Today marks the 40-year anniversary of the U-S beating Finland at the Lake Placid Olympics to capture the gold medal. The final victory came two days after the stunning upset of Russia in the “Miracle On Ice” game. St. Paul native Rob McClanahan scored the go-ahead goal in the win over Finland and says they never doubted they would win the game. He says they knew the hard part was behind them. McClanahan scored his third period goal and says he knew once the Americans went ahead they were not going to lose. There were 12 Minnesotans on the 20-player Team U-S-A roster. McClanahan, who is now a high school hockey coach in the Twin Cities, says 40 years has gone by quickly, but he is proud that he and his teammates put in the hard work to achieve their goal. He says he tries to convey that lesson to the players he coaches now at the Blake School.
MNN Sports Director Mike Grimm sat down with Olympic hero Rob McClanahan to recall his Miracle memories: