The miracle on ice.......
I was working out at the hotel gym tonight and ESPN Classics was on the TV. They were showing the top 20 Cinderella sports stories of all time.
Over the hour, they counted down the top stories until they got to number 1. And the number 1 Cinderella story was the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team winning the gold medal by beating the Russians.
It brought back a rush of memories for me.
1980 was towards the end of the Cold War. The winter Olympics were being held in Lake Placid, New York. The mood of the country was somber. And no one, even the most optimistic of fans could fathom the U.S. winning gold in hockey.
You see, the Russians were a juggernaut. They were professionals. They were beating up on teams from the National Hockey League, teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. The previous year, they had crushed the NHL All Stars 6-0 in the deciding game of a challenge series. The Soviet domination of the 1979 World Championship was absolute.
The U.S. team was made up of a bunch of young, amateur college kids. Realistically, a bronze medal would have been considered a major accomplishment. Leading up to the Olympics, the Russians and U.S. played an exhibition game, with the Russians trouncing the Americans 10-3.
By the time the 2 teams met in the Olympics, they had both won all of their games. (Actually, the Americans had tied one game). The arena was packed. I remember sitting down to watch the game thinking that it would be over before the end of the first period. But somehow, the young Americans were able to hang in, trailing just 2-1 after one period.
By the end of the second period, the Soviets continued to lead, but only by a 3-2 margin. And the Americans pulled even early in the 3rd period. Not only did they tie the Russians, they pulled ahead on a goal by team captain Mike Eruzione with 10 minutes left to play.
The minutes slowly counted down to one. As the Soviets mounted a final charge, broadcaster Al Michaels delivered the most famous call in American sport: "Eleven seconds. You got ten seconds, the countdown going on right now. Five seconds left in the game! Do you believe in miracles? Yes!"
Watching the highlights tonight brought back some fantastic memories. But what I enjoyed most was watching the interviews with the players 25 years after that fateful game. To a man, each of them said the same thing. The Russians had the talent. They had the experience. But the Americans had the PASSION. They played with EMOTION. And to a man, each of them believes to this day that was what made all the difference.
These boys put everything they had into winning. They were committed. They were passionate. They believed. And in the end, they conquered Goliath.
Each of us has an opportunity to achieve incredible success. But it comes at a price. It comes when you have a definite goal, a mission in life that you are prepared to give everything you have to make it a reality. It comes when you become so consumed, so passionate about your mission that you develop a burning desire for its attainment.
Do you have a mission in your life? Is there anything that you are so passionate about that you will make every sacrifice to attain it? If you don’t, you’re like 97% of all the people out there.
Step out from the crowd. Find your mission. Find out what you are passionate about. Search for it. Think about it constantly. And don’t stop until you know in your heart and soul that you’ve found your true mission in life.
Napoleon Hill, the great writer and lecturer, said repeatedly that the starting point to all achievement is definiteness of purpose, knowing what you want.
Don’t settle for being average and just like everyone else. Begin at once to focus all of your thinking into understanding what your contribution to the world will be. Find your mission in life. Find your true purpose. And when you do, you’re life will take on a whole new meaning.
Think about those boys on the 1980 U.S. gold medal hockey team. They had a mission and a purpose so deep that it was ingrained into every fiber of their being. They gave it everything they had. When you can reach that level of commitment, there’s no limit to what you can do. I hope you find it.
Namaste.
Jeff
Over the hour, they counted down the top stories until they got to number 1. And the number 1 Cinderella story was the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team winning the gold medal by beating the Russians.
It brought back a rush of memories for me.
1980 was towards the end of the Cold War. The winter Olympics were being held in Lake Placid, New York. The mood of the country was somber. And no one, even the most optimistic of fans could fathom the U.S. winning gold in hockey.
You see, the Russians were a juggernaut. They were professionals. They were beating up on teams from the National Hockey League, teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. The previous year, they had crushed the NHL All Stars 6-0 in the deciding game of a challenge series. The Soviet domination of the 1979 World Championship was absolute.
The U.S. team was made up of a bunch of young, amateur college kids. Realistically, a bronze medal would have been considered a major accomplishment. Leading up to the Olympics, the Russians and U.S. played an exhibition game, with the Russians trouncing the Americans 10-3.
By the time the 2 teams met in the Olympics, they had both won all of their games. (Actually, the Americans had tied one game). The arena was packed. I remember sitting down to watch the game thinking that it would be over before the end of the first period. But somehow, the young Americans were able to hang in, trailing just 2-1 after one period.
By the end of the second period, the Soviets continued to lead, but only by a 3-2 margin. And the Americans pulled even early in the 3rd period. Not only did they tie the Russians, they pulled ahead on a goal by team captain Mike Eruzione with 10 minutes left to play.
The minutes slowly counted down to one. As the Soviets mounted a final charge, broadcaster Al Michaels delivered the most famous call in American sport: "Eleven seconds. You got ten seconds, the countdown going on right now. Five seconds left in the game! Do you believe in miracles? Yes!"
Watching the highlights tonight brought back some fantastic memories. But what I enjoyed most was watching the interviews with the players 25 years after that fateful game. To a man, each of them said the same thing. The Russians had the talent. They had the experience. But the Americans had the PASSION. They played with EMOTION. And to a man, each of them believes to this day that was what made all the difference.
These boys put everything they had into winning. They were committed. They were passionate. They believed. And in the end, they conquered Goliath.
Each of us has an opportunity to achieve incredible success. But it comes at a price. It comes when you have a definite goal, a mission in life that you are prepared to give everything you have to make it a reality. It comes when you become so consumed, so passionate about your mission that you develop a burning desire for its attainment.
Do you have a mission in your life? Is there anything that you are so passionate about that you will make every sacrifice to attain it? If you don’t, you’re like 97% of all the people out there.
Step out from the crowd. Find your mission. Find out what you are passionate about. Search for it. Think about it constantly. And don’t stop until you know in your heart and soul that you’ve found your true mission in life.
Napoleon Hill, the great writer and lecturer, said repeatedly that the starting point to all achievement is definiteness of purpose, knowing what you want.
Don’t settle for being average and just like everyone else. Begin at once to focus all of your thinking into understanding what your contribution to the world will be. Find your mission in life. Find your true purpose. And when you do, you’re life will take on a whole new meaning.
Think about those boys on the 1980 U.S. gold medal hockey team. They had a mission and a purpose so deep that it was ingrained into every fiber of their being. They gave it everything they had. When you can reach that level of commitment, there’s no limit to what you can do. I hope you find it.
Namaste.
Jeff
posted by Jeff Fagin at 11:09 PM
3 Comments:
Jeff,
I will conquer. Guaranteed!!!!!!
Jeff
We are in a miraculous life!
Larry E.
I watched that game and it was a miracle. Passion is very powerful. I will find mine!
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