Do You Believe in Miracles? - The Story of the 1980 ...

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That's what makes this such an intriguing documentary, in addition to the expected player background and game highlights, and of course Al Michael's famous call, the state of the world in 1979-80 is examined. What is revealed in the process is that literally nothing had gone right for the U.S. in the year leading up to the Olympics. The Iran hostages, the invasion of Afghanistan, oil shortages, etc., etc. Then, along came a group of college kids playing a sport that most Americans knew nothing about, and they started something amazing: people started getting excited about being Americans again.

For at least a little while, they were America's team, and the whole country's hopes and fears were placed squarely on their backs. And lo and behold, they delivered in a situation where no rational observer would have expected anything but defeat.

Perhaps I'm being overly sentimental, but even if you're only interested in the hockey, this is a great disc. The background material on the players, coach and the team as a whole is superb. Moreover, the build-up to the Olympics is deftly handled; such that by the time the viewer reaches Lake Placid the tension is unbearable.

My only complaint, which I've seen in other reviews, is that the entire game is not included on the disc. This is not a particularly long documentary, and there aren't any DVD bonus features, so there would have been more than enough room. Ultimately, though, that's a small complaint about an otherwise superb documentary. This is a must have for any hockey fan...or student of international politics!    This is simply the most moving sports documentary I've ever seen. Produced by HBO, this chronicles the journey of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team from unknowns to national heroes.

"Do You Believe in Miracles?" follows the team from the tryouts in 1979 through the exhibitions they played, including the one against the Russians in Madison Square Garden, and finally, the triumph over the Russians and the Finns to win the gold medal. It includes interviews with head coach Herb Brooks and several players, including team captain Mike Eruzione, goalie Jim Craig, and defenseman Mike Ramsey.

But the documentary also does an excellent job chronicling the feeling of America before and after the U.S. won the gold, including the low feelings after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan and during the Iranian hostage crisis. One of the most fascinating interviews in the whole thing is with Barry Rosen, one of the hostages, who didn't find out about the Olympics until returning home months later.

Of course the highlight of "Do You Believe in Miracles?" is the victory over the Soviets. The documentary uses footage from the network telecast for the highlights, including the calls from Al Michaels (who is also interviewed here). If you don't tear up when Eruzione scores or when Michaels shouts "Do You Believe in Miracles?", something's wrong. The players reactions afterwards, even though this was done twenty years after the fact, are still very touching to watch.

Overall, I think this is one of those sports documentaries that transcends time. Years from now, people will still watch this documentary and still cry when they hear Al Michaels utter "Do You Believe in Miracles?".