Miracle at Lake Placid

Stephanie Ryan

2008-07-21T15:03:47Z

Stephanie Ryan was our contact person in Lake Placid, NY. Throughout the Miracle at Lake Placid Project she demonstrated a level of competence and service that was nothing short of impressive. She helped every member of our team achieve their goal. As the Assistant Director of Communications for The Olympic Regional Development Authority she saw to it that access to events went smoothly.

Visit the Olympic Regional Development Authority Website at: http://www.orda.org

When our work in Lake Placid was finished, she participated in a teleconference with our students, and on Senior Weekend she called in to offer her best wishes.

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Click Above to listen to Stephanie tell Matt Harm about the most significant moment for her during the anniversary celebration.

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Wayne Coffey

2008-07-21T15:03:47Z

Wayne Coffey, The Boys of Winter

We met Wayne Coffey on a cold afternoon in February at the Bookstore Plus in Lake Placid, NY. Coffey, the author of The Boys of Winter was at the bookstore to autograph copies of his book. www.waynecoffey.com The occasion was nothing short of festive. Coffey was charming and very accommodating to our miracle workers who were equipped with cameras and notebooks to record every moment of this special event.

At one point all of the students surrounded the author for a group photo, and as he looked at the coeds he smiled and said, “How do I tell my wife that I was on a book tour when she sees this picture?”

Several weeks later Coffey spoke to our students by conference call. For more than an hour he answered questions and provided information that helped our students better understand the significance of what Herb Brooks and the 1980 US Olympic Hockey team accomplished in Lake Placid.

The excerpt below is from an interview with Wayne Coffey. It took place in Lake Placid just before began signing his book for hundreds of people.

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Click Above to listen to an interview with Wayne Coffey.

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D.J. Pizanni

2008-07-21T15:03:47Z

The Miracle on Ice: A Visual Interpretation

To be involved in the "Miracle at Placid" project from my internship in New Jersey was an opportunity I could not pass up. I wanted to be a part of this project. I took on the role of creating the pieces to showcase the events, speakers, and guests. Over the last few weeks, I worked closely with Dr. Mussari and my supervisor to create the programs and posters for the project.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

For weeks, I constantly looked at hundreds of images. My goal was to create individual pieces for the "Miracle at Placid" project that do a number of things. First, I wanted each piece to reflect a sense of what it was like to be at the events in 1980. At the same time, I wanted each to represent what is going on during specific events of Senior Weekend. In order to do this, I modified photos that represented past events so that they could serve the purpose of representing present events. For instance, I chose photos of ticket stubs from the Olympic games because when viewed by many that remember the 1980 games, seeing the tickets might spark a memory of those events. My hope was that they might do the same thing again, only this time in a different setting. Of course, the tickets look like those from 1980 but now have information regarding events that will take place in May 2005.

Only Natural

When I went into Mass Communication as a major, I wanted my focus to be graphic design. For over two and a half years, I have taken as many classes as possible to get a better understanding of the industry and my own skills. Now, I have the opportunity to show what I learned these last few years as well as what I feel. Graphic design, for me, is a way of expressing how and what I feel. Hopefully, the message that I am sending through my work will be looked at and understood. That is the goal of every good storyteller. Only, my book is a canvas of images.

Timeless Lessons and Their Impact Today

Taking on this project has really shed light on many things. The fact that I am graduating this year means that it's really time to grow up. It's time to put aside selfish motives and be a team player. We were all taught this at King's, most notably in the last year. By celebrating Herb Brooks and the 1980 Olympic Hockey Team, we all get to see how selflessness and team work pay off in a setting besides the class. I look at what Coach Brooks was trying to teach his team and I see the same in what Dr. Mussari is doing with our Senior class. I know that both were and always will be great teachers of hard work, discipline, and perseverance. My goal is to try and live my life by these values because if I do, I can keep moving forward.

So where do we go from here? What is next in our lives? I don't completely know the answer to those questions. Hopefully wherever I and the rest of the Senior Class go, it will be somewhere that challenges us the way we were challenged in the last year. To keep in mind the values taught and learned so that they can be applied to a different situation but end in similar results.

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Julie Marvel

2008-07-21T15:03:47Z

Dear Tony,

Emotional....Inspirational....Magical.....Thankful......Hopeful

Your dream, your vision, your passion it was unbelievable. It truly was much much more than I ever imagined or dreamed it could be.

Your dream was unbelievable! You brought out "the best" in everybody. Not only the students, but yourself, the parents, Greg O'Brien, Mike Lewis, me....everybody in your presence. I have never experienced anything like your Senior Weekend.

Your video, "The Miracle at Placid, Part 1: Dreams" was just incredible. I watched it twice last night. Once with James and once alone. It truly captured the feelings, emotions and values you wanted to emphasize. I felt very honored to have James and I included in it. But, that just shows what kind of person you are. Thank you.

The weekend was almost like an inspirational retreat for me. The outpouring of love and gratitude expressed throughout the weekend was like nothing I have ever experienced. You truly are loved by many. I hope that you can feel that outpouring of love for you.

Your students definitely showed "their best" in their final projects. You should feel so proud to have to given them that opportunity. The thoughts and feelings that shared with you in their last one minute drill should resonate in your heart forever and ever.

I pray that you can start to feel some inner peace from knowing that you touch every person that you meet. Your heart reached me....and I am forever grateful for knowing you.

There is so much more I will share with you in the next couple of days and weeks ahead. I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am a better person for knowing you. Thank you for opening my heart and my eyes again. You are true leader! You aren't Herb Brooks. You are Tony Mussari, one of the most incredible men I will ever know. Thank you for the gifts you have given me.

Julie

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Colleen Curley

2008-07-21T15:03:47Z

I was at once flattered and intrigued when asked by Dr. Mussari to come and speak to his Mass Communications class as part of their Miracle at Placid project. Prior to my visit, Dr. Mussari provided a brief description of the project as well as the students’ newly constructed website. My fascination arose from an admitted lack of knowledge about Herb Brooks and the 1980 Olympic Hockey Team’s triumph in Lake Placid, NY. (I was only nine years old at the time.) I hadn’t seen the movie, Miracle, and surprisingly, in six years of marriage, my husband—a goalie in two recreational leagues—had never mentioned the legendary U.S. vs. Soviet matchup, even though he, like so many, considers it to be the greatest upset and most momentous event in sports history.

As I combed through the text on the beautifully designed Miracle at Placid site, I began to appreciate the magnitude of this undertaking by a dedicated professor and an enthusiastic group of seniors. I was amazed that they had actually traveled to Lake Placid to attend the 25th anniversary celebration of the 1980 Olympics, reliving the spirit of Brooks’s Hockey Team and coming face to face with some of its members as well as the Brooks family. I also realized what an ideal and meaningful context Herb Brooks and his team, as well as the Lake Placid community, provide for teaching students about what’s truly important—about values that will add richness to their professional and personal lives, setting them apart in a world that has largely abandoned those universal values in the name of profit, mass production, and self aggrandizement.

I hope that in my conversation with Dr. Mussari and his students I was able to contribute to this significant life lesson. I love the idea of being able to help and inspire young people simply by sharing my experiences and perhaps prepare them for what may lie ahead—especially obstacles they may face in striving toward their goals and dreams. In meeting and talking with this group of bright and talented seniors and their mentor I was inspired myself—and excited to play a small part in their project.

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Dr. Mussari very kindly invited me to attend the special events surrounding the Miracle project, and to create my own piece of artwork for the website. This led me to research Herb Brooks and his team, seeking to understand the emotion that reverberated in the arena during that unforgettable 4-3 win over the Soviets. My intention was to convey the key elements of the Miracle project (Brooks’s impact on his players, the team’s dedication and will to prevail, and the spirit of the fans and the citizens of Lake Placid) without overcomplicating my composition. Initial collage sketches finally gave way to a more simplified, mixed media design that I have titled “An Olympic Moment.”

I created this piece using watercolor with colored pencil enhancements in order to highlight my focal image: three members of the U.S. Hockey Team reveling in their “Olympic Moment.” Several game photographs provided sources for the work although only one of the three players—Mike Ramsey—is identified by his jersey. (I chose Ramsey because he began his career playing under Brooks at the University of Minnesota and later deferred his NHL draft offer to join Brooks’s Olympic team.) The idea here is not to recreate a photographic image so that the other two figures could represent any member(s) of the team. I positioned their gloves to symbolize the five Olympic rings while the American flags convey the elation and patriotism that overtook Lake Placid and the country, which was struggling to overcome a troubled decade (Vietnam, Watergate, etc.) and concerned about its 52 American hostages in Iran, as well as the Cold War. (USA Hockey: A Celebration of a Great Tradition contains a passage noting the “incredible number of American flags” in the crowd, many of them the oversized sort normally hung from high flag polls.)

Finally, in order to tie my image to Herb Brooks, I chose to do something rather unusual and include a three-line paraphrase of Brooks’s pre-game speech in the foreground: “Great moments are born from great opportunity…You were meant to be here; this moment is yours.” I think these words, more than perhaps an image of the man himself, underscore his integrity, his success as a coach, and the vital role he played in the “Miracle on Ice.”

-Colleen Curley

Mike Lewis

2008-07-21T15:03:47Z

Mike Lewis composed original music for the Miracle at Placid Project. He attended the screening of Miracle in Windsor Park, and during that visit he began to conceptualize his music.

He presented a lecture demonstration in our seminar room on creativity and the art of composing music and performing.

He returned to Windsor Park to work with Matt Harm, D.J. Pizzani and Doc on a Saturday afternoon. During that visit he provided a scratch track of his music.

Later he contacted Gene Cotton a well known performer and family friend. Working with Cotton who produced the music in Nashville, developed the title, "I Say Fly".

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Click Above to listen to "I Say Fly"

"I Say Fly" was written by Mike Lewis, Cut Across Publishing, BMI, and Gene Cotton, People Song, ASCAP. It is protected by US Copyright laws and it may not be copied or reproduced without permission of Mike Lewis.

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Greg O'Brien

2008-07-21T15:03:47Z

Hi Tony,

I really can't describe just how fortunate I feel to have been part of Sunday's event. I honestly felt as though I was allowed into a mystical or sacred place, a place of warmth, love and friendship. A special place where every dream seemed attainable. I kept asking myself how I ever came to be there. Now, I know at times over the years, you have questioned yourself, we all do, but you absolutely need to believe that you have left an everlasting mark on the hearts & minds of so many. Some students may not clearly understand or realize the immeasurable impact you've made on their lives until several years have passed, but believe me dear friend, they will.

On Sunday, I learned a tremendous amount in just one of your classes and I will forever benefit from it. I sincerely hope to be able to spend more time with you and Kitch and I know that all things are possible because of people like you!

My weekend journey to King's College inspired me to write "You Just Never Know" and I sincerely hope you understand just how grateful I am. With all my heart, I thank you!

Keep smilin' and laugh often!

All the best,
Greg

You Just Never Know
In Honor of Lasting Friendship

It’s amazing that with all the planning, all the strategy and all the resources available to us…
there are still so many things we don’t have, nor ever will have, control over

Life really does take some unexpected twists & turns and it's just
remarkable to have found someone like you around the bend

Thank you for being an inspiration when inspiration is scarce
Thank you for being objective when options are few
And thank you for being supportive in times of need

A friend like you comes along very seldom in life
A true friend, whose presence can never be
adequately assessed, but without it, the world is faint

So, thank you for being my friend
and for helping to guide me on my journey
For where it will end…you just never know
- Greg O’Brien © 2005

On May 8, 2005, Greg O' Brien performed the song, "Angels Among Us" at the Senior Breakfast held for the students who participated in the Miracle At Lake Placid Project. Click below to hear the song.

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Click Above to listen to "Angels Among Us"

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Julie Marvel

2008-07-21T15:03:47Z

Dear Tony,

Emotional....Inspirational....Magical.....Thankful......Hopeful

Your dream, your vision, your passion it was unbelievable. It truly was much much more than I ever imagined or dreamed it could be.

I pray that you can start to feel some inner peace from knowing that you touch every person that you meet. Your heart reached me....and I am forever grateful for knowing you.

Julie

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Ross Bernstein

2008-07-21T15:03:47Z

Ross Bernstein, Remembering Herbie

Ross Bernstein is an engaging, enthusiastic, passionate young man. His book, Remembering Herbie is prominently displayed behind Glass in the Olympic Center at Lake Placid New York. It truth be told, that is how I learned about the book and the author.

It was pure circumstance. We were walking along, and Richard Rickard said: “Doc, look at this, a book about Herb Brooks.”

In less than an hour I owned the book and in less than a week I was on the telephone with the author to arrange a conference call.

To his credit, Bernstein interrupted his vacation to share his insights with our students, and his book became required reading for our project. www.bernsteinbooks.com

During our Senior Weekend, Bernstein called to wish our students and their parents well. The excerpt below is from that call.

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Click Above to listen to Ross Bernstein's call during Senior Weekend.

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Steven Alfano

2008-07-21T15:03:47Z

Coaching Greatness: Philosophies on Winning

For my section of the project, I chose to do a philosophical study of Coach Herb Brooks, the man and the coach. I will look at the philosophy of Coach Brooks, focusing on his values and how they contributed to his team’s successes. By outlining the coach’s philosophy, I hope to give everyone a sense of what values were important and why his style of coaching not only benefited his players in athletics but equipped them for success in life.

I am a fairly analytical person. I am interested in why people are the way they are, the things that make them tick, and how and why their actions affect others. Therefore, I thought a philosophical analysis of Herb Brooks would be an appropriate and important piece of our project.

In studying Coach Brooks, his team, and their historic success at Lake Placid, I’ve learned most importantly that optimism and faith triumph over all. Miracles really do happen. You just have to be open to them and believe in them.

There is no substitute for hard work in order to be successful. I’m sure the feeling that swept over the 1980 Olympic Hockey Team after beating the Soviets was one that can never be duplicated or replaced. If Coach Brooks had not pushed them as hard as he did, they would have never gotten to experience it.

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The values of honesty, faith, hard work, commitment, and sacrifice are ones that I will take with me long after this project is over. In order to reach a goal, you must push yourself. Often, the goal will seem unreachable, but being able to stay faithful, committed, and give it your absolute best, makes the goal attainable.

A positive attitude results in positive results. The Miracle on Ice occurred because the American team knew they could win that game. They had the dedication, put in the hard work, and made the sacrifices. They knew, and Herb Brooks knew, that the moment was going to be theirs. In my life after King’s College, I will always remember what it takes to be successful and how a true winner is a person with core values.

This project hasn’t been just a project, it’s been an experience. Reading about Coach Herb Brooks and the team, seeing pictures and hearing stories from some of my classmates who made the trip to Lake Placid, I’ve come to realize that this is much more than a project honoring the 25th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice. It’s a project highlighting the years of hard work by everyone in our class, including our teacher. It is fitting that my years at King’s capped off by a project that has an impact on not only my class, but on others as well. The people who know about and are involved in this commemoration are many. They are people I never dreamed I get the opportunity to meet and interview people. It truly has been an experience that I will never forget.