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'Do you believe in miracles?' It's that time
Editor's Note: This essay appeared in Cog's newsletter, sent every Sunday. We share stories that remind you we're all part of something bigger. Sign up here.
My husband is from Minnesota and grew up steeped in the legend of Herb Brooks, the famously steely American ice hockey coach. I am a sucker for sports movies (and TV shows): “Hoosiers,” “Rudy,” “Remember the Titans,” “Field of Dreams” (we can discuss later whether that’s actually a sports movie), “Friday Night Lights” — I love them all.
The result? We’ve made our three kids watch “Miracle” about a million times. It’s now a regular, if slightly coerced, pick on family movie nights. For the uninitiated, “Miracle” tells the story of the 1980 U.S. hockey team — coached by Herb Brooks — which won gold at the winter Olympics in Lake Placid, defeating a heavily favored Soviet Union team made up mostly of professional players. The “Miracle on Ice” specifically refers to their semifinal win against the Soviet Union. (You’ve probably heard Al Michaels’ famous call in the final seconds: “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!”). It’s a classic underdog, Cinderella-story that also happens to be true. My favorite.
There’s a scene in the film, which takes place just after the U.S. blows a pre-Olympics exhibition game against Norway. Brooks orders his boys back out on the ice — after the game — and makes them do wind sprints until they are reduced to a quivering, vomitous heap. Assistant coach Craig Patrick holds the whistle, and Brooks tells him, “Again …again … again.” By the end of the scene, the team of cocky, college hockey players finally grasp what it means to be a member of the U.S. hockey team. We’ve recreated this scene for fun — sans the masochism — with our kids at a local ice skating pond to some dubious looks. (There’s a new excellent documentary available on Netflix about the 1980 team if you’re curious.)
I’ve got “Miracle” on the brain because the Winter Games are underway in Milan-Cortina, Italy. In a shock to no one, I love the Olympics: the schmaltzy backstories of athletes, their talent and grit (how in the world is Lindsay Vonn competing on a torn ACL?). Plus, I become deeply invested in sports I know nothing about (hello: biathlon). This year’s games come at a difficult time in the world. As The New York Times reads: “The Winter Games are rooted in international cooperation. That feels out of place to some in a world where old rules no longer apply.”
That’s true, and I’ll be watching with hope for the Olympic spirit anyway. I’m paying attention to three things:
- The “quad god,” Ilia Malinin. He’s a 21-year-old American figure skater from Virginia (and the son of two Russian-born Olympic figure skaters who competed for Uzbekistan). He’s the first and only person to ever land a quad Axel (that’s four-and-a-half rotations) in competition. He’s won four straight national U.S. titles, and at the Grand Prix final in December, he landed seven quadruple jumps. He skates to rap music, does backflips, has an eye for fashion and, like lots of elite athletes, seems highly motivated by people telling him “you can’t do that.”
- Jessie Diggins, the U.S. cross-country ski racer. Diggins, 34, is racing in her final Olympics. She’s finished on the World Cup podium 88 (!) times in her career, won Olympic medals in 2018 and 2022, and in recent years has become an advocate for action on climate change and mental health. She’ll compete in all six cross-country ski races this year, including the 50K women's endurance race. In one of the most grueling snow sports there is, Diggins’ capacity to suffer is incredible — and I can’t wait to watch.
- Skimo. What the heck is skimo? It’s short for “ski mountaineering,” the newest Olympic winter sport. With skins – which grip the snow – affixed to the bottom of their skis, athletes sprint uphill, whip off their skis at a certain point (mounting them on a backpack), then continue to run uphill in boots, before clipping back into their skis to race down the mountain. No style points, no weird rules: whoever’s fastest wins. It all seems chaotic and incredibly difficult – an excellent sport to spectate.
What I love about the Olympics is what I love about all sport: Nobody knows what will happen until competition begins. And that means we can hope for the best, pull for our favorites, and be swept up in the moment.
Which brings me to the New England Patriots. On this side of the Atlantic, after five long years in the wilderness, the Pats are back. Khari Thompson makes a compelling case for Cog that this year’s team may be one of the NFL’s greatest Cinderella stories of all time.
For those of you just tuning in, this team is different — we’re way, way beyond the Belichick and Brady era. Khari, who spent years covering the Patriots as a sports reporter, will have me paying extra attention to Pats’ cornerback Christian Gonzalez on Sunday. Gonzalez will match up against Seattle wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who’s widely considered one of the best receivers in the NFL. Khari is a huge fan of Pats superstar quarterback Drake Maye, but he says Gonzalez might be the X factor tonight. If he can win the match up against Smith-Nijigba more than he loses, the Pats might just pull off a record-breaking seventh Super Bowl victory.
I’d like to say that I’m just hoping for a good game. I know very nice people rooting for the Seattle Seahawks — plus, they’ve only won the Super Bowl one time. Wouldn’t it be OK to throw Seattle a bone — especially after 2015? Probably. But, no. I want the win.
