Like many hockey fans and players I've impatiently waited for the release of Miracle since I caught a glimpse of the tear-jerking trailer on Thanksgiving Day.
I'm tired of hearing reviews from people who are more interested in critiquing the depth of Kurt Russell's Minnesota accent than realize what they were watching.
So with members of the ASU hockey team in tow my anticipation came to an end last Friday. We attended the matinee before their game against Robert Morris College. I had a few questions that needed to be answered. Would this movie live up to the buzz Disney had created? Why won't guys sit next to each other at movies? Never mind, that's a whole different article.
For the next two hours and fifteen minutes we sat wide-eyed watching what could be the greatest hockey movie ever made. Led by Kurt Russell and an unbreakable helmet of brown hair we watched in awe of the 1980 Olympic hockey team fight their way to medal contention in Lake Placid. Don't worry, I won't "spoil the ending". Is that even a relevant comment? Why do people keep saying that?
Before the time of million dollar checks, "dream teams", and late night trysts at strip clubs, we watched people play for a clichéd, yet true love of the game.
Dubbed the greatest moment in sports history, that may seem like a stretch until you see it. You want a Cinderella story? It's euphoric to imagine a bunch of college aged kids taking on the Soviet machine that had just dominated the NHL All Star team.
The movie served as valuable time capsule as well as a welcome sequel to those of us tired of watching Slap Shot. Most of us were nothing more than a gleam in our father's eye when the miracle occurred. Surely, we aren't capable of understanding the magnitude of the game, or the climate of our country during The Cold War.
Besides, what would we lowly college students know about a nation in disarray, fighting a war we didn't understand, or a gas crisis?
Miracle captured the true camaraderie of a hockey team, the egos, the rivalries and overcoming mental setbacks to reach a seemingly unattainable goal.
The greatest qualities of the movie: casting real hockey players, including Buzz Schneider's son, as well as showing the games in real time. No Gordon Bombay, no flying V's. They even incorporated Al Michael's broadcast into the game against the Soviets. It felt as though I was sitting in the first row behind the glass feeling every hit, cheering after every save by goalie, Jimmy Craig.
I remembered what it was like to stand on the goal line, holding my stick over my head, feeling like my legs we're on fire, unable to breathe, and wanting to vomit. It was magic. I glanced to the ASU players sitting around me. They were all there with me, standing on the goal line.
"Doesn't he have a great stride?" said ASU senior forward, John Baker, referring to his namesake in the movie. It was for these pearls of wisdom I had to see the game with fellow hockey players.
I know my reaction, and that of most hockey players, but how would the rest of the non-hockey world respond? There was a lack of character development amongst the team, long game sequences and a single image depicting the gold medal game against Finland. It might capture the moment too well. The movie's simplicity makes it great. It almost alienates the non-hockey world, however for them there will always be The Mighty Ducks.
Kim Taylor is a journalism senior. Reach her at kimberly.a.taylor@asu.edu.
