Factual error: Before the February 9 exhibition game against USSR at Madison Square Garden, the text on the screen reads "three days until opening ceremony", however, it was actually three days until team USA faced Sweden on February 12, 1980. The opening ceremony was not for another two days, on February 14, 1980. (01:11:10)
Factual error: In one game the camera pans to Herb and behind him we can see a man wearing an Under Armor hat. Under Armor didn't come out until 1996.
Factual error: There indeed was a moment in the game (vs. USSR) where Jim Craig was shaken up, but contrary to what's shown in the movie, the hit did not happen as the Soviets scored a goal. Furthermore, if a goalie is that flagrantly knocked down and out so that a teammate can get a shot off, it should be a two-minute penalty for "goaltender interference" and the goal disallowed.
Factual error: In several scenes showing Ken Morrow #3, he is shown as being a left handed shooter.He was actually a right handed shooter.
Factual error: In the exhibition game against Norway, Jim Craig is shown in goal for the US. It was actually the backup goaltender, Steve Janaszak, who played in that game.
Factual error: When Coach Herb Brooks is seen walking through the Olympic Village, Italian athletes are seen walking by with their green Olympic team jackets on. It says "Italy" on the backs of their jacket, but countries use their OWN language when putting their names on their jackets. Italy always goes by "Italia" on their uniforms.
Factual error: The movie shows that in the third period there was a Slashing penalty to 16 (Petrov) at 2:47, which gave rise to the game-tying power-play goal by Johnson. The Slashing penalty was actually to 9 (Krutov) at 6:47, four minutes later.
Factual error: In the movie, after Mark Johnson scores the last-second goal in the first period against the Soviet Union, the ref indicates that the goal counts and time has expired. Both teams therefore go back to the dressing rooms. In the actual game, the ref ordered the timekeeper to put one second back on the clock, and called the players (most of whom had already gone back to the dressing rooms) back out to the ice for a face-off, to make the end of the period official.
Factual error: The Finland team's uniforms (in the gold medal-winning game vs. the USA) were not gray; they were white with blue trim.
Factual error: When Craig Patrick is reading off the names of the 26 players, he only reads 24. Furthermore, the two names he misses are those of Mark Wells and Neal Broten.
Factual error: Rob McClanahan never actually cheap-shotted Jack O'Callahan to cost his team the 1976 NCAA championship, as described in the movie. McClanahan was a senior in high school at the time. Furthermore, although O'Callahan did have some hatred toward McClanahan, they never had a fight at any of the practices of the 1980 Olympic team.
Factual error: After the tie with Norway, Coach Brooks orders his entire team skate drills over and over again. Two of the players shown skating the drill, Buzz Schneider and Jim Craig, weren't on the ice on this occasion. Craig didn't play in the game, although Schneider did - he was ejected earlier and already dressed in street clothes when all that went down.
Factual error: The Soviet Union had 9 shots on goal in the third period vs. team USA. In the movie's third period, the Soviets had 19 shots on goal.
Factual error: The film was excellent throughout in duplicating the hockey equipment that the players used during the late 1970s and early 1980s - with one notable exception - the players are wearing CCM helmets from the late 1990's instead of the models worn in 1979/80.
Factual error: Jack O'Callahan was missing a couple of front teeth during the games. He had no missing teeth in the movie.
Factual error: In every single hockey scene the rinks are small, NHL-size rinks. In reality, Olympic hockey was always played on the bigger "European-sized" rinks. (TV footage from the 1980 tournament confirms this) Even the game in Norway is played on a small rink.
Factual error: After Baker scores the last-minute tying goal against Sweden, we see the opening of one of the ABC television broadcasts of the Olympics as it appeared in 1980. The specific arrangement of the Olympic Fanfare music we hear, however, did not exist until a few years later. It's an arrangement by John Williams that was made for the 1984 Olympics. The crash cymbals and chimes that accompany the opening tympani notes give it away.
Factual error: In the movie, Ken Dryden says something like, "In Madison Square Garden this team played very tentative hockey, very much in awe of the Soviet team. Tonight, they're playing like they're not in awe of anybody." He actually said that during team USA's 7-3 rout of Czechoslovakia.
Factual error: In the medal ceremony, the teams face one of the ends of the ice, not one of the sides.
Factual error: The movie makes it clear that Jack O'Callahan's first game since his injury was the game against the Soviet Union. In actuality, he had some playing time in the preliminary game against West Germany.
Answer: Since they all came from different, sometimes rival, universities, and thus had no commonality, he wanted to give them someone to dislike together, instead of fighting with one another. If they could all bond over what a bastard Brooks was, they'd come together faster as a team and have a chance of winning.