The_Beast_of_Beast

Tyler Willis Title: The Miracle on Ice General Purpose: To Inform and Educate Specific Purpose: To bring attention to the importance of American history and how the game of hockey affected America Thesis: A day that would bring life back to the United States, and hope for many across a nation 1) Introduction a) A time when cellphones were the size of a backpack and the internet was not available to the public yet. b) The night of Feb. 22, 1980, a day many of us were not around to experience c) The game was Hockey and it was the winter Olympics, the abundant event that brought the world together for that instant in time d) The Soviet Union and United States were still heavy rivals due to their individual involvement in Cold War. e) A day that would bring life back to the United States, and hope for many across a nation i) Herb Brooks was the Coach of the United States team. ii) The team was young at best with little experience but the heart of determination. iii) The Game known as “The Miracle On Ice” 2) Coach Herb Brooks f) Background of Coaching   (1) In the collegiate ranks, Brooks led the University of Minnesota to frozen four championships 4 out of his 7 seasons as coach (2) In Brooks’ first season, he took over a last place team and took them to a Frozen 4 Championship in just his second year as coach. (3) In his 7 short years as coach he fashioned a 165-96-18 record with the Golden Gophers and became the only coach to lead a team comprised solely of American-born players to a national championship. (4) Prior to his coaching career, Brooks starred as a player at Minnesota, earning three varsity letters. g) Beliefs and Teachings of Herb Brooks iv) Brooks is quoted saying. "I think I put a lot of pressure on the players, and I had a lot of expectations of them. I didn’t give them an 'out,' and I think I was always able to find the kids who were really competitive. The common denominator of all the guys who played throughout my seven years was that they were really competitive, very hungry, very focused, and mentally tough — to go along with whatever talent they had. I think that really carried us." 3) The Team h) Players from all walks of life joined the team v) Of the 20 players on the US Olympic team the oldest member of the team was Mike Eruzione at the age of 25 vi) 12 of the 20 players were Minnesota natives vii) And none of them were professional players i) Skill Level viii) ESPN explains the game as the Hockey All Stars of the World against an alright college hockey team ix) It wasn’t until 1998 that pro hockey players started playing in the Olympics (5) They were amateurs, playing world class professionals j) Comparison to Soviets team x) The Soviets team had beaten the NHL all-stars 6-0 earlier in the season and also xi) In an Exhibition game between the Soviets and Team USA the Soviets destroyed Team USA 10-3 4) The Game k) Location xii) Location was Lake Placid, New york  l) What the Game meant for the USA POLITICALLY xiii) Reeling from an unsettling situation in Afghanistan xiv) A hostage crisis in Iran, xv) A potential boycott of that summer’s upcoming Summer Olympics in Moscow xvi) And a down-trending economy that needed a pick-me-up m) Outcome xvii) The First Goal came from the Soviets 9 Minutes into the first period (6) Had the USA hanging their heads xviii) 5 Minutes Later Buzz Schneider delivered the answering goal to tie the score at 1’s xix) The Soviets were quick to strike back in under 2 minutes to push ahead 2-1 xx) But with 1 second left in the 1st period Mark Johnson delivered the tying goal off of a rebound to go into the intermission at 2’s xxi) The Soviets started the 2nd period off with force as they drove home a goal a little over 2 minutes in to take the lead at 3-2 xxii) It wasn’t until the 3rd period that the US would answer 8 minutes in to knot the score at 3’s xxiii) A minute and a half later Mike Eruzione netted the final goal of the game to put the US up 4-3 xxiv) (VISUAL AID: YOUTUBE OF Do you believe in Miracles). 5) Conclusion n) Miracle on Ice is widely regarded as of the best underdog stories in sports history o) Most People still remember where they were when they heard the news or watched the game p) Without Coach Herb Brooks most people agree the game would have had a different outcome q) The Team’s determination was never broken and it all paid off r) But in the end it came down to “The Game,” the miracle on ice s) END with Thesis xxv) It was the day that would brought life back to the United States, and hope for many across our nation Bibliography 1. Allen, Kevin. "ESPN Classic - College Kids Perform Olympic Miracle." ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. 23 Dec. 2007. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. 2. Herb Brooks Foundation. "The Herb Brooks Foundation." Herb Brooks Foundation. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. . 3 .Rigard, Jimmy. "Invention of The Internet | Who Invented The Internet." New Inventions, Invention Ideas, Invention Patents & Cool Gadgets. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. . 4. Unknown, Unknown. "MIRACLE ON ICE." Olympic Regional Development Authority. 25 Oct. 2003.