The puck skids across the blue line. The American amateurs lift their sticks in celebration. The Soviet superstars skate away astounded. The crowd in Lake Placid erupts with a collective roar.

"Do you believe in miracles?" cries Al Michaels from the press booth. Then he answers the question for all of us: "Yes!"

The final second ticks away and with the blare of a horn: United States 4, Soviet Union 3.

Twenty-eight years later, watching highlights of the "Miracle on Ice" still gives even nonsports fans goose bumps. Few moments in American history conjure such powerful patriotic emotions as that hockey game at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Through tears of pride and joy, we rewatch the clip just to listen to those magical words again: "Do you believe in miracles?"

And that is when it hits me. Not anymore, Mr. Michaels.

By a dictionary's definition, miracles still seem possible. All you need is an extremely remarkable occurrence -- and the Olympics have seen plenty in recent years: Rulon Gardner out-wrestling previously undefeated Alexander Karelin in 2000; Belarus, with 10,000,000-to-1 odds at winning hockey gold, beating Sweden in 2002; Puerto Rico routing USA basketball in 2004.

In the Olympic world, however, that definition is not sufficient. An Olympic miracle needs so much more than the element of unthinkable improbability. It needs external conflict. It needs to transcend sports.

Olympics officials try to maintain that the games transcend political affairs, but international discord has always produced the most memorable Olympics storylines. Would we celebrate track star Jesse Owens as much had he not won his four gold medals as a black man against the backdrop of Nazism in Berlin 1936? Would USA hockey's triumph over the Soviets in Lake Placid be considered a "miracle" without the Cold War?

Think of the factors needed for that hockey game to be called the "Miracle on Ice." The game needed a generation of schoolchildren practicing to "duck and cover" in case of an atomic attack. It needed the Korean War, the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War. It needed more than three decades of two countries living in perpetual fear of each other in their race for world supremacy.

To be a "miracle," the contest needed to contrast a spirit of international harmony. To be a miraculous moment, it needed to rely on years of dark circumstances.

Looking ahead to Beijing, such scenarios could exist. Over the past year, activists for Tibetan independence from Chinese rule have escalated protests in light of the upcoming Beijing Games -- and attracted international attention. Living in exile around the world, Tibetan athletes organized "Team Tibet" with hopes of competing under their own flag. Given the site of this year's games, no story could be more "miraculous" than a Tibet victory over China on the host's soil.

In February, Kosovo returned to the international spotlight when the small Slavic region declared autonomy from Serbia. The move incited a divisive debate over how to handle the declaration. While most Western nations have recognized Kosovo's independence, many Eastern powers continue to view the territory as a Serbian province. For Kosovo, beating the Serbs on the Olympic stage would be a miraculous accomplishment for the infant country.

Of course, Iraq remains the focal point of most foreign affair conversations, as it has since the United States invaded in 2003. Less than a year after "Shock and Awe," the Iraq soccer team in 2004 nearly pulled off a miracle gold medal in Athens, falling short in the semifinals. Four years later, any Iraqi triumph would reinvigorate talk of a "miracle" considering the disarrayed state of the country.

None of these storylines will have a chance to play out, however. The International Olympic Committee rejected Team Tibet's request to participate on the grounds that Tibet is not a sovereign nation. Kosovo suffered a similar ruling after the IOC asserted the land-in-limbo cannot compete until its independence is sanctioned by the United Nations.

Just last week, the IOC changed its earlier ruling and granted Iraq entry to the games, but only two Iraqi athletes are prepared to participate.

By keeping Tibet and Kosovo from raising their flags above Beijing National Stadium on Friday, the Olympic bureaucrats essentially diminished any hopes of a "miracle" this summer. As sports fans, we can lament this fact.

As human beings, however, we can only hope never to witness another "Miracle on Ice." The war and terror needed to create such a dramatic atmosphere do not justify such an incredible moment in sports.

Unfortunately, our world is still imperfect -- strife still exists around the globe. Given this fact, it would have been intriguing if Tibet or Kosovo had an opportunity to make a miracle in 2008. But looking to the future, the question should no longer be whether we believe in miracles.

It should be whether we want one.