Netflix offers new chance to fete Herb Brooks and Miracle on Ice

Hollywood still believes in miracles.

“Miracle: The Boys of ‘80,” now streaming on Netflix, is the latest in a seemingly never-ending list of films commemorating the U.S. hockey team’s victory over Russia in the 1980 Olympics — an upset that’s as much a part of our state’s culture as hot dish and ”A Prairie Home Companion.“

“I always joke that is the longest off-season team I’ve ever been on,” said Buzz Schneider, one of 12 Minnesotans who made the 20-man roster. “It’s been going on a long time, but it’s always a pleasure.”

The latest project might not get the attention of the 2004 film “Miracle” starring Kurt Russell, but it does offer a respite for viewers exhausted by one tragic news story after another. It’s also a vivid reminder of how resilience and selflessness can pay off.

“I didn’t score a goal. We scored,” said Rob McClanahan, who like Schneider, chatted from his Minnesota home by video on Jan. 30, the day the documentary started streaming. “That attitude is hard to repeat today because society doesn’t allow it. It’s all me, me, me, me.”

The 100-minute doc, directed by Max Gershberg and Jacob Rogal with commentary from Al Michaels, George Will and Eric Heiden, is framed around McClanahan and 14 of his former teammates returning to Lake Placid last summer, swapping compliments and barbs from the bench.

“Normally when we get together, we never talk about the Olympics,” said McClanahan, who retired last season as Blake School’s hockey coach. “We talk about family and give each other a hard time. This forced us to rack our memories a little bit.”

In the film, McClanahan admits that he almost punched the onetime University of Minnesota coach after he insulted him.

“I’m 68 years old and I still wake up in the middle of the night in a sweat,” backup goalie Steve Janaszak said in the movie, remembering the tough love Brooks doled out.

“He had a big ego, no question about it,” said Herb’s son Dan Brooks on Jan. 28, a day before flying to Lake Placid to be on hand for the unveiling of a new statue of his father. “But he didn’t need the attention. He joked that he didn’t run on the ice after they won gold because the team would have killed him for trying to take credit after what he put them through.”

Dan Brooks enjoyed Russell’s portrayal in the 2004 film, available to stream on demand, although he’s curious about what would have happened if producers had gotten their first choice of Tom Hanks.

“When I heard it was going to be a Disney film, I thought it would be happy-go-lucky, like ‘The Mighty Ducks,’” he said. “But it really captured what it was like back then, and the struggles my dad had during that season. The only thing that was not accurate was that Kurt talked a lot slower and was more deliberate. Dad was much more animated.”

Time hasn’t been as kind to the 1981 TV movie “Miracle on Ice” — and for good reason. The dialogue was clunky. Malden was some 20 years too old for the role. It relied so much on real footage from the Olympics that ABC might have been better off just rerunning the actual game.

But “Miracle on Ice,” free on YouTube, is worth checking out just to see a beefed-up, pre-“Police Academy” Steve Guttenberg as goalie Jim Craig.

Die-hard fans have plenty of other options, including a 2010 episode of the animated series, “American Dad,” in which a gold medal gets stolen, and the 2015 ESPN doc “Of Miracles and Men,” which examines the game from the Soviet Union team’s perspective. There’s even an upcoming Super Bowl commercial for Michelob Ultra in which Russell appears to be reprising his role as Brooks.

The story resonates even stronger when viewers are reminded that it took place during a time of long lines at gas stations, high inflation and the Iranian hostage crisis. America needed cheering up.

“Things weren’t very good,” said Ronn Tomassoni, former head coach for the Harvard hockey team, who serves on the board of directors for the Ranch: Teammates for Life, a Minnesota mental health facility for veterans. It was co-founded by his friend, the late Mark Pavelich, who played on that 1980 team. “That event truly did lift our country’s spirits and the pride of being born in the United States.”

“It would be a big thrill and teach them you can overcome tough challenges with hard work,” said Nanne, the Minnesota North Stars general manager from 1978 to 1988.

Kelly Paradise, Brooks’ daughter, said it’s “beyond humbling” that her father’s legacy is still providing inspiration.

“My father taught us to believe when no one is watching. Believe when the odds say no,” she texted while boarding a plane for the latest Lake Placid tribute to her dad. ”Belief isn’t a feeling. It’s a choice backed up by effort and sacrifice. For this generation growing up in a world of instant results, it’s a reminder that the biggest victories come from patience, discipline and showing up every single day."