Team Won Game People Soviet United States Eslpod

The "Miracle on Ice" refers to an "ice hockey" (a game played by people on ice skates with long sticks who are trying to get a "puck" (small, black, round piece of hard rubber) into the goal at either end of the ice rink) game that was played during the Winter Olympics in New York in 1980. The U.S. men's hockey team "defeated" (beat; won over) the Soviet Union's men's hockey team, which had won six of the previous seven Olympic games.

The Soviet Union team was "heavily favored to win" (everyone expected that team to win), given its "winning streak" (a large number of wins in a row). Due to the "Cold War" (the period of tension and hostility between the United States and the Soviet Union, among other countries, between approximately 1947 and 1991), there was a lot of public interest in the game and it was viewed as more than just a "sports match" (competition between two teams). Almost 9,000 people attended the game, "waving" (moving in the air for others to see) flags and signing "patriotic" (related to love for one's country) songs.

When the United States won 4-3, many people thought it was a "miracle" (something that cannot be explained by the laws of science, typically something produced by God). After that game, the United States went on to win its last "match" (game) against Finland, and in doing so, won the "gold medal" (first-place prize). The team was named "Sportsmen of the Year" by Sports Illustrated magazine, and "Athlete of the Year" by the Associated Press.