" The Best Moment in Hockey History "

[Killion]

Well the game didn't, that's the point. And I don't think anyone is arguing that hockey is/was bigger in the US than Canada, otherwise every single "greatest" moment would be the all-time best Canadian moments.

Well, many of the Games Greatest Moments occurred in the US as the majority of the NHL teams, wider & broader range of Minor~Pro teams & leagues based in the States so I sort of look at it as a "shared" type of a situation. Just so happened that the majority of players were Canadians. Ranking up there as Greatest Moment in Hockey with American's or American Rosters Internationally beyond 1980... the Forgotten Miracle of 1960 at the Squaw Valley Olympic's, Team USA winning Gold. Between 1920 & 1956 winning 5 Silver's & 1 Bronze. Won Gold at the 1933 World Championships & in subsequent years 4 Silvers & 5 Bronze. 1991's Canada Cup performance by Team USA.... and of course the US Womens Teams over the years.... The closing of the Boston Garden, Chicago Stadium & the Olympia, even Buffalo's old Aud to some degree. All these things & more Great & Defining Moments unique to the United States but shared by Canadians.

 

[VMBM]

The game was so big that it was not covered live in the US.

There was little interest in it until the US won. I'm sure if the game had gone as expected there would have been merely highlights on the nightly Olympic coverage.

Exactly. Generally, people don't even probably know that the USSR vs. USA game wasn't the final game of the tournament (there really wasn't a final per se).

Pre-1998 Olympic hockey had little meaning in the 'real world'. And as a hockey tournament, it wasn't really any better than the World Championships, except that it was held only every four years, and had the word 'Olympic' in it to give it a little, er, extra prestige. And actually, I'd say it was easier to win the Olympic gold than the world championship back then; at the WHC, you had to play against the top nations twice, so there was less chance for a fluke. And then the Olympics had those ridiculous 'amateur rules', which meant that of the true hockey countries, only USSR and Czechoslovakia had their A teams playing in the Olympics (1976, 1980, 1984); e.g. Sweden didn't even bother to send a team for the 1976 tournament.

Having said all this, the Americans still pulled off a huge upset, and deserve some credit for it.

Amazing moment, yes. But, seriously... if Canada didn't win it would be a surprise. And it is not like the US was ranked near the bottom like in 1980. They were arguably a top 3 hockey nation.

I don't know, with hindsight, on paper USA might have had the third or fourth best team in the 1980 tournament - after USSR and Czechoslovakia (Sweden? Finland?). Certainly no worse than the 5th best (better than the 1980 Canada for sure).

 

[Tawnos]

The game was so big that it was not covered live in the US.

There was little interest in it until the US won. I'm sure if the game had gone as expected there would have been merely highlights on the nightly Olympic coverage.

That spin on it is ridiculous. The game was scheduled to be shown on tape delay during primetime, which was a common practice in that era of Olympics broadcasting. It was an afternoon game on a Friday. Even if the US lost, it still would have been shown.

There isn't a single moment in hockey that transcends the sport the way that one does. The Summit Series comes close, but the problem with it is that it wasn't on a broader stage. The world pays attention to the Olympics. The world does not pay attention to a hockey tournament. Does that make Miracle the "best" moment in hockey history? Not necessarily. But the way people diminish it on here is absurd.

 

[VMBM]

There isn't a single moment in hockey that transcends the sport the way that one does. The Summit Series comes close, but the problem with it is that it wasn't on a broader stage. The world pays attention to the Olympics. The world does not pay attention to a hockey tournament. Does that make Miracle the "best" moment in hockey history? Not necessarily. But the way people diminish it on here is absurd.

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...

 

[Killion]

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.