Miracle (2004)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A determined coach leads a group of underdog American amateur hockey players to face off against a dominant Soviet team in the 1980 Winter Olympics.
The story
Herb Brooks, a coach at the University of Minnesota, is tasked by the United States Olympic Committee to lead the national ice hockey team. He must prepare a squad of amateur players to compete against the formidable Soviet team, which has dominated the sport for years. Brooks implements unconventional training methods and a rigorous selection process to build a cohesive unit. The team must overcome internal rivalries and the daunting challenge of facing a professional, heavily favored opponent in the 1980 Winter Olympics to achieve a historic victory.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Herb Brooks is hired by the USOC to coach the men's ice hockey team for the 1980 Winter Olympics. He selects a roster of 20 players, focusing on building team unity and discarding old rivalries. During an exhibition game against Norway, he pushes the team through grueling drills. They then face the Soviets in an exhibition match at Madison Square Garden, where they are soundly defeated, and several players suffer injuries. As the Olympics begin, the Americans face and defeat several opponents, including Sweden and Czechoslovakia, to reach the medal round. In the final showdown against the Soviet team, the Americans are massive underdogs. Despite the Soviets' professional status, the Americans fight through the game, eventually taking the lead in the third period. They win the game, securing a historic upset, and go on to defeat Finland to win the gold medal.
- First release year
- 2004
- Runtime (minutes)
- 136
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Gavin O'Connor
- Writers
- Eric Guggenheim · writer
- Cast and characters
- Kurt Russell · Herb Brooks; Patricia Clarkson · Patti Brooks; Noah Emmerich · Craig Patrick; Sean McCann · Walter Bush; Kenneth Welsh · George "Doc" Nagobads; Eddie Cahill · Jim Craig; Sam Skoryna · Steve Janaszak; Patrick O'Brien Demsey · Mike Eruzione
- Genres
- sports; drama
- Themes
- determination; teamwork; underdog story
- Tone and mood
- inspirational; nostalgic
- Premise and plot tags
- sports; biographical; Cold War
- Source material / true-story basis
- Based on actual events.
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews, particularly for Kurt Russell's performance, and was noted for being a well-made studio entertainment.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 80% · scale: percentage · review count: 163; Metacritic · score: 68 · scale: 100 · review count: 36; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Best Sports Movie · ESPY Award · 2004 · win
- Production trivia
- The film features 133 different hockey plays.; The cast included real hockey players to provide a raw feel.; The film was dedicated to the memory of Herb Brooks.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…