This helped discourage Soviet communist expansion. The arms race led many Americans to fear that nuclear war could happen at anytime. 
This was a terrorist act which triggered the most serious crises of the Carter Presidency and began a struggle/problem for Jimmy Carter and the American people that lasted many days. 
The Miracle on Ice was a victory in the cultural Cold War. The result of this game was so important because it gave so much hope to the United States and its citizens.