Factual error: In the movie, Ken Dryden says something like, "In Madison Square Garden this team played very tentative hockey, very much in awe of the Soviet team. Tonight, they're playing like they're not in awe of anybody." He actually said that during team USA's 7-3 rout of Czechoslovakia.
Factual error: In the movie, it shows Brooks only held tryouts for a single day in Colorado Springs. In reality, he created four teams by region, 64 players total, and they played scrimmages and a tournament. The first 26 players were then selected.
Factual error: Equipment: mostly inaccurate. Locker room scenes show many shoulder pads from late 1980's/early 1990's (floating shoulder caps). Pants are modern, off the shelf CCM's. Goalie chest protectors are from later in the 1980's (at least). They should be the earlier type, such as a Cooper SB 95 and chest protector combination. Pre-Olympic gloves are modern (laughable) shiny vinyl, and the Olympic tournament gloves are simply current CCM pro gloves - right off the shelf, with a re-sewn cuff to make them look older. Also note that the finger wart colors are opposite the 1980 gloves - they should be top white, bottom red. As noted before, the helmets are modern. Opposing team gloves inaccurate/many spray painted early 1990's Cooper solid back roll gloves. In a scene from the Sweden game, there is player with gloves who's cuff-roll says "Koho," but the glove have CCM stripes. And Sweden's 1980 Jofa helmets were royal blue (standard Jofa colors), not navy blue.
Factual error: A brief shot of the World Trade Center at night is shown right before the team plays the Russians in NY, which is just days before the 1980 Olympics. This shot includes buildings located in front of the Twin Towers which were not completed until well after 1980. This complex of four buildings are known as the 'World Financial Center' and are well known for their oddly shaped rooftops. In 1988 the 'World Financial Center', the Winter Garden and 'World Financial Center Plaza' officially opened.
Factual error: Boris Mikhailov plays as a center in the movie, while in reality he was actually a right wing. Vladimir Petrov was the center.
Factual error: In the movie, the players on the bench rushed onto the ice to celebrate the victory about 4-5 seconds after the final horn sounded. In the actual game, everyone had left the bench with 1-1.5 seconds still left to play in the game.
Factual error: In the movie, Valeri Kharlamov is portrayed as a left winger with a right handed shot, in reality, Kharlamov was a right winger with a left handed shot. Additionally, his name is misspelled as "Charlamov" on the back of his uniform.
Factual error: The exhibition game at Madison Square Garden took place at 2:00pm, not at night as the outside shot of the arena depicts.
Factual error: In the movie, just before Mike Eruzione scored the game-winning goal, one of his teammates shouted "Rizzo," and passed the puck to him. That was not the case in the actual game. The puck inadvertently bounced over to where he was; no one intentionally passed it to him.
Factual error: In the actual games, the referees had their names on the backs of their jerseys (none of the refs in the movie did).
Factual error: Contrary to what the movie shows, goaltender Jim Craig actually did take the psychology test - the next day after he told the coach why he thought he wasn't necessary.
Factual error: Immediately after the victory against the Soviets, coach Herb Brooks did indeed leave the bench and go back through the tunnel. However, it wasn't to find a secluded place to rejoice. He simply had to go to the restroom.
Factual error: In the actual Olympic games, the ice looked nowhere near as immaculate as it did in the movie. The movie's ice is pure white, with vibrantly-colored blue lines, red lines, etc. Anyone who has seen the actual footage of the game knows that the ice surface is blotchy, very much like a pond.
Factual error: Not every player at the Olympics wore Bauer skates.
Factual error: The skates are all modern - they are all black plastic, no metal.
Factual error: Even though Jack O'Callahan was injured and couldn't play until the medal round, he still suited up for each game and skated during warm-ups. In the movie, he's wearing a suit and tie while on the bench.
Factual error: The opening scene is set at USA Hockey headquarters, complete with logo out front and a receptionist answering the phone as "USA Hockey." However, the governing body now known as USA Hockey was then known as AHAUS (Amateur Hockey Association of the United States). AHAUS didn't become USA Hockey until 1989.
Factual error: The time clock digits on the scoreboard were not made up of individual round lights, as shown in the movie. They were made of illuminated bars, similar to the LED displays on alarm clocks.
Factual error: The arena in the movie is way too small. The Olympic Ice Arena in Lake Placid had a capacity of about ten thousand, with an entire second level. The only "second level" the arena in the movie has is the small balcony at the end of the ice.
Factual error: Al Michaels never referred to the Harrington/Schneider/Pavelich line as the "Conehead" line when announcing the game on ABC.
Answer: Since they all came from different, sometimes rival, universities, and thus had no commonality, he wanted to give them someone to dislike together, instead of fighting with one another. If they could all bond over what a bastard Brooks was, they'd come together faster as a team and have a chance of winning.