Hockey Fans Tell ESPN To Pump The Brakes On 4 Nations – Miracle On Ice Comparisons: “Not Anywhere Close To 1980”

Alright ESPN… it’s a cool edit, but you might’ve gone a little too far with this one.

The 4 Nations Face-Off is all that anyone has been talking about, if you haven’t noticed. It’s transcended into its very own cultural moment. The league has managed to create a seismic event, pitting the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden against one another in a round-robin tournament that replaced this year’s NHL All Star event.

And the championship game ended up being Canada versus the United States. It’s been INCREDIBLE.

As you probably know (it’s okay if you don’t though), there’s been some bad blood between the United States and Canada. Following President Donald Trump’s announced plans to introduce 25% tariffs on goods imported from our neighbors to the north (which have since been paused), the formerly civil and friendly relationship between Americans and Canadians has turned sour. That’s been on full display at recent sporting events… specifically NHL games.

A form of protest has begun at these games where Canadians boo America’s “Star Spangled Banner,” and then Americans return the favor and boo Canada’s “O Canada.” The trend appears to have started up north (yeah, we’re blaming it on Canada) and has continued in the NHL, and more recently the electric 4 Nations Face-Off. So that whole situation made the championship between Canada and the United States one of the most highly anticipated competitions in recent memory. And 1 period in, the atmosphere has been ELECTRIC.

That being said, it’s still a far stretch from the iconic “Miracle on Ice” game that took place during the 1980 Winter Olympics. There’s been some weird comparisons to the contest that many consider to be one of the biggest upsets of all time. Maybe people are trying to relate to the sense of patriotism that America felt heading into the game where their team of mostly amateur players took down a powerhouse, all-pro Soviet Union squad?

For example, ESPN shared this teaser ahead of the 4 Nations championship, tying in clips from the 2004 movie made about the all-time upset (Miracle) and footage from the 4 Nations Face-Off:

"Great moments are born from great opportunity." This Miracle mashup could give you chills

#4Nations Face-Off Championship | 8 PM ET | ESPN, ESPN+, Disney+

“Miracle” starring Kurt Russell now streaming on Disney+” pic.twitter.com/Z4ieLXToKj

— ESPN (@espn) February 20, 2025

Looks to me like ESPN and Disney was just trying to plug that Miracle was on their streaming service.

But not everyone was okay with the comparison. After all, the USA and Canada played against one another just six days ago and America came out on top. And the odds for the championship were rather even, with most sportsbooks listing both the United States and our northern neighbor at -110 ahead of the game.

Long story short, hockey fans didn’t shy away from calling out ESPN for relating the two matchups that honestly couldn’t be more different:

This is so not anywhere close to 1980 it’s ridiculous.

— Ralph Strangis (@ralphstrangis) February 21, 2025

Huge difference between elite NHL players and a bunch of college kids going up against guys who would’ve been in the NHL in a different era.

— Jack Carey (@TheJackCarey) February 21, 2025

Dont like the comparisons between this game and miracle on ice

— DeVonta Smith Fan (@Blorpleetius) February 21, 2025

Stop trying to make this comparison. Not even close to the same magnitude

— rawl (@hiimraul33) February 20, 2025

Disrespectful to the 1980 team. There is no comparison here.

— Jeremy Donohue (@DonohueJeremy) February 21, 2025

This isnt a miracle situation

— Sipping bourbon (@mccarmp) February 21, 2025

I will say…. 1980 Team USA star Michael Eruzione wearing the Johnny Gaudreau jersey almost brought a tear to my eye… RIP Johnny Hockey.

Mike Eruzione.

Winthrop, Massachusetts.

United States of America. pic.twitter.com/sQYc6XfCdn

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) February 21, 2025