‘Miracle on Ice’ special for Bayer
Those fond of American exceptionalism refer to the United States as the land of opportunity.
There might not be a better explanation for why a bunch of college kids came together to defeat the best hockey players in the world.
On Feb. 22, 1980, the United States Olympic hockey team defeated a star-studded Soviet Union in a medal-round game in Lake Placid, N.Y., providing one of the most symbolic victories of the Cold War.
The 37th anniversary of the game having passed two weeks ago, the hockey community celebrated the feat once more.
Looking back on that day, Bob Bayer remembered sitting in his South Bay home, watching the game unfold on a TV screen that could not have been more than 15 inches in size.
Philadelphia born and raised, he was a recent college graduate at the time. A lifelong hockey player, he had moved out to California to begin his engineering career.
Bayer, a Huntington Beach resident, had played hockey at Lehigh University, and when the USA Amateur Olympic team won the gold, it must have felt like every kid that had ever played college hockey could share in the moment.
What would any hockey player in the nation do to spend one day in their shoes?
Little did Bayer know, he was about to find out. One year after the remarkable upset, he was cast in the commemorative TV movie, “Miracle on Ice.”
A chance encounter while playing in a men’s league at the Culver Ice Rink had provided a meet and greet with Hollywood producer and Lehigh alum Rick Rosner in Malibu. It turned into an all-day affair, and at the end of it, his information was taken down.
Months passed without his life changing much, but a more-than-pleasant surprise accompanied a visit from his mother, Anne Rose, when she came out west.
“As I pulled up the driveway from work one day, she’s all excited,” Bayer said. “Really running out. She goes, ‘Bobby, Bobby! There’s a woman on the phone that asked if you want to be in the movies. Give them a call.’”
It was too much to believe. What business did an East Coast transplant have mixing in with the Hollywood scene?
“I go, ‘Yeah, really? It’s a joke.’ I’ve only been out here a year or so. It’s that thing where you hear about getting discovered in the movies. It was kind of a chuckle.”
Sure enough, Bayer made the call, and he went to a casting call that was being overseen by Ned Dowd, a former professional hockey player, at the West Covina Rink.
He made the cut and won a part. Everything had gone according to plan with the exception of one detail.
“Unfortunately, with my Polish-Ukrainian-Russian heritage, I wind up being picked as a Russian player,” Bayer chortled. “I got to play as a Russian in the game. It was fun.”
The part was that of Vladimir Golikov, a talented two-way forward for the Soviets who produced two goals and five assists in the tournament.
It’s not the scoring plays, however, that made an imprint on Bayer’s memory of the film-making process. A scene that didn’t make it through editing but was later included in the trailers stands out.
In the play, an American player checks a Russian player into the boards. Bayer was to deliver a retaliatory hit.
The scene had several takes as Dowd looked for the desired, dramatic effect. Bayer’s starting position originated at the face-off dot, but as new takes ensued, he was asked to back up. He recognized just how far away from the play he was and the illegality of the check he was about to perform.
“You realize that if you take three steps, that’s a penalty,” he said. “At the blue line, that’s like assault and battery at that point. [Dowd] goes, ‘I want you to go hard and jump.’ He wants me to get up over him.”
Coming from a professional background, Bayer knew the gravity of the situation. The cast was not the expensive part of the operation. Rather, it was the cost of renting equipment and facilities. When Hollywood told you to do something, you did it.
Filming in the confines of the now demolished L.A. Sports Arena, Bayer did as he was told. He launched himself when he was about five feet away from his target. The American player did not use proper technique to take a hit, and the play resulted with the actor out cold and bleeding.
Bayer skated away sheepishly. His fellow cast members sympathized with him, as he had only been following orders. Then, somewhat of a minor miracle in its own right took place.
“What I most admired was, this was probably 9 o’clock in the morning,” Bayer recalled. “He was back to film that scene about 4 p.m. that same day. He came back, they had to put a couple of stitches in his mouth, but he was back and playing again.”
Being able to honor a great moment in American sports history meant a great deal to Bayer. He happily kept his Russian “CCCP” jersey when filming was completed.
Later, he acquired a Team USA jersey, which was signed by the entire gold-medal winning team.
Bayer called the Miracle on Ice game a “phenomenal, unbelievable upset,” and he is appreciative of the fact that he got to honor it.
“I’m a hockey nut,” Bayer proclaimed. “For me to have the opportunity to have this small nugget of posterity,…it was an absolutely awesome experience.
“This movie will be around. My name’s in the credits. I’m in the movie.”
Due to his participation in the film, Bayer also skated in the inaugural Celebrity All-Star Game at Pickwick Ice in Burbank. Michael J. Fox headlined the festivities, with names like Tom Babson and John Bennett Perry partaking in the charity event.
Bayer, 61, has resided in Huntington Beach since 1999. He is an assistant coach with the Huntington Beach High ice hockey program, which was established in 2012.
The Oilers were one of 66 teams (44 ice, 22 roller) competing in the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League this year. The game’s growth may have been hindered by perception as much as anything else.
“I got out here to the Los Angeles area in 1978,” Bayer said. “Being from Philadelphia, I really had no idea what to expect.
“I was surprised that there were so many rinks out here in 1978. What you find is that whatever your interest is, you can find it here.”
Bayer added that hockey has seen its biggest increase in numbers at times when excitement has surrounded the local teams. A surge in participation occurred when Wayne Gretzky played for the Los Angeles Kings.
When the Anaheim Ducks won the Stanley Cup in 2007, it happened again. Five years later, the Kings won their first championship, setting the cycle in motion once more.
The Kings followed suit in starting their own high school hockey league in 2015.
“Basically, we just need more ice,” Bayer said. “I think there are 60-plus teams, and we’re short of ice now. Next year, there are going to be over 70. It’s really tough getting ice time.”
More ice is on the way. Last month, the Ducks hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the Great Park Ice and Sports Complex in Irvine, which will add four more sheets of ice for Southern California players.
Twitter: @ProfessorTurner
