The ticket to the game.

It was exactly 45 years ago this month when the Miracle on Ice occurred. I was there, and this morning I took out the sizable file of memories I’ve saved for all these years, something I do pretty much every Feb. 22.

Old newspapers, copies of Sports Illustrated, an official 1980 Lake Placid Olympics program, even bumper stickers — one with the logo and one with protest language against USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan.

Relevant to today, and mixed within the pile is a flyer protesting Soviet colonialism in sports, specifically Ukraine being prevented from independent participation.

We saw a lot of people there protesting the USSR invasion of Afghanistan, and a table set up had the bumper sticker and this flyer. Realizing the significance of the day and moment, I grabbed what I could. I still don’t know how I managed to not destroy or lose some of this stuff in the midst of all the mayhem.

But my prized possession is the ticket.

A flyer that criticized the USSR and its efforts to keep Ukraine out of participation.

The story behind it: My best friend, an Air Force pilot stationed in Plattsburgh, had an opportunity to buy tickets through a service on base. He was only able to buy two for each event, and he just happened to get hockey tickets for one of the semifinal games and for the finals. As the tournament went on, it became more and more likely that the semifinal game would be the U.S. against the Russians. Sure enough, it happened. Even though my friend promised the ticket to me, another friend and I drove up to Plattsburgh from Johnstown figuring that he’d just go along for the fun of being in Lake Placid and maybe we could pick up a 3rd ticket from a scalper. We found a guy selling one, and not having much money on us we pooled enough to get it. It’s the ticket pictured here.

The two original tickets were great seats, only three rows up from the ice on one end of the rink. The scalper ticket was in the upper deck, so we took turns sitting up there for each period. It turned out to be the best of the three since it was in the front row with a full view of the entire rink.

Entering the third period, we were only down by one goal. These guys (just college kids) had already won multiple games when down by just one in the third. So we knew that we had a chance!

I had a bird’s eye view of the insanity of the last half of that third period, when we scored to tie it up and then Mike Eruzione’s go-ahead goal with just a couple of minutes left. The arena was going absolutely crazy with nonstop chants of U-S-A! U-S-A! And each time a Russian got the puck, it seemed like there were 2 guys all over him within a second or two, slamming him into the boards to get the puck back. The roars got louder and louder with each hit, and it was like that right up to the final seconds. And as soon as the clock hit 0:00 the place just erupted. If you were watching at home, the final seconds is when ABC Sports announcer Al Michaels excitedly said his immortal words, “Do you believe in miracles? YES!” The total bedlam after the game in the streets was unforgettable.

To this day I get goosebumps whenever I see highlights from that game or even just thinking about it, even now as I type this. It was without doubt the most thrilling game of any sport I’ve ever attended (and I’ve been to a LOT), and something I’ll never ever forget.

Ken Blakeslee previously lived in upstate New York. After working for IBM for years, he is retired and living in Staunton, Va.