1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team reunites to mark anniversary of the Miracle on Ice

For the first time in 35 years, every surviving member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team was together under one roof, reuniting in Lake Placid, New York, on Saturday to celebrate the anniversary of their 4-3 win over the Soviet Union.

"It feels exactly the same," player Dave Christian told The Associated Press. "You could feel the electricity in the [locker] room. It's still there." Their shocking upset on Feb. 22, 1980, which came as tensions remained high during the Cold War, was dubbed the Miracle on Ice. Two days after beating the Soviet Union, the team defeated Finland, 4-2, and brought home the gold. "In sports in general, everyone roots for the underdog, which we certainly were an underdog," Christian said. "We were aware of the political situation in the world, but in a lot of respects for us it truly was a game, a great challenge."

More than 5,000 fans came to the Herb Brooks Arena — named in honor of the team's coach, who died in a 2003 car accident — for the "Relive the Miracle" reunion, and listened to the players discuss the game. They also raised the jersey of their fellow teammate Bob Suter, who died at 57 in September. "I've played on a lot of teams, and this is the best team, the closest team I ever played on," said player Neal Broten. "As a younger guy, I looked up to all these guys. It was a privilege and honor for me to represent our country with these guys and do what we did."

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