Another miracle occurred Thursday at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, and the crowd roared like it was 1980 all over again.
In 1980 the USA Olympic Hockey team unified the nation as it beat Russia on its way to winning a gold medal.
On Thursday, a capacity crowd at the Herb Brooks Arena got to relive key moments of the 1980 Miracle on Ice hockey game through AI and holographic projection technology.
“This moment is yours. You are meant to be here at this time.”
“We’re a young team. We’re the youngest Olympic hockey team ever.”
“You guys are really facing a herculean task here. It’s like sending you into the lion’s cage.”
“Early on the Soviets dictated the pace of the game out-shooting the Americans by a 2 to 1 ratio.”
But that changed over the course of the game, and the 2026 crowd was as boisterous as the 1980 crowd when the game came to an end.
“Do you believe in miracles? Yes!"
In-the-flesh guests from the 1980 game then greeted the crowd.
“Please welcome American sports announcer and legendary game caller of the 1980 Miracle on Ice: Al Michaels.”
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Michaels says, “that was something! Let’s bring them in right now: Jim Craig, Mike Eruzione and Mark Johnson.”
Michaels sat down with players Mike Eruzione, Jim Craig and Mark Johnson to reminisce about the Miracle on Ice.
“What a show that was. Your thoughts Mark, what did you think of the show?”
“I was so excited to come here,” Johnson tells the crowd. “It blew me away. Still trying to figure out how they did all this but the back of my neck, the hairs are coming up. I mean we’ve seen it for 45 - 46 years now but it still gives me chills.”
As the crowd filed out, Washington, D.C. resident Chris Matthews, an NBA trainer, said he was impressed with the holographic technology used to bring back the game.
“It was actually amazing. I mean for us to be in 2026 right now and to see something like that, I wish Michelob Ultra would do more games that we can relive. That was pretty awesome. Like I felt like I was actually there.”
The “Run Back the Miracle” had New York City resident Scott Brandi remembering an earlier game the team played against the Soviets.
“About two weeks before the Olympic Games, I find out that these guys are playing the Russians at Madison Square Garden. And we take the subway in and I’m sitting right at the rail at center ice and they get their butts kicked. I mean, I’m like how are these guys going to compete? Oh my God, ten days later they win the gold medal! And a few years later I got the opportunity to meet Mike Eruzione and I had him sign the ticket stub from that game, which is one of my prized possessions.”
The Run Back the Miracle holograms were created by a team at Michelob ULTRA utilizing high powered 4K laser projectors and a 180-by-20-foot Hologauze projection screen.
Organizers of the event say it will be part of a special titled “Run Back The Miracle” streaming on Peacock in February in advance of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.
