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Good Afternoon. Here is a great thought for the day:

It was 1980 and the US economy was in a recession. Iran had taken Americans hostage and the Russians had invaded Afghanistan. With the cold war in full force, President Carter threatened to boycott the summer Olympics in Moscow in protest of Russia's actions in Afghanistan. Across America, the events of the time were driving American pride and morale to an all-time low point in history. But a hockey game was about to change that.

In the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, the USA hockey team was represented by a collection of young college kids, some with pro hockey aspirations. Under the guidance of their coach, Herb Brooks, the young American athletes became a fast, well-conditioned and cohesive team. While some viewed Brooks' coaching methods as somewhat questionable, they did result in the development of a physically and mentally tough young hockey team.

Brooks knew how dangerous his team could be. He also knew that many of their competitors were underestimating his team's potential and had mostly written them off as a medal contender. Brooks would use this miscalculation to his team's advantage.

In order to make it to the medal round, the USA team had to fight hard in each match. In the opening game against Sweden, they scored with 27 seconds remaining to force a 2-2 tie. This was a significant event for the USA team because the Americans had not beaten the Swedes since 1960. The tie lifted the team's morale and planted that first seed of "belief." Next, the Americans dominated a strong Czech team by winning 7-3 with seven different Americans scoring. Again, this was another significant event for the young team to take and build upon because the Czechs were largely believed to be a lock for the Silver medal. The USA team would continue their way through the bracket by winning their next three games, ultimately positioning them for the first medal round against the Russians.

Belief had turned into passion for the Americans.

The young USA team had been given essentially no chance at beating the stronger Russian team. The Russians had dominated Olympic hockey for years and their players were considered to be professionals by all accounts because of the strength of the European hockey league and the financial backing of the Soviet Union. The Soviets took great pride in their dominance. In fact, just before the start of the Olympics, they crushed the young American team 10-3 in an exhibition match at Madison Square Garden. It was a humiliating loss in front of the American fans, and it seemed clear that the Russians were destined for gold.

Fast-forward a few weeks and the USA team finds themselves against the Soviets in the first medal round, battling not only for a medal, but also for the pride of America. The tensions between Russia and the United States were very high and this hockey game took on great meaning for both nations.

The Russians started strong and took a 2-1 lead early in the first period. With the final seconds winding down in the first period, the Russians made a critical mistake. Thinking that the period was almost over, they backed off and began skating off the ice. In fact, there was just enough time for USA's Mark Johnson to take a rebounded shot with one second left and drill it into the Russians' net. The USA had tied the game 2-2. The Russians would score quickly again in the second period and again the Americans would answer, resulting in a 3-3 tie going into the third period. The Russians had thrown everything they had at the Americans and the young team answered at each blow. Now, the Americans no longer believed that they could beat the Russians; they KNEW they could. Midway through the third period, Mike Euruzione, the team captain, would catch the puck and fire it past the Russian goaltender to give the Americans a 4-3 lead with ten minutes remaining. The field house erupted and the energy level went through the roof. Could they actually pull this off? Ten minutes would seem like an eternity. Team USA would need to finish strong to hold off the Russian assault. And the Russians fought hard, firing ten shots for every one shot made by the USA team. The level of emotion and energy in the rink was beyond anything you could imagine. As the time wound down, the American fans began to chant "U-S-A, U-S-A." This was not about a hockey game. It was about American pride. The well-conditioned USA team held off the Russians and won. They finished strong in what became known as the Miracle on Ice.

Today, almost 30 years later, most people believe that this unlikely victory resulted in a gold medal for the USA. It did not. The win over the Russians put team USA through to the next round where they would later defeat Finland to win the gold. In six of seven games played, the USA team had to come back from a deficit to win. They truly embodied the spirit of belief, persistence, and passion.

Have a wonderful day.

"Each morning is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When the sun rises tomorrow this day will be gone forever, in its place will be something you have left — may it be something good. Follow your heart, it knows what to do."

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