The world at large does not pay much attention to hockey at the Winter Olympics. Not now, and even less back in 1980 (until the Miracle happened, of course). And as the Finnish broadcasting legend Paavo Noponen (or was it Pekka Tiilikainen?) said, there are the Olympics (= the Summer Olympics) and then there are the Winter Olympics (the former being clearly the bigger event).
Summit Series was an 8 game best-on-best series, the Miracle was 1 game - or at least people don't usually remember or give a damn about the other games played in the tournament. Anyway, I can understand that especially for Americans, the latter is "better", but at least I as a hockey nerd value the 1972 series much more - although that probably wasn't the meaning of this thread at all...
... no, I think your on track with the Thread in opining on such, Greatest Moments. I would rate the 1980 Semi~Final (and Final Gold Medal Game though to a lesser extent) Team USA vs Soviets right up there with the Greatest on~par with the 72 Summit Series.
In many respects a lot more mind~blowing as it was team comprised almost entirely of College Players who were given beyond long odds of ever hoping to beat the Russians.
The Soviets had won 6 of the 7 Gold Medals since 1964 leading up to 1980 going 27-7-1 while outscoring the opposition 175-44. It wasnt until 1998 that North American Pro's were even allowed to compete in the Olympics' in Mens Hockey, so to expect a bunch of College kids from the US to pull off what they did, just no way. The Russians because of the arcane rules governing Olympic rules, and much to the disgust of Canadian's effectively owned the Gold Medal, World Championships etc as a result.
Certainly the 1972 Summit as a "first" and therefore seminal event is remembered as a legendary event, but for those of us in Canada (and Im speaking subjectively) who were well & truly old enough to have appreciated it & better yet, played or were playing still at that time (as I was) it was pretty clear Team Canada hadnt done their homework. Arrogantly underestimated & dismissed the opposition to some extent until it got
real. Picked apart. Out of shape, playing lane hockey against a full~on cycle. I wont carry on about what transpired & happened, but though Canada did win the series patently clear, obvious, that Russia was a Hockey Super Power. That the argument that because Canadian pro's couldnt compete in the Olympics allowing the Russians to put it in cruise & win Gold after Gold was not really on at all. These guys, their program, fantastic.
But in 1980, the Winter Olympics on US soil, with the backdrop of the Cold War & the 1979 Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan with then President Jimmy Carter considering a Boycott of the Moscow Summer Games..... on January 20th 1980, Carter issuing an Ultimatum to the Soviets,
get out of Afghanistan or we'll Boycott the Summer Olympics.... February 22nd, when the US met the Soviets on the ice, the USSR was still in Afghanistan.... we had a situation far transcendent of just a hockey game unraveling before our eyes. The more popular Summer Olympics were now at risk as well. The Soviets as unwilling to heed to international pressures of incursion as they were unstoppable on the ice seemingly. So here, with all of that going on, a bunch of no name College kids took down Goliath's with their slingshots. Guys even the best pro's had trouble handling since 72 & the subsequent Canada Cup's & Exhibitions....
huge Moment in Hockey & really geo~politically at that time.