It is the summer of 1959, Dwight D. Eisenhower is the 34th President of the United States, the USSR has taken the lead on the race to space, every day the cold war between USA and USSR only gets icier. In these trying times the US needed a victory, and in the winter of 1960, the US will get its chance at victory
during the 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley. USA Hockey League President Walter Brown feeling pressure from the USA Olympic committee to put together the best hockey team the US has to offer and bring home the Gold Medal asks longtime friend Jack Riley to coach the US Olympic team. Jack Riley, the fiery Coach of the West Point Hockey team, afraid to fail and believing the US has zero prospects of winning refuses to take on the role. But with a lot
of prodding and goading by Walter Brown and Jack’s wife Maureen, Riley comes around to the idea, and accepts that as an American it is his duty to try and bring the gold medal to the US. Riley works quickly. Word gets out fast and America’s best amateur hockey players show up at the
Eastern and Western tryouts. In all, Riley has selected 22 of America’s best amateur hockey players which he will need to whittle down to 17. The training is brutal. He tells the 22 hopefuls that for the next month their entire life will only be Hockey. After a month of this intense training regime, Riley lets go of
five players. Just a few weeks out before the Olympics, Jack Riley spends sleepless nights thinking about what it will take to win the games. He realizes the only way to win is if he gets Bill Cleary and John Mayasich, two players still not on the team, to play together on this squad. Billy Cleary will only come if he can bring
his brother Bobby Cleary, also a good player in his own right. But by adding the Cleary brothers and John Mayasich, Jack Riley will need to drop three players. So the morning that the Cleary brothers and Mayasich are to arrive he sits Herb Brooks down and two other players and tells them that he is cutting
them from the team. The next morning the games begin. Game after game, first, against the Czechoslovakians, then against the
Australians, followed by the Germans and the Swedes, the US team steam plows over the competition, with each victory, helping to form the bonds of a championship team. The Americans shock the international community. The press takes notice and word gets out that the American team may actually
pose a challenge to the Canadians and Russians. Until now, no one took the American hockey team seriously. But with word out that the American’s are playing very well against some of the favorite teams to win, the stadium fills up and the games get more news coverage. It’s game time. People from all over congregate to the ice rink. These have become the most anticipated events of the Olympics. Reporters are coming in droves. Busloads of people are coming to see the games. In the Locker room, Riley brings his team in for one last play-by-play. After giving the team direction, he takes a moment to give them one last word of encouragement. Riley says, “You feel that, all the people in the stadium, all their excitement. This is not just some game boys. This is something they need right now. You know, I’ve always said that when you’re on the ice, first and foremost you’re playing for yourself. But this time, I’m asking you to play for them. Bring it home boys.” The stadium is practically shaking in excitement. In the first few minutes the US has taken the lead against the USSR team. Americans across the country watching on their televisions celebrate in the early victory. The US has tied 2 - 2 in the 2nd period! The American audience are chanting, “U.S.A. U.S.A!” Eisenhower is in the Oval Office watching the game from behind his desk. All of America is glued to the TV, from homes to bars they all cheer at the
goal! It is the end of the 2nd period and the teams are still tied 2 - 2. The Americans are exhausted. In the locker room, Riley looks at his players. They have really been playing their heart out and he knows it. He can make another speech or yell at them to work harder, but in a rare moment he looks at them and as seriously as possibly says, “If you son-of-a-bitches let those pansies beat you, I swear we’ll be doing drills till the next morning.” The players are caught off guard. Riley’s lips curl revealing he was just teasing them. The players all chuckle. Riley says, “I’m not going to give you a speech. You know what to
do. Go do it.”The American’s take the game. 3 - 2 USA. All of America celebrates the victory. The US team runs into a big huddle o n the ice. The victory over theRussians is unprecedented. Walter Cronkite losses his composure as he celebrates the victory as well. The Russian coach as well and the hockey players though defeated are great sports about it. The Russian coach comes over and shakes Riley’s hand congratulating him on the great game they played. Regardless of the tensions between the two nations the players have gained a respect for each other as worthy competitors. The entire team poses for the winning picture on the Ice. And the next day. The players are on a bus heading back home. They each return to their loved ones medal in hand. But they didn’t get any parades. Most had to return to work the next day. But each of those players know what they accomplished at the 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley.