You Are There: The Miracle on Ice

Originally published in Referee Magazine in 2005

By Lucas Aykroyd

When the USA confronted the Soviet Union in the 1980 men’s Olympic hockey tournament in Lake Placid, the February 22 matchup was viewed as a case of David versus Goliath.

The veteran Soviets were the reigning Olympic and world champions and had convincingly defeated a National Hockey League all-star team in the 1979 Challenge Cup. The Americans were a bunch of college players mostly from Boston and Minnesota, none over the age of 25. The USSR had beaten the USA by a combined score of 28-7 over the past four Olympics, and their last exhibition meeting had been a 10-3 Soviet win at Madison Square Garden on February 9.

Karl-Gustav Kaisla was the Finnish referee who officiated what would come to be known as the “Miracle on Ice,” with the USA beating the Soviets 4-3 in one of the all-time great international sporting upsets.

Born in Helsinki in 1943, Kaisla played junior hockey with IFK and Jokerit, the Finnish capital’s main clubs. After he completed his mandatory military service at age 22, a friend suggested refereeing would be the best way for him to continue in hockey. Kaisla agreed.

Four years later, he’d progressed through the junior ranks to the Finnish Elite League. Kaisla debuted internationally in 1974, officiating the B Pool World Championship final game between the USA and Yugoslavia. He also served as a linesman at the 1976 Canada Cup and 1977 A Pool World Championship, and refereed at the 1979 A Pool World Championship. He was mentored by international refereeing legends like Finland’s Unto Wiitala and Sweden’s Ove Dahlberg.

So Kaisla was well-equipped to handle the game assignment he got on February 21 from Andrei Starovoitov of the International Ice Hockey Federation’s refereeing committee.

“I had officiated five games at the 1980 Olympics before I did the USA-Soviet game,” said Kaisla. “In fact, I had the USA twice before the ‘Miracle.'” He expected a high-tempo affair: “The USA team was the fastest-skating in the tournament. I think that the Russians, who were superstars, came to the game unprepared for how well the Americans were going to skate. They were maybe a little tired.”

Kaisla could have been pardoned for having weary legs on game day: “I had a small run before I went to bed, but that night it was noisy in my hotel, Mrs. Webber’s Inn, because some young women there were celebrating. So I didn’t get a good rest. But things turned out all right, because then it was easier for me to have a good game day nap.”

It was a short walk to the Olympic Field House, where the game would start at 5 p.m. Tension pervaded the building. Scalpers were scoring up to $300 a ticket outside, and the Field House was packed well beyond its 8,500 capacity. The media had hyped this as a battle of capitalism versus Communism. In the wake of the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the Iranian hostage crisis, and long gas lineups, American spectators were desperate for something to boost their spirits.

Coming from a small country caught between the superpowers, Kaisla shied away from the political dimension: “It was more of a surprise for me afterwards that the top political people were so interested in that game. But I was neutral. I had nothing to do with that.”

After Kaisla dropped the puck for the opening faceoff, the Soviets predictably got off to a fast start, skating hard and generating scoring chances. But their famous captain, Boris Mikhailov, took the game’s first penalty for hooking Rob McClanahan at 3:25. “That was my normal strategy as a referee,” Kaisla explained. “I tried to call the first penalty within the first five minutes. Especially when I called it against a big star like Mikhailov, it was a signal to the players: ‘Keep your sticks down and play hockey.'”

Kaisla thus ensured the players would determine the outcome, rather than the referee. The Americans proved ineffective on their power play, and the USSR quickly grabbed a 1-0 lead on a deflection by budding superstar Vladimir Krutov at 8:25. The crowd erupted with cheers when the USA’s Buzz Schneider fired a shot past the glove of Vladislav Tretiak, often dubbed the world’s best goalie, to tie the game less than five minutes later. But at 17:34, Sergei Makarov’s solo artistry made it 2-1, and it looked like the Soviets were taking over.

Yet a critical play at the end of the first period would turn the tide for the Americans and test Kaisla’s judgement. Tretiak sloppily kicked out a long Dave Christian shot, and forward Mark Johnson darted between two Soviet defensemen to grab the rebound, fake out the goalie, and put the puck in with one second left. Soviet coach Viktor Tikhonov claimed the period had ended, but Kaisla ruled otherwise after consulting with the timekeeper: “It was a clear goal before the siren. It was really clear that it was in the net.”

The Soviets thought the first period was over and returned to their dressing room. Kaisla had to call them back for a final faceoff. When they emerged, Tikhonov had replaced Tretiak with backup goalie Vladimir Myshkin. Shockingly, Myshkin would play the rest of the game. This hurt the USSR’s confidence and boosted the USA’s.

Nevertheless, the superbly conditioned Soviets dominated the second period, outshooting the USA 12-2 and taking a 3-2 lead on an early Alexander Maltsev power play goal. The heroics of goalie Jim Craig kept the USA alive. But Kaisla penalized Craig for delay of game midway through the period for freezing the puck behind his net: “I had been shouting, ‘Keep it moving!’ But Craig didn’t do anything. I had to call it.” Still, no Soviet goal resulted.

As anticipation mounted during the second intermission, Kaisla maintained his calm by drinking a cup of coffee and conferring with his Dutch and Canadian linesmen. When play resumed, Kaisla didn’t hesitate to whistle down Krutov for high-sticking after a clash with future Stanley Cup winners Ken Morrow and Neal Broten: “It was a stupid penalty from Krutov, really stupid. The puck was ten meters away. Something had happened, and he used his stick.” Mark Johnson scored the tying goal on the ensuing man advantage.

Subsequently, only icings and offsides were called. Buoyed by the frenzied crowd, Mike Eruzione tallied the 4-3 winner with ten minutes left. Inspired by coach Herb Brooks, the Americans kept their shifts short and outworked the Soviets, who paradoxically refused to pull their goalie for an extra attacker in the end.

After the Americans celebrated the epic victory that put them one win (over Finland) away from gold, Kaisla received congratulations on a flawless performance from both teams as well as the referee supervisor.

Today, Kaisla is a manager for Finnlines, Finland’s largest shipping company. He also serves as a referee supervisor for the Finnish Elite League, where he was named Best Referee four times. He enjoyed his portrayal by former NHLer Ryan Walter in the 2004 Disney movie Miracle, but noted the filmmakers mislabeled the final penalty on Krutov.

Kaisla has gotten three interview requests from journalists since the movie came out, and he occasionally autographs hockey cards for collectors. The typically laconic Finn is happy to discuss his two teenage children. His daughter is a show dancer, while his son plays goal for the local team, Kiekko Vantaa.

When Karl-Gustav Kaisla looks back on that dramatic day in 1980, he’s satisfied with the memory of a job well done: “It turned out to be a clean game. You remember only the good things, not the bad things.”