(CNN) — The 1980 US Olympic men’s ice hockey team defied nearly insurmountable odds to defeat the Soviet Union, the world’s largest hockey superpower, propelling them to win a gold medal and the nation’s adulation.

And now 45 years later, the “Miracle on Ice” team will reunite in the Oval Office for another medal ceremony as President Donald Trump is set to sign a bill to award the players congressional gold medals.

The remarkable game remains iconic among sports fans and those who lived it for the 4-3, come-from-behind upset victory — but also the patriotism it generated amid a moment of national malaise during the Cold War, the Iran hostage crisis and economic stagflation. The famed triumph was just part of the US’ Olympic “miracle,” as the team still needed to refocus and defeat Finl

See Full Page