Movies - TV
Is Kurt Russell's 2004 Movie Miracle Historically Accurate?
By DANIELLE RYAN
The 2004 movie "Miracle" retells the "Miracle on Ice" hockey game at the 1980 Winter Olympics, which saw the underdog U.S. team defeat the much more experienced Soviets.
While the real-life Miracle on Ice was already spectacular and dramatic, the filmmakers behind "Miracle" had to make some changes for storytelling reasons.
Much of the film is accurate; however, the dates of college games and seasons were changed to create a more cohesive backstory for some of the U.S. players' rivalries.
The original hockey players and the production team on "Miracle" praised Kurt Russell's take on Hockey Hall of Fame coach and two-time Olympic medalist Herb Brooks.
Russell's Brooks gives a rousing locker room speech, but according to Jack O'Callahan, who played on the actual team and wrote the film's speech, it's a mix of fact and fiction.
O'Callahan told WBUR, "There were some things in there that were probably what he said and some things that were just me putting my own words in there based on my memories."