Factual error: In one game the camera pans to Herb and behind him we can see a man wearing an Under Armor hat. Under Armor didn't come out until 1996.
Miracle (2004)
Directed by: Gavin O'Connor
Starring: Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, Noah Emmerich, Nathan West
Factual error: In several scenes showing Ken Morrow #3, he is shown as being a left handed shooter.He was actually a right handed shooter.
Factual error: There indeed was a moment in the game (vs. USSR) where Jim Craig was shaken up, but contrary to what's shown in the movie, the hit did not happen as the Soviets scored a goal. Furthermore, if a goalie is that flagrantly knocked down and out so that a teammate can get a shot off, it should be a two-minute penalty for "goaltender interference" and the goal disallowed.
Trivia: If you listen very carefully to the part where Al MIchaels says, "Do you believe in miracles? YES...", you'll notice that it's from the original broadcast of the game in 1980. All other play-by-play was re-done by Michaels as the movie was produced. The reason they used the original 1980 broadcast for just that specific moment is that Michaels had a difficult time recreating the emotion and excitement he felt when shouting it as it really happened.
Trivia: The 3,000 extras used to sit in the stands and act as crowd noise did an excellent job of chanting "USA! USA!", especially since they were all Canadians.
Trivia: Just after time expires, Coach Brooks extends his hand to shake hands with Assistant Coach Patrick. Patrick gives him a big bear-hug instead. Kurt Russel (Brooks) didn't know he was going to do that; the directors wanted a genuine reaction.
Herb Brooks: Red line, back. Blue line, back. Far blue line, back. Far red line, back. And you have 45 seconds to do it. Get used to this drill. You'll be doing it *a lot*. Why? Because the legs feed the wolf, gentlemen. I can't promise you we'll be the best team at Lake Placid next February. But we will be the best conditioned. That I can promise you.
Herb Brooks: You don't defend them, you ATTACK them. You take their game and you shove it right back in their face!
Herb Brooks: Tonight, WE are the greatest hockey team in the world.
Question: Why did Brooks want to make his players hate him?
Question: Why didn't Finland's hockey team medal in the 1980 games if they played the U.S. for the gold?
Chosen answer: It appears that the medal round was just a continuation of the round robin tournament. When the US deafeated Finland, it cliched the best record in the tournament. The Soviet Union had the second best record, and Sweden the third best.
Question: Was the Soviet Union hockey team as good as the movie makes it out to be?
Answer: Yes. Prior to the 1980 Olympics, the Soviet Union's men's hockey team had won 5 out of the last 6 Olympics (taking 3rd in 1960). They also won the next 2 Olympics (plus the 1992 Olympics as part of the Unified Team). The 1980 team also consisted of at least 6 returning gold medalists and several world champions and future gold medalists.
16-0 over Japan, 17-4 over the Netherlands, 8-1 over Poland, 4-2 vs Finland, and 6-4 vs Canada.
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.