LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – It’s been 41 years since the U.S. Olympic hockey team did something almost no one believed they could do.

And not much has changed in this small village in the Adirondack Mountains since Feb. 22, 1980, when a bunch of college age hockey players defeated the Soviet Union, then considered the best hockey team on earth. Main Street is still busy. International flags still fly in front of the Olympic Arena, as they did during the XIII Winter Games.

Two generations later, an effort is now underway to build a monument celebrating an iconic moment of those Olympics, which captured the hearts of millions of people. A three-year project aims to raise money for a statue based on the work of sculptor Robert Eccleston depicting members of the U.S. hockey team gathered in celebration on the medal stand.

“We felt that this incredible sports moment and the ultimate example of teamwork exemplified by the group richly deserved its own monument,” said Katie Million, who with Jeff Potter leads the Monument to a Miracle Committee.

The fundraiser is supported by the Friends of the 1980 Miracle Hockey Team LLC, as well as Northway Brewing, which just released its Miracle on Ice Golden Ale, promising to donate a portion of the proceeds to the cause.

“Living in Lake Placid for almost 20 years, you feel the impact of the 1980 Miracle Hockey Team every day,” Million said. “Walking through the doors of the Herb Brooks Arena in the Olympic Center still brings chills.”

Inside the arena, named for the coach who led the 1980 team, a tour takes fans to the rafters where they can watch a video of the final moments of the historic game while looking down on the place where it happened.

At the time it seemed impossible that the U.S. team could defeat the Soviet Union, having been drubbed in exhibition games leading to the Olympics. But they did, as fans shouted “USA, USA, USA.”

“Do you believe in miracles?” shouted announcer Al Michaels in the final minutes of the game’s broadcast.

The U.S. won 4-3, then took the gold medal on Feb. 24 with a 4-2 victory over Finland.

Their victory brought together the nation in the depths of recession, a crisis with Iran and the Cold War. It is famously remembered by the 2004 Disney movie, “Miracle.”

Sports writer Wayne Coffey wrote a book on the victory, “The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team.”

Million said they’re now accepting donations toward the monument.

“We hope to keep the team’s legacy alive and provide an opportunity for future generations of Americans to learn about the 1980 Miracle Hockey Team and the values that led to their gold medal victory,” she said.

For more about the project visit www.facebook.com/1980MiracleMonument/