Where Were You For the "Miracle On Ice" 30 Years Ago?
Asking where you were for the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics "Miracle on Ice" is a leading question. It is leading because unless you or I were actually in Lake Placid 30 years ago today, we probably have no idea where we were. That is because the game was not aired live.
What we all share as a collective memory is where we were when we watched the game on ABC Sports that night. Yes, we all have a shared collective memory of an event that had already occurred, but no one was complaining about delayed coverage back in those days.
My brother remembers driving into Lake Placid as the game was ending and the ground metaphorically shaking as spontaneous celebrations erupted around the tint town of Lake Placid. He was totally bummed because he would have been at the game had he and his friends not been delayed in leaving Niagara University earlier in the day.
The Golden Ticket: This is a scan of an original ticket to the 1980 Winter Olympics
Gold Medal Hockey Game and Medal Ceremony. (click for full size image)
Still in high school, I like many of my friends watched on television with joy and emotion as the United States beat those dreaded Commies from the Soviet Union. We had no internet, no 24/7 talk radio, no ESPN, no Twitter. We lived the moment as it was presented to us.
My brother was there for the gold medal game and said he will never forget being there. He may have missed the miracle on ice game, but he can really remember exactly where he was when it happened.
i was 12 years old visiting my aunt and uncle with my parents and watched the game game in their basement/family room.