Sharks fan goes all out to create Halloween-style 'Miracle On Ice' display

Anne Eichhorn's 'Miracle On Ice' display. (via Twitter/IkornCrafts)

Halloween in 2020 might have a notably different vibe than those of years past, with the current state of things throwing a wrench into usual plans, but that didn't stop one Sharks fan from going all out for the October finale.

San Jose, Calif., resident Anne Eichhorn has made a habit of using her crafting expertise to recreate hockey scenes on Halloween, usually focused around her hometown Sharks. But this time around, Eichhorn opted to pay homage to the Miracle On Ice — the legendary Team USA win over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid, N.Y. — a callback to the all-time game after its 40-year anniversary came earlier this year, and a reminder that "we still need to believe in miracles in 2020."

Suffice it to say, the work that went into the display — complete with skeletons adorned in full Team USA and Soviet Union gear, an HBC ('Halloween Broadcasting Company') team calling the game, a scoreboard, and some particularly spooky fans in attendance — wasn't slight.

The jerseys were in fact hand-sewn, about a dozen in total between both teams, while the gear was a combination of Eichhorn's son's old equipment and other pieces tracked down via craigslist.

Ventriloquist dolls were used to include broadcasters Al Michaels and Ken Dryden as part of the scene — a key detail that Eichhorn felt was crucial to recreating the moment.

"Al Michaels’ emotional call, 'Do you believe in miracles? Yes!' was one of the reasons I created this Halloween display. Therefore, I absolutely had to include Al and Ken," Eichhorn wrote in her blog post detailing the process of putting the display together. "I used ventriloquist dolls as the announcers because they had a spooky Halloween-vibe. For the record, I was in no means calling the announcers dummies!"

Mannequin heads used to create fans and legendary American coach Herb Brooks rounded out the eerie vibes, while a large wooden sign complete with LED lights was built to commemorate the moment Team USA claimed the win.


Photo courtesy of ikorncrafts.com

In all, Eichhorn said it took over a month to get the various pieces ready for the display, and a fair amount of time to set it up in time for Halloween. But the response from those who were able to see it in person made it all worth it.

"I overheard a mom read the Al Michaels’ quote to her young daughter. Another young family told us they had just watched the movie Miracle. Others have reminisced about the Olympic hockey game and shared their own hockey experiences," she wrote. "We are glad that our display brings joy to others and are grateful we were able to create this Halloween display."

See more photos of Eichhorn's Miracle On Ice display here.

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