Hall of Fame goalie Vladislav Tretiak was pulled in the first period of what many consider to be the greatest upset in Olympic history, the U.S.’ victory over the former Soviet Union in the “Miracle on Ice” at the 1980 Olympics.
Now the president of the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia, Tretiak still faces questions about the decisive game. For years, it was a moment that Tretiak and his teammates were ashamed of. Now, though, Tretiak respects the lessons that he learned from the monumental upset.
“It was a good lesson that the Americans taught us,” Tretiak told ESPN.com. “You have to respect your competitors and only after the game can you tell what you think about them. We did not have respect for the competitors at that time, but we don’t have that during this Olympics.”
The Russians aren’t heavily favored to cruise through the tournament en route to gold at the 2014 Olympics, but many hockey experts expect the U.S., Canada and Russia to make a run at a medal. Can fans expect another miraculous event this year?
“We got our gold. It took us four years to grab the gold, but we have to give it to the U.S. team. In 1980, it was a miracle. And in fact, it made it possible for ice hockey to develop so fast in the United States,” he told ESPN.com.
Photo via Twitter/@lindsayberra
