Three decades later, the "Miracle on Ice" still captures imaginations around the world and causes American hearts to swell with pride. This is the thrilling true story of how a ragtag team of collegiate and amateur athletes united in the shadow of the Cold War to defeat the seemingly invincible Soviet ice hockey team at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Author Tim Wendel, a lifelong hockey fan, began following the U.S. team a year before their Olympic triumph. He joined their road trips, reported on their games for a variety of publications, and eventually came to know not only every member of the team but also their friends, families, and former coaches. Wendel draws upon these close ties to offer moving stories of the players'' boyhoods in Minnesota, North Dakota, and the Boston area as well as updates on their post-Olympic careers. Sixty-two action photographs complement the story of the team''s amazing victory, which was voted by Sports Illustrated as the greatest sports moment of the twentieth century and inspired two movies. Even those with no interest in sports or hockey will appreciate this tale of faith, perseverance, and triumph in the face of overwhelming odds.


Award-winning novelist and journalist Tim Wendel teaches fiction and nonfiction writing at Johns Hopkins University. Wendel’s articles have appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Esquire, and GQ, and he is a regular contributor to the USA Today op-ed page.