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One Coach, One Gold Medal, 20 Kids, Two Movies
There have been two movies since the United States stunned the world and won the gold medal at the 1980 Olympics. In 1981 “Miracle on Ice” was released as a made for TV movie and starred Karl Madden as Team USA’s Coach Herb Brooks. Twenty-three years later and only a year before the 25th anniversary of the special event in Lake Placid, NY, Hollywood produced its own version of the 1980 Olympic hockey team with Kurt Russell playing Coach Herb Brooks.
In my project I will look at the differences and similarities of these movies by comparing specific scenes from each. I will look at camera techniques, the portrayal of Coach Brooks’ coaching style, and the use of Patti Brooks (wife of Herb Brooks) in the two movies.
In the first days that this project was getting off the ground I knew then that I wanted to produce something video related. With video being my primary interest in the Mass Communications Major, my only problem was trying to figure out what my project would actually entail. I had seen “Miracle” early on in the semester but it was only when I saw “The Miracle on Ice” that I knew what I would do.
When two movies are based on actual events, there isn’t much that can be different about them. At least that’s what I thought. Sure the storyline and some of the events are the same, but “Miracle” and “Miracle on Ice” are two completely different movies. In “Miracle” you see Hollywood’s new camera techniques and the scripting of elaborate scenes to make you feel as if you are actually in the game. On the other hand, in “Miracle on Ice” there is more play on Herb’s relationship with the team captain Mike Eruzione and why he pushes him as hard as he does. All told, the two movies, 20 years apart, are almost night and day with what they stressed and how they went about doing it.
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When this project first surfaced in January 2005 I could not have told you one thing about Buzz Schneider, Mike Eruzione or Jim Craig. I could not have told you who won the 1980 Olympic Hockey Gold Medal or why the event was so significant. I could not have told you one thing about Herb Brooks and how much I would look up to and admire him only five months later.
Herb Brooks was a man that you loved one second but hated the next; that was just how he was. His philosophy of winning as a team and not as individuals was taught to me years ago by many coaches, but it never hit home till I came to know and understand Coach Brooks while working on this project. He took 20 kids from across the country and turned them into the best hockey team in the world. He used his coaching techniques and his ability to motivate players to perform above their peak to win the 1980 Olympic Gold Medal and give the United States something to cheer about.
Dedication- In my eyes, that is one word sums up Herb Brooks. He willed that team with his preparation and grittiness to play better than they ever thought they could. His dedication to the team and giving his team the best possible chance to win is why I look up to him the most. Every hour of his day was dedicated to making the team better
As I am finishing my last semester of school and am getting ready to go into the working world, dedication is one value Brooks has taught to me. There are always things that will be hard to achieve in our lifetime and we must make sacrifices to reach them.
It seems like yesterday this project was presented to me and I realized that I knew nothing about the 1980 Olympics. I knew nothing about the hockey team. I knew nothing about Herb Brooks and I knew nothing about the events that preceded the Olympics. I don’t know how I could have been so blind.
In 1980 I wasn’t even a thought in my parents’ minds, but now I feel as if I had lived through that year. I now realize how tumultuous that time really was. The gas crisis, cold war and the hostage crisis in Iran were all events that created a sense of unrest in America. The 1980 Hockey team and Herb Brooks gave us a reason to smile and say we are proud to be Americans.
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Learning about Life from a Miracle Maker
In life we can not succeed if we do not know who we are. But we cannot fully know who we are until we push ourselves again, again, again, and again. There is a lot to be learned from a man who represented so many good values. Coach Herb Brooks kept sending his players from one blue line to the other blue line again and again after their loss in an exhibition game against Norway for a reason. He challenged his players to discover who they were and why they were there. This project is helping all who are involved to find out who they are. I will write an essay that will summarize the values of Coach Herb Brooks and indicate how this project helped me.
Before the start of the 1980 Olympic game between the Americans and the Soviets, Herb Brooks entered the locker room and told his team, “You were meant to be here.” What exactly did the coach mean by that comment and so many other inspiring words? I want to look closely at some of the things Coach Brooks said to his team. I want to determine if this style of coaching can help change a person’s attitude and life. Herb Brooks wanted everybody’s best and that’s why this project is so great. Learning about Brooks has helped me do my best.
“Gentlemen, be prepared to grow through pain,” Brooks once told his team. This saying rang true for me throughout this project. Many nights I sat at a computer with my fingers on the keyboard, staring blankly at the screen thinking about what I wanted to accomplish. I realized I needed to concentrate harder and not give up.
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It’s easy for someone to just give up when things are hard. There were times when I walked home from campus at 11 o’clock at night and wanted to go to bed. I walked back to campus though, and sat down until 1:30 in the morning. I realized that I could not give up. I pushed myself harder. I didn’t allow failure to conquer me. I sacrificed an extra hour or two of sleep in order to feel better about myself because I made sure I accomplished something. This is the type of man Herb Brooks was. He exhausted himself to reach the goals he set for himself and his hockey players. He didn’t give up and neither did his team. They kept moving forward. My hope is to continue to do better each day. And for the times when I feel like I should call it a night, I will make myself go just a little bit further in the right direction.
Herb Brooks wanted to make people better. He was a selfless individual. His single-mindedness included a plan for constantly moving forward toward a goal. While working on this project, I learned that I must have the conviction and the confidence to move forward in everything I take on. Coach Brooks described one of his objectives with these words: “In 25 years, I want these 20 boys to know that they didn’t leave anything on the table.” I intend to keep in my mind for the rest of my life. Many students would wish they could be part of a project of this magnitude. I will be forever grateful for my small part.
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The History of a Miracle
I wasn’t even a thought in my parents mind when the Olympic gold was won by the United States in hockey. Then throughout my life I had no idea about Iran capturing Americans as hostages, people waiting on mile long lines for gas, the Russian takeover of Afghanistan. Now I find myself reliving the time period of the late 1970s to 1980. As much as I can see myself dancing to the popular disco music, I can never imagine waiting on line for hours hoping there’s still gas left when I get up to the pump. The most unexpected victory of the century caused a brief moment when all the problems faded into the background. The victory by the US Hockey Team at the 1980 Olympics was a sports miracle and morale boost for a weary nation.
My part in the “Miracle at Placid” project is to take you outside the rink in the little town of Lake Placid, New York, and provide a picture of the world when the US team beat the Russian and Swedish teams.
It was a challenging time in America:
• the Cold War escalated;
• Iran held Americans hostage;
• there were long lines at all the gas pumps;
• President Carter was having troubles in office
Americans were at a low point and needed a miracle to happen. Then they got it from a coach who took 20 young men, molded them into a hockey team that ended up victorious over what was considered the greatest team on earth, and won the gold medal for the USA.
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I selected this aspect of the project because I believe it is important for people to understand that even though the world was not perfect, this specific event in Lake Placid brought millions of people together. In addition, my generation as well as others were not here to witness the miracle, so it’s important to fill in the blanks.
The 1980 Olympic Hockey Team and Coach Herb Brooks taught me lessons I never associated with school. Learning Herb Brooks’ philosophy helped me to understand that reaching a goal is not about being the best. It’s about having values and character which allows you to succeed. Believing in yourself, in your colleagues and your work permits you to go beyond what you thought was your greatest potential. Herb Brooks said, “In 25 years, I want these 20 boys to know that they didn’t leave anything on the table.” That explains it all, because I learned that no matter how difficult it may be to accomplish your goal, at the end, you want to make sure nothing was left on the table.
Honesty, courage, leadership and persistence are only some of the values I have learned from Brooks. He taught me to always have courage even when times are at their roughest. And he also taught me to be yourself no matter how hard people might want to change you.
This project started by watching the movie “Miracle,” and it turned out to have one of the biggest impacts on my life. I would have never known what happened at Lake Placid and how it brought a nation together and celebrated what was a strong coach and his team. It taught 20 Mass Communication majors at King’s College lessons they will take with them and reflect on for the rest of their lives. Anything is possible with hard work, persistence and hope, and as Herb Brooks said to his players, “aren’t you glad I wouldn’t let you quit?” The inspiration provided by Dr. Mussari, Herb Brooks and the Olympic Hockey Team did not let us quit.
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Coach Herb Brooks: A Coach with Gold Medal Training Techniques
He was a demanding authority figure like a father. He was an intricate designer like an architect. Telling his hockey players, “I’ll be your coach, I won’t be your friend” he became the person who changed the way the game was played and became one of the most respected coaches in sports history.
Herb Brooks was a man without fear. Or, at least he never let it show. His character drove him to believe in what seemed like the impossible. The story of Herb Brooks is for dreamers and realists alike. The members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team were dreamers with grit. Herb Brooks was a realist with a heart.
What drives a man to take a group of young college men with different backgrounds and make them into a team that could feel like family? Where does he start? How does he learn what motivates a player and what discourages him? How far can he push these men to be as highly conditioned as possible? What life lessons do we learn from a man with such values?
These questions and so many more are at the heart of this Miracle project. I will tell the tale of Herb Brooks and his philosophy from my perspective as an athlete. I will tell what it means to a player to have a coach like Brooks, and try to best capture the character of one of the most famous coaches who ever lived. The comparison between Herb Brooks’s teaching and the learning of an athlete exemplifies so much more than just sport. It’s a comparison between life and the person.
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Recapturing the Miracle: A Trip to Lake Placid, New York
I decided to work on three projects for this practical experience: A descriptive account of our magical trip to the 25th anniversary of the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, a multi-media introduction to the Mass Communications Senior Expo:, and an original painting that will capture the inspiration and empowerment one can learn by studying from the life and the philosophy of Coach Herb Brooks
I chose this project because I like to write. When we visited Lake Placid on February 22, 2005 for the 25th anniversary celebration, I was inspired. I wanted to write about the experience. I wanted to capture the moment for my classmates who could not be there with us. I wanted to try my hand at describing a miracle that changed the spirit of America.
The multimedia introduction to our Practicum Expo was my idea. I want to begin our Expo with a bang. I want our audience to see our passion and belief in this project. I enjoy visual arts and when you are able to work with a media you enjoy with a subject that you honestly believe in, amazing things can happen.
While I do attempt to be creative in most projects, often job specifications hinder complete artistic freedom. The creation of original art gave me an opportunity to open a clear channel to express things that are deep inside my heart about the greatness of Coach Herb Brooks, his players and the #1 sports event of the 21st century.
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During the past four months, I learned an incredible amount of information about Coach Brooks, the 1980 Olympics, the 1980 US Olympic hockey team, the community of Lake Placid and America. Yes, I learned about The Miracle, but I also learned about the values behind this wonderful story: hard work, perseverance, the power of believing, and so much more. Actually visiting Lake Placid I had the opportunity that most undergraduate students don't get to have: a once in a lifetime, real-life experience that encompassed the entire spectrum of skills and ethics that I have learned in my communications degree.
Specific emphasis must be placed on the values that I learned from Coach Herb Brooks and the experience I had in Lake Placid - Believing in a dream and working hard to pursue it, even when it seems like some unattainable goal. This project’s multiple dimensions may cause some skepticism, but our leader and coach believed in us and us we learned to believe in ourselves. This is such an important value.
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