Dave Silk - Miracle On Ice

Miracle On Ice

Silk played in the 1980 US Olympic hockey team's “Miracle on Ice,” known today as one of the biggest upsets in sports history.

Team USA was made up of unknown college players. Many believed that they were a huge underdog going into the Olympics. The USA didn’t let any of the negative criticisms stop them from attaining their goals. They worked their way through the games and got into the medal round. They were set to play the Soviet Union. Going into this game, many Americans were scared for the team for numerous reasons. Team USA had lost to the Soviet Union in an exhibition game 10–3 that was held at Madison Square garden in New York City just days before this rematch in Lake Placid. The turmoil between the United States and the Soviet Union also added to the stress to the hockey game. Silk said “To us, it was a hockey game; to the rest of the world it was a political statement”. None of these factors phased team USA in any way.

Many say Herb Brooks, head coach of the team, had a huge impact on the team’s accomplishments. According to Silk “he was a master motivator known for impassioned speeches”. Brooks would tape clippings and telegrams on the wall to motivate the team before going out on the ice and playing the Soviets (Carroll). Silk said “of all the telegrams we had, the one I remember came from this woman in Texas, It read, I may not know anything about hockey but I want you guys to go out and kill those Commie Bastards. At that point we began to understand what this game meant to people”. David Silk and team USA played like they never had played before. They left everything they had on the ice of that Olympic Stadium, defeating the Soviets 4–3. “When the final buzzer sounded on that 4–3 victory, many Americans swelled with Pride” Silk said (Carroll). No one imagined that team USA would end up conquering the Soviet Union hockey team in such a fashion. Two days later the young American team defeated Finland to clinch the gold medal coming from behind as they had done in every game in the tournament but one.