E.M. Swift

They were the first. The miracle before the miracle on ice. 1960 marked a time of transition. The Cold War was heating up. Television was introduced to the Olympics. Decades of Canadian hockey dominance were met by an emerging Soviet dynasty. In the middle of it all, a team of unheralded but talented Americans saw their chance for gold. Carpenters, insurance salesmen, firemen and servicemen by day, these men also happened to be America's greatest hockey players. And for two weeks in California, they were the best in the world. Together they achieved something that has still never been matched by an American hockey team: an unblemished record in an Olympiad. But for all the greatness of the 1960 US Olympic team, they remain a footnote in the history books. It's a triumph that could aptly be called a "Forgotten Miracle."