Michelle Catalano at A Small Victory is running an open discussion on the greatest moment in sports history.
For me, it's the Miracle On Ice. Nothing else is even close. Thanks to Steve Silver for the link.
May 19th, 2004
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Wow… Good eye, Eric… Those are terrific…
Mine has some pathos: I was at the ND vs. Colorado Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day ‘91… National champ game… Titanic defensive struggle and the Buffs score a TD late in the 4th to go up by a point… Irish defense makes a final stand and forces a punt in their own end with a minute to go… Rocket Ismail takes the ball at the 9, made some of the sickest, freakiest moves ever witnessed, was touched by 11 of the 12 Colorado players and went all the way to the house… For the title… Irish fans were in a state of primal bedlam… And then we saw the flag… A phantom clip, as replays would confirm… The highest exultation ripped into shards of grief… The greatest college football play of all time become a footnote… Of all the words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: What might have been.
For ANY hockey fan, “The Miracle On Ice” MUST be #1.
Others that greatly impacted my life:
Franz Klammer’s insane breakneck downhill run for the Olympic Downhill Skiing Gold at Innsbruk 1976. You must understand that Klammer had been tearing up the F.I.S. Tour and since these Olympics were on his home turf that he HAD to win or he would be the biggest sports goat in the history of Western Europe. Fellow star, Bernard Russi had just turned in his own amazing run that was deemed unbeatable – that is until Klammer risked life and limb for country and personal glory. Bob Beattie’s commentary ranks right up there with some of the greatest calls in sports history. It was taken down a peg by the mere presence of Frank Gifford who was along for the ride. This run was truly inspirational for me as I was a junior downhill skier. But my semi-promising career had already been cut short by an unfortuante fall at 65 mph that cost me a fractured skull and a broken collarbone. OUCH!
As one who grew up in the NYC tri-state area, ya also gotta go with the 1969 miracle Mets. Tommy Agee’s two catches,
Ron Swaboda’s miracle grab, the Cleon Jones hit by pitch shoe incident, the Art Shamsky inside the first base baseline interferance play and of course Al “Mighty Mite” Weiss’ shot hear round the baseball world made this series the greates EVER! Sorry, O’s fans!
the Miracle on Ice doesn’t have to be #1 for any hockey fan… it doesn’t even have to be the #1 hockey moment. What 1980 was to the USA, 1972 was to Canada. Trying to compare them objectively is pointless.
Ben, Ben, Ben, Ben, BEN!
Puh-lease! The ‘72 Summit was exciting but that was PROS versus PROS! The only startling thing about the entire series is that the NHL proved that they were not as elite as advertised. I remember this series as the NHL more or less saving face – and I for one am glad they did.
I don’t think that we heard Dan Kelly bellow at the end of THAT series, “Do you believe in miracles…YES!”.
I’ll tell you what. When Hollywood puts out a major motion picture that depicts the ‘72 Summit Series and it grosses over 100 million worldwide – then maybe we can talk. If you can’t accept this notion, then I challenge you to
a duel of coffee and doughnuts at Tim Horton’s, eh!
LOL Jeff (and be careful what you wish for… I toss a mean Timbit), but I have to agree with Ben. While, the Miracle on Ice was a great moment, we reserve the right to name 1972 (or even Salt Lake 2002 for us younger’uns) as a greatest moment. Like the “Do you believe in miracles?” call, most Canadians remember the call on the Henderson’s goal, and Bob Cole’s call in 2002.
My most exciting hockey moment north of the border was Henri Richard’s center ice blast that beat Tony O over his shoulder to give the Habs the Cup! I HATED the Hawks back then because they had defeated my beloved Rangers in the previous round. And here’s the Tim Horton connection. Horton had the second assist on the greatest Rangers goal ever scored – the 3rd overtime winner over the Hawks in ‘71, scored by Pete Stemkowski with assists by Ted Irvine and Tim Horton. Gimmie a box of Tim’s doughnuts and a thermos of coffee!
Hey, I’ve got a tragic hockey one too… It’s painful..! Isles v. Caps in the ‘87 Patrick Division playoffs… It’s Game 7, at the Cappy Center in scenic Landover… Four excruciating overtimes make it the longest game in NHL history… Both teams are dog-tired, the Caps had 75 shots on goal and are being willed onward by fans like me, screamed hoarse and swilling coca-colas… And then Lafontaine wheels at the point, slapshot, a clank off the far post and in, done. It was 2 a.m., now Easter Sunday, and the ride back home on the Beltway was nothing but tears…
Seabiscuit grossed more than Miracle did. Does that make his last victory a greater sports moment? I didn’t think so. The day Hollywood success is an accurate measure of historical significance is the day I give up on society.
1972 wasn’t huge just because we beat the Soviets. It was huge because we were so thoroughly thrashed at the start and came back to win in the USSR.
“The day Hollywood success is an accurate measure of historical significance is the day I give up on society”
I have prepared your bill so that you may check out of society.
List of successful Hollywood movies that have been based on historical significance (you might call that an “accurate measure”). Note that all but the most recent releases were included on AFI’s nominations for the 400 best pictures of all time:
The Longest Day, Saving Private Ryan, Bonnie & Clyde, Little Big Man, They Died With Their Boots On, Braveheart, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Grapes of Wrath, Sergeant York, Birth of a Nation, Wings, Pride of the Yankees, Young Mr. Lincoln, The General, Cleopatra (both), Titanic, Bataan,
Pearl Habor, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, Twelve O’ Clock High, The Alamo (maligned for being boring and historically factual), Sands Of Iwo Jima, Memphis Belle, The Right Stuff,
Apollo 13, From Here To Eternity, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Lion In Winter, Henry V,
Elizabeth, Spartacus, El Cit, Judgement at Nuremburg, Lawrence of Arabia, Patton, Raging Bull, Reds, Amadeus,
Any and all Jesus movies, Glory, The Piano, Schinder’s List, Miracle, Seabiscuit, Troy.
Please remember that society requires you to check out BEFORE 1pm.