“Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” – Al Michaels, 1980 Winter Olympics.

The call that will last a lifetime. A moment that has transcended generations and will live on forever. There is no shortage of superlatives you can use when describing Team USA’s miracle triumph in ice hockey over the Soviet Union at Lake Placid during the 1980 Winter Olympics. 

Now, 46 years later, this once-in-a-lifetime event has once more become a focal point of discussions thanks to Netflix’s new documentary, “Miracle: The Boys of ‘80.” Of course, this isn’t the first time the story of the 1980 U.S. Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey Team has been told on screen. Years ago, there was an HBO documentary, as well as the famous Disney movie. 

Of the things Netflix did differently was to show never-before-seen footage of the team; during practices, various interactions the players had with Coach Herb Brooks, who passed away in 2003, and more. 

“A lot of guys on our team were kinda wondering if this was something that we really needed to do,” Jack O’Callahan told Blittner’s Blue Line via phone call. “We were wondering if it was really something we needed to do again. But Netflix was pretty firm about the fact that they had a different perspective and they wanted to do something really different that had never been done before, relative to our team. And it made sense. 

“We trusted them and I think the finished product was fantastic. The way they showed sort of the now and the then, with guys reminiscing a little bit, talking about their families and their parents. At this point in our lives, I think all of our parents are gone. So it brought up a lot of emotion and a lot of different perspectives. As a group, I think we’re all very thrilled with the finished product.”

“(They) went into a little more depth,” Rob McClanahan said via phone call. “You got to know Mark Johnson better. They still had Jimmy (Craig) and Mike Eruzione there, which is important. But you got to know Jack O’Callahan a little bit, too. The depth of the stories. Steve Janaszak, the backup goalie, shared some of what he experienced. So I thought it was very well done.”

Well done indeed. The reviews have been nothing but positive thus far and the new documentary has allowed the team’s story to be told in a new light. While O’Callahan and McClanahan both praised the movie and the previous documentary, they both also felt that this new project carried some extra meaning for them.

“When you’re talking to people in real time, you’re getting ‘from the heart information,’ as opposed to a movie that’s telling a story in a movie format,” said O’Callahan. “It’s just very real, especially with all the guys on my team. We’ve lost three members of our team who have passed away. We’re all in our late sixties. Some guys are in their seventies already. We’ve got grandkids. 

“It’s just a different perspective. But it’s just one other thing that we’ve been able to do that was different, unique and special. Look, 46 years have passed, but our story still resonates for a lot of reasons and people are interested. We were really proud of the finished product here with the Netflix group and how they came in and how they presented it.”

Part of the “different perspective” was Netflix doing something that hasn’t been done with this story before. They included actual audio from the late Herb Brooks that was recorded during some of the practices, meetings and such that the team went through. Of course, that helped add a certain gravitas to the project. 

“Not only did they include some of Herbie’s audio, but they included some video that hadn’t been seen before,” said McClanahan, “With us in practices and things like that. It brings an element that makes it that much more special.” 

“Part of Herb probably would’ve said, ‘I don’t wanna deal with it (the documentary),'” added McClanahan. “But the other part of it, without question, he would’ve been exceptionally proud. The one thing that’s missing right now is that, when Herbie passed away in 2003, we were just really getting to know him as a person, not as a coach. 

“The barriers between player and coach at that time, when we played for him, were very real. He kept to himself. He didn’t hang around very much and he was very much a loner. You’ve heard him say that that season was one of the loneliest seasons of his life; it was also one of the most fun. 

“Herbie had Craig Patrick as an Assistant Coach. That’s it. He didn’t have a video guy. We had a trainer. We had one Assistant Coach and that’s it. Today, you look at how many coaches are behind the benches and I’m not being critical; it’s just the way it was. So Herbie was very much a loner and he probably would’ve tried to maintain that to some degree today.”

“I can’t speak for how Herb might’ve felt,” said O’Callahan. “He was quite an analytical guy, so he probably would’ve analyzed it (the documentary) pretty deeply. But I know that his children really appreciated (it). They were also very appreciative and thankful of the performance Kurt Russell gave in the movie Miracle. 

“I was in Lake Placid a few weeks ago when they commemorated a new statue that they put into the foyer of the rink, the Herb Brooks Arena, in Lake Placid. I was there representing the team. Kelly and Danny Brooks were there. Herbie’s grandchildren were there. I had a nice interaction with Herbie’s wife, Patti. 

“I don’t know how he would feel (about the new documentary). Clearly, he was a big part of our story. He’s an iconic figure in American sports and it was just great to be up there and to have an opportunity to be with his children and his grandchildren and to see the excitement in the village of Lake Placid when they commemorated that statue of his. It was pretty interesting. The statue is a picture of Herb with his arms in the air. I think it’s from after we beat the Russians, when he was excited and his arms were in the air. He had his little notebook in his hand. 

“They put the statue in there and the next day, on Sunday morning, I was there. They have a lot of hockey tournaments up there. All ages. But I noticed the next day, teams that had played in the tournament were getting together with their parents and their teammates in front of the statue. You see the team and everything and the parents that are in front of it, but in the background, above everybody, you see Herb, the top of his body and his arms extended. And I thought that was amazing. 

“I thought that probably will become a great photo op for the many teams that are up there in these many tournaments they have in Lake Placid. Taking a picture in front of the Herb statue, it just seals his legacy, forever, in the eyes and minds of young American and Canadian hockey players.”

Brooks may or may not have been enthused by the documentary, but, as McClanahan pointed out, he would have been proud. And Brooks isn’t the only one. To this very day, so many people remain enamored with the 1980 Team.

“You look back when we were in the Olympics and competing, we were playing a hockey tournament and the world was where it was,” explained O’Callahan. “The perspective of American hockey players, sort of on the global stage, on The NHL stage, it was definitely undervalued. We were playing that hockey tournament. We were prepared, incredibly prepared, through the season of training we did. The games we played in preparation of playing seven Olympic games. 

“So yeah, that was one thing. And then, the emotion and the connectivity with our team and our story and our journey, even in Lake Placid, our first game was the night before the Opening Ceremonies, then we played every other day until the day of the Closing Ceremonies. So we were in a full competitive mode for the entire two-and-a-half weeks or so of the Olympics. We were playing hockey. 

“But as the years have ensued, I think we’ve been great representatives of that with our behavior and our maturity and our growth. But also, it’s a story that made so many people feel so great, just about our perspective on it and how we approached the game and what was going on in the country and in the world. The United States of America was, I don’t know, not faltering, but definitely we were in sort of a down through. 

“Our story came by and it uplifted so many people and so many things that it’s just stuck with people. We were just honored with a Congressional Gold Medal by the United States Congress and the President of the United States. This is something that we didn’t know what was going to happen. 

“You could never have scripted this. The legacy that we have, not just in the world of hockey, but in the world of sports and the world of culture, American culture, it’s just been really fun. It’s something so positive. I’ve never heard anyone say anything negative about it with me in 46 years of conversations. It’s just been positive and great feelings and emotions. We’ve all been very blessed to have 46 years of talking about it and enjoying and loving those conversations.”

“With each passing year, it just resonates more and more, the impact of what our success did to resurrect the confidence that was missing in the USA during that period,” McClanahan explained. “Even with the movie and even with this documentary and even with the HBO documentary, the younger people, they’re aware of the fact that we had gas lines and know things were tough and that the Soviets had invaded Afghanistan. 

“But it’s really hard to get them to truly understand the depths of those storylines and what they were actually like. The U.S. was in a bad way. Psychologically, we just didn’t feel good about ourselves. And then you have a bunch of young college kids who come in and play at the top of their game and all of a sudden, the U.S.’ confidence has been rediscovered. I don’t think you can take away from that.”

Another thing the Netflix documentary did, beyond finding a fresh way to tell the story of the team that helped America through a difficult time, was to bring the players, all of them, back to Lake Placid, back to the arena where they pulled off “The Miracle.” Of course, many of them have been back over the last 46 years, just not as an entire group. 

“We have a fantasy camp in Lake Placid,” said O’Callahan. “I think we’ve had it for about 10 years. It takes place towards the end of April, the early part of May every year. So guys have been back for that. Guys come and go, but we usually get a pretty good turnout. 10, 12 guys, something like that. 

“This was different. The Netflix documentary brought us up there and to be up there for that purpose. We were there to actually be together, to share stories about our memories and to bring back those memories. So, this was a different reason to be there. Basically, our only real big reunion was our 20-year reunion in the year 2000. But we’ve always had connectivity and we stay in touch on a regular basis. 

“But being in Lake Placid for this specific reason, to sit on the bench together and actually be asked about our memories, to walk down Main Street and just to be together, looking around and experiencing that feeling again. People stopping us on the street in 2025/2026 and to share their excitement to see us and our excitement to be there and to be there together was a different experience for us. It definitely brought out a lot of memories and a lot of emotion. Lake Placid is such a unique slice of Americana. 

“It’s the same place. You walk down Main Street, the buildings are the same, the vibe is the same, everything looks the same. They’ve really created somewhat of a living museum in that city. It’s not just because of the Miracle on Ice Team and obviously, that’s a big part of it. But you’ve also got the memories of Eric Heiden skating and winning five gold medals on an outdoor track in front of a high school. You still see all the venues. There’s just such a great feeling in that city and we’re always so honored to be there and to walk those streets as we did. It was really a unique and special experience.”

“We went there in a different light this time because they (Netflix) asked us questions,” added McClanahan. “When we get together, we don’t really talk about, ‘Hey, remember that play against the Soviet Union?’ We get back and we ask about families and things like that. This specific time, we were asked questions and we were asked to recall certain instances. And quite honestly, we haven’t done that. So, one of the players would remember something and make a comment on it and it’d jar everybody else’s memory and bring out other stories. There’s some emotion there. I mean, it’s a great spot and they’ve kept the arena in great shape.”

Some of those memories and stories include how Steve Janaszak met his wife, Jackie, in the village back in 1980. 

“Hearing Steve express how he feels and looking back and how blessed he was, even though he didn’t play in any of the games. I mean, he met his wife and they’ve been together for 45 years or 46 years and raised a great family,” said O’Callahan. “Just to see him share how blessed he feels, because it happened in Lake Placid. I mean, it’s amazing stories like that that I knew a little bit about, but it was great to give people that forum to be able to dig into it a little bit more.”

“Hearing Kenny Morrow talk about his dad, to me, it was very emotional and very moving,” O’Callahan continued. “Kenny’s a pretty stoic guy, always been kind of quiet. To see him open up emotionally and talking about his family and his dad, it really tugged at my heartstrings.”

“Guys were (also) talking about the crowds,” McClanahan recalled. “When we went to the White House after the Olympics were over. People were remembering how each city had their respective parades. We had a parade in Minneapolis for the guys from Minnesota that went down through the University of Minnesota and it was packed. Every time somebody tells a story, it jars others’ memories for sure.”

“I was able to watch Eric Heiden win all five of his gold medals,” McClanahan continued. “We watched Scott Hamilton in the men’s figure skating. We saw those types of things. But Eric Heiden winning all five of his gold medals in his races, setting Olympic records, if not world records, was unbelievable. He was so dominant.”

On top of all the memories and all the analysis of the new documentary, our conversation with the McClanahan and O’Callahan also turned to how today’s Team USA has made a concerted effort to keep the story of the 1980 team with them. 

“This is all Billy Guerin,” said McClanahan. “I know Billy very well. And Billy will tell you that our success in 1980 impacted what he decided to do with his life. He wanted to become a hockey player after that. Not just Billy, but a lot of those guys. Billy invited me as well up to the Four Nations and we had dinner before the tournament started. 

“Mike Eruzione and I just gave a couple of comments about wearing the USA jersey and the honor it has. Billy has leaned into our team a lot to ask us to share our thoughts and our experiences with this current team, because he believes it can help. I think the U.S. has got some great talent, probably the best team, the most talented team that they’ve had. If they win, it would be awesome. 

“Billy Guerin did a terrific job not picking an All-Star team necessarily, although there are 20 All-Stars on that team,” said O’Callahan. “But he really seemed to pick a team, a group of guys who could play together as a team. When you’re in a tournament, you can’t just have 20 All-Stars out there necessarily. You also have to have All-Star-type players who can win face-offs and kill penalties and play defense. So, I think Team USA is built to win a tournament.”

Both O’Callahan and McClanahan agree they like Team USA’s chances during the current Olympic tournament, and both are not only rooting for the men’s team to win gold, but for the women’s team to do so as well. 

Lastly, we’ll leave you with one final statement, this one from McClanahan: “I can’t emphasize enough how big an honor it is. I mean, it just, it brings chills to me to be able to wear a USA sweater.”