U.S. players that defeated Soviets on American ice ignited cauldron for Utah’s 2002 Winter Olympics.
Members of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” U.S. hockey team are adding to their medal stash.
Friday, President Donald Trump signed legislation awarding congressional gold medals to the legendary Americans who scored an upset victory over a powerful Soviet team at the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York, and went on to win Olympic gold.
Calling the team “true legends of American sports history” and “heroes for the entire nation,” the president said they were responsible for “one of the biggest moments I’ve ever seen in sports. And I like sports.”
At the Oval Office ceremony, Trump briefly joined the Olympians and their family members in wearing a white cowboy hat that was part of the Team USA uniform in the Opening Ceremonies for the 1980 Games.
He joked about not wanting to hear the “USA, USA” chant originated then, “because I tell people that had to do with Trump in 2016. ... That’s the end of that, right? I can’t use that one any more.”
But the president also marveled at the skills shown by the players on the ice, including a 50-foot slap shot that tied the game 1:1 in the first period by Buzz Schneider, the only member of the U.S. team with previous Olympic experience.
“How the hell did that happen? I thought they had a good goalie,” Trump asked Schneider as the players and family members assembled behind him laughed. “It just happened right? Miracle. They say it’s a miracle. Thank you. ”
Congress authorized the medals award in the “Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act” that was passed earlier this year to mark the 45th anniversary of the U.S. team’s improbable triumph in the matchup of Cold War rivals.
Much celebrated since, the team led by captain Mike Eruzione lit the still-standing Olympic cauldron for the 2002 Winter Games wearing red, white and blue USA Hockey jerseys during the Opening Ceremonies held at the University of Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium.
It was Eruzione who scored the winning goal against the heavily favored Russians, causing broadcaster Al Michaels to exclaim, “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” The U.S. team made up largely of collegiate players clinched the gold two days later in a game against Finland.
Eruzione attended Friday’s ceremony, describing it as “an absolutely incredible honor. I’ve said this before, when you put a USA jersey on, you’re playing for your country ... what an honor it was for us to put that jersey on and accomplish what we accomplished.”
He said winning an Olympic gold medal “is something that’s incredible, but this is the frosting on the cake, to receive an award like this, an honor like this. Maybe this is it, guys. I don’t think there’s anything else we can get.”
Also there was Dan Brooks, the son of the team’s late coach, Herb Brooks. In 2002, Herb Brooks told the Deseret News that in 1980, the Soviets were “arguably the greatest team in the world at the time. ... We were just happy to be there.”
Dan Brooks said at the ceremony his father “believed. He believed in the American hockey player. He believed in his country. He loved this game. He loved his country. I wish he was here but it’s an honor for me to represent him.”
Category: General Sports
