As the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo draws to a close this week, we remember
that there are some memorable moments in Olympic history with ties to New
England, the most famous of which for many is undoubtedly the U.S.
Hockey Team's Miracle on Ice win against the Soviet Union during the 1980
Olympics. The team was led by Massachusetts native Mike Eruzione, who
looked back on the historic win during a visit to Springfield last year.
Mike Eruzione was the captain of the 1980 gold medal-winning U.S.
Olympic Hockey Team.
You give us a lot of good memories, buddy, over the years.
Thank you.
Eruzione grew up in Winthrop and played at Boston University.
He was one of 20 players selected for the U.S.
Olympic team, which was never expected to win.
Awesome, thanks so much.
You're welcome. Thank you.
Really cool to meet you.
When they made it to the medal round in Lake Placid, they faced the Soviet
Union, a team of all professional players.
Team USA was made up of mostly college kids.
I didn't hear a word. You didn't hear anything but Herb yelling to the
players, you know, "Play your game, chip it, and get it out.
Get it out!"
Each fan he met recounted that game that -- with the world watching -- US beat
the Soviets in the semifinals in arguably one of the greatest upsets in
sports history.
Seventeen of us dressed that night.
The other guys -- nine guys were in the stands.
Eruzione scored the winning goal.
You know, I just felt, you know, ten minutes left.
I had an opportunity to score and it worked out and we had the lead.
And that was the first thing that came to my mind.
The U.S.
went on to beat Finland for the gold.
The win for America in 1980 wasn't just about hockey.
America was in the midst of the Cold War.
There was the Iranian Hostage Crisis, inflation, and uncertainty.
It was a victory for a lot of different reasons.
For some people, it was an athletic achievement.
It was a hockey game. For some people, it was a political statement to show the
world that we still are a great country and we still can do great things.
And as a country, we were looking for something to feel good about -- and we
found out this a little later on.
We needed a shot in the arm, so to speak.
Forty years after the Miracle on Ice, the story of the underdogs overcoming
still inspires people of all ages.
The fact I think that most people think they won the gold medal when they beat
the Russians tells you how important politically that game was.
Nobody remembers they had to go on to beat Finland.
They only remember they beat the Russians.
Georgiana Chipo and her daughter Julie Cotner watched the game together all
those years ago.
Where was that taken?
Uh, National Jaycees Convention.
OK.
Julie brought a picture for Eruzione to sign of her posing with him after the
Olympics.
I have a photo of Mike Eruzione and myself and it was taken in June of 1980
and they had won the Olympics that year and it was at the National Jaycees
Convention,so we got to meet him.
Ten-year-old James Lynch plays hockey and has watched the movie "Miracle"
about the 1980 Olympic team.
A lot of them
A lot of them were from college and they were on opposite teams and then in the
end, they were all friends.
The story never gets old, and is somebody who is in and out of sports as
an adult but loves hockey, the fact that it's like the greatest upset in
U.S. sports history, again, just never gets old.
And I think it's just a great lesson for these kids to see this team come
together, see their fearless leader, see the leadership that emerged on the
team, and to remember this real critical time in our nation's history
and what this successment.
Eruzione says he never thought Hockey would take off the way it has in the
U.S., with it talent and the broad reach of the sport in places like
Florida, Arizona, and Texas.
We might have opened the doors for today's players, but today's players
have knocked the doors down.
You know, we're one of the strongest countries in the world when it comes to
ice hockey, not only our men, obviously our women.
He also offered this advice to young hockey players and fans.
Have fun, you know, have fun, work hard.
If you have a passion for something, work hard to achieve that -- not only in
sports and just in life in general.
So, you know, when I talk to young kids, I tell them I don't care if you're
a great hockey player. I want to make sure you're a good kid, you're a good
teammate, you're a good brother.
You're a good sister. You're a good neighbor.
You respect people, you work hard.
You kinda have those qualities, usually good things are going to happen to you.