It is the 40th Anniversary of the Miracle On Ice. A win that impacted Americans and generations of hockey players. A miracle worth celebrating until the team had the audacity to appear on stage with President Donald Trump. 

““We are thrilled to have with us today 14 players from that gold-medal team. Give them a big hand,” Trump said in Las Vegas, where team members had gathered to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their historic win over Russia on Saturday.

The president at one point called team captain Mike Eruzione to join him on the stage along with players Jim Craig, Bill Baker, Dave Christian, Ken Morrow, Jack O’Callahan, Mike Ramsey, Mark Wells, assistant coach Craig Patrick and the late coach Herb Brook’s daughter Kelly Brooks.”

Something to celebrate yes? If you are anti-Trump, the answer is NO.

Here is a sampling of the reactions. Soledad O’Brian is “dismayed.”

“In an early Sunday morning tweet, award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien expressed her dismay with members of the 1980 Gold Medal-winning Olympic hockey team for celebrating their historic win over the then-Soviet Union — dubbed the “Miracle on Ice” — with Donald Trump while wearing “Make America Great Again” hats.”

From defeating Russia to endorsing the president Putin built. Full circle.

— Harry Williams (@harrywilliamsjr) February 23, 2020

Oh, I see, those young men who prevailed against amazing odds are now to be reviled because Trump. Anyone who is old, white, and pro-American should be declared non-essential and banned for supporting and respecting our President and OUR COUNTRY.

What they refuse to acknowledge and understand is just what this win did for American morale. Why does the Miracle On Ice matter?

Think about it. At that time we had Jimmy Carter as President. There were long lines at the gas pump, people were losing their jobs, inflation was rampant, Carter was bloviating about “malaise,” the Soviet Union had every politician scared and kids practicing nuclear fallout drills under their desks. Then Iranian terrorists took over our U.S. Embassy in Tehran. That is a small sampling of what our country was dealing with when Herb Brooks started building the 1980 Olympic hockey team.

Did he ride them hard? Yes, he rode them into the ground and then did it again. He wanted them to be the best, for themselves and for this country.

In 1980, our team, representing the United States of America gave 1,000 percent of their very best. Yes, they did it for themselves. But more importantly, they did it for AMERICA. The Soviets were the team and the country to beat on every level. And, at that game, our team showed the world American heart, American perseverance, and American ingenuity. The Soviets were SHUT DOWN.

"Tonight, WE are the greatest hockey team in the world."

Watching Kurt Russell play Herb Brooks and deliver his legendary locker room speech is a great way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the "Miracle on Ice." pic.twitter.com/X0d4Uhpnjs

— ESPN (@espn) February 22, 2020

DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES??!! 

Photo Credit: USA – Soviet Union match, Winter Olympics 1980. Mike Ramsey #5 with the puck, #22 Viktor Zhluktov; #6 Valeri Vasiliev photo by- Henry Zbyszynski via Wikimedia Commons, cropped and modified

Yes, we ALL did on that night. 

“What a ride those young Olympians had, doing the unthinkable by taking down the Russians just when America needed a boost. The Cold War was in full swing, Russia had invaded Afghanistan, U.S. hostages were being held in Iran.

And along came an unheralded hockey team to topple Russia in a victory that brought the country together on a winter Friday.

Craig stopped 36 shots against the Soviet Union, and fellow Boston University product Eruzione from Winthrop scored the winning goal. Craig then made 21 saves in the gold-medal win over Finland and finished the Olympics with 163 stops and a .916 save percentage.”

After the Miracle On Ice, Americans regained their confidence and courage.

Forty years later, media types and liberal leftists are dunking on the Miracle On Ice team for daring to appear on stage with the “wrong” President. That speaks volumes about their disregard for our country’s history, what the Miracle on Ice meant to all, and their lack of heart towards this Republic doesn’t it?

https://twitter.com/1980MiracleTeam/status/1231325359091511296

Forty years ago, a young hockey team coached by Herb Brooks prevailed against the behemoth called the Soviet Union. American heart and freedom won against the authoritarian regime called Communism. A regime that current presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, supports and defends to this day.

The Miracle On Ice matters now more than ever. Why? Winning FOR AMERICA was the shot in the arm we needed then, and because it is up to us to remember and celebrate America’s success stories. It is up to us to protect our Republic from those who insist we should choose socialism over freedom.

Feature Photo Credit: Ronnie Chua via Shutterstock, cropped and modified