Synopsis

In 1980, coach Herb Brooks assembles an inexperienced group of American college hockey players to challenge the dominant Soviet team at the Winter Olympics. His demanding training methods force the players to abandon old rivalries and become a unified team. Facing overwhelming odds and intense Cold War-era pressure, the Americans fight through the tournament toward an unforgettable showdown that becomes one of the most celebrated victories in sports history.

Factoids & Trivia

• The production emphasized on-ice authenticity by casting many real hockey players, including athletes with college-level experience. The filmmakers considered it easier to teach hockey players to act than to teach actors to play convincing hockey.

• More than 4,000 men reportedly auditioned for the approximately 20 positions representing the U.S. Olympic team.

• The actors underwent a six-week training camp and practiced in older-style equipment to reproduce the look and physicality of the 1980 games.

• The film contains 133 separately choreographed hockey plays. Hockey arenas in British Columbia stood in for locations including Colorado Springs, Madison Square Garden, and Lake Placid.

• Al Michaels re-recorded most of the game commentary for the movie. However, the climactic "Do you believe in miracles?" call uses audio from his original 1980 broadcast because the real emotion of that moment could not be duplicated.

• Herb Brooks served as a consultant during production but died in a car accident before the film's release. A dedication to him appears before the closing credits.

• Brooks' wife, Patti, appears as an extra in the stands during the United States-Soviet game.

• Kurt Russell reportedly accepted a reduced salary so the large crowds hired to portray hockey fans could receive full hot meals rather than boxed lunches.