My Favorite Sports Documentary of All-Time: Do You Believe In Miracles...

[Lou is God]

Just watched it again and it still brings me to tears, maybe because I was 15 at the time at watched EVERY game that Team USA played in the 1980 Olympics including the first one a 2-2 tie against Sweden, and gave me one of my sweetest and best memories as a kid.

http://imdb.com/title/tt0276918/

It was made on HBO so I'm sure alot of you have seen it but if you haven't it, please do. It has just about all the people who played key moments in this great moment, perhaps the greatest moment in sports, players, coaches (including Herbie), announcers and Iranian hostages. That's right, Iranian hostages. What makes this such a great sports documentary is that HBO was wise enough to include the turbulent world events that amercians were going through, the hostage crisis, Russian invasion of Afganistan, gas shortage, just how the amercian pride and spirit was crushed and at a all-time low and how they needed a little hope. Who would have thought it would have come from a bunch of determined college hockey players.

If you haven't ever seen it you can buy it online here:

http://store.hbo.com/product/index....5&clickid=mainnav_other_txt&parentPage=family

Click to read more...

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

I second that. I was lucky enough to find a deal where I picked up the HBO documentary as well as Miracle for 20 bucks total. The documentary is great, interviews from just about everybody, the US players, Russian players, Brooks, Al Michaels. Its really cool to see all the old footage from the tourney, I just wish I had those games on tape after seeing the documentary.

 

[David Puddy]

I too got that deal when Miracle was released at Best Buy.

One of the best stories in Do You Believe in Miracles? is Mike Eruzione recoundting Herb Brooks simple speech before the USA-Finland game. Brooks said, "If you lose this game, you'll take it to your ****ing grave. Your ****ing grave!" Apparently, the producers of Disney's Miracle chose not to dramatize this event.

Interestingly, the HBO documentary was written by Bernard Goldberg, who wrote the bestselling book Bias.

 

[John Flyers Fan]

I loved Mircale, but I wished they showed a bit more of the Finland game, becaue I was there. I can remember sitting there and waving a little American flag the entire game.

After the game we bought some tickets off scalpers to see the Soviets smoke the Swedes (and Pelle Lindbergh) ... they key was that the medals were given out right after the Soviet/Sweden game.

I need one of those sweet velour sweatsuits.

 

[Habsfan 32]

I want to get my hand on that thing it looks amazing even if I'm canadian I love that story.

 

[c-carp]

It is a great documentary I have a copy as well.

 

[jiggs 10]

They sell it at Target in the DISCOUNT rack, of all things! For about $9 US! I don't have it yet, because I thought it would be incomplete, but after hearing these stories, I think I'll go buy it.

BTW, my wife bought me all of the USA games from the 1980 Olympics on VHS for Christmas this year, and they are COOL! I was 16 when it happened, but didn't get to see all of the games (due to playing hockey games, church, etc.) on TV, so this is really fun (even if the quality is not very good). Now, I'm just waiting for ABC and the USOC to release them on DVD as a 25th anniversary special.