By Patrick Snell, CNN
(CNN) — If Team USA is looking for inspiration ahead of the men’s Olympic hockey final Sunday against fierce rivals Canada, it need look no further than the iconic exploits of the “Miracle on Ice” heroes from 1980.
It’s been 46 years since the last time the United States won gold in the competition, but what a journey it was for the Americans along the way to glory at Lake Placid in New York.
Against all the odds and at the height of the Cold War, a group of mostly amateur and young college-age players took to the ice for their country going on to defeat the mighty Soviet Union, then far and away the best team in the world and seeking a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal.
It was the ultimate David-versus-Goliath contest, and it would result in one of the greatest and most stunning upsets in sports history – a win that also gave a timely boost to the country at large.
“Once we went to Lake Placid, we were just going in to play in a hockey tournament, knowing what was going on in the country, but that was our life back then. We lived with gas lines, we lived with high unemployment, high interest rates,” Jack O’Callahan, a key defenseman on that history-making team told CNN Sports.
“We knew it wasn’t very good, but that being said, we were hockey players, we were going to play in the Olympics in Lake Placid, and we were focused on that,” he added.
‘They were not easy to run over’
A world away from the era of the NHL superstars that we see today, the US – under its legendary coach Herb Brooks – was the overwhelming underdog going into that game. Few, if any, gave them a chance against the all-conquering Soviets, especially given the fact the American team had been humbled 10-3 in an exhibition game at Madison Square Garden just days before the Games started.
On the surface, that defeat should have been demoralizing, but the reality was very different. It served as one huge wake-up call. If motivation was needed to put things right, then this was it.
“I was competitive. I was physical. I was a pretty talented player as well. I led the team in penalty minutes all year. I didn’t really like the Russians very much and they had beaten us up pretty good in New York. If I had a chance to run one of those guys over, I was going to do it. But believe me, they were not easy to run over. They were big, strong, incredibly talented, cohesive unit,” O’Callahan said.
The now 68 year-old – who also played in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks and the New Jersey Devils – was recently reunited with his former teammates for a newly -released Netflix documentary, “Miracle: The Boys of ’80,” which took the players back to the scene of their greatest triumph.
Having recently returned from injury, O’Callahan played a key role in that epic win with a huge check on a Soviet player that led to the goal that tied the game up at 1-1. Team USA then trailed 3-2 entering the third period before hitting back in style to win. It would be captain Mike Eruzione who sealed a sensational 4-3 victory with 10 minutes left in the game.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever felt that euphoric about anything else playing hockey. It was just an outpour of genuine, authentic emotion and everybody was so excited and like I said, euphoria, but we had to get it together the next day in practice because we had another game to play and we sure wouldn’t be having this conversation if we had lost that game against Finland,” O’Callahan reflected.
Herb Brooks and the keys to the kingdom
While the shock victory over the Soviets grabbed the attention of the world, it wasn’t enough to secure the gold medal for the United States who then had to face Finland for a chance to win the country’s first Olympics gold since 1960.
Brooks was the coach who masterminded the team’s epic journey to become Ol