about that section and maybe select one or two excerpts within the chapters that the students feel are worth discussing or exploring in more detail.
Whenever looking at a movie portrayal of an event, the disclaimer is always shared at the beginning, based on a true story. A teacher who is familiar with all the resources could create a very interesting medley for the students to compare and contrast.
The pregame speech in the Disney movie is certainly Hollywood, but it captures the essence of the message. It builds on the pre game speech as recounted in both documentaries where Coach Brooks mentioned they were born to play hockey.
Another huge theme is the need to make cuts. Both Herb Brooks and Ralph Cox were the final cut on their respective Olympic team. The term cut implies pain and hurt.
It is never easy for a player at any level any age or any to accept being cut period. Both documentaries and the the film stress the difficulty of that moment for both Ralph Cox and Herb Brooks.
With continuity and change, it also shows that America has often had times of difficulties with international conflict. It also illustrates that in these times of difficulty, Americans find a way to come together. The 1980 Olympic hockey team in Lake Placid was a catalyst for creating a sense of national pride.
US history classes can read and analyze Jimmy Carter’s crisis of confidence speech.
For psychology classes, you could look at leaders pushing buttons. It is not only sports coaches that push buttons parents, friends, teachers significant others, and principals often push buttons, trying to get the most out of people.
The Miracle on Ice is a story all Americans should know well. For teachers who experienced it, share your memories.
A final thought, have the students interview a grandparent or relative that witnessed the game and experienced the impact on America.