Mike Eruzione

by Lew Freedman

The best-known, most significant game in 20th Century American sports was called the “Miracle on Ice.” The man who scored the most famous goal in American hockey history has lived a magical life in hockey ever since.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” said Mike Eruzione in a low-key description of the 28-year ride that has followed the United States’ unlikely upset of the Soviet Union’s juggernaut and subsequent triumph over Finland to capture the hockey gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. Fans can still catch the excitement of this magic moment with a piece of "Miracle on Ice" memorabilia.

The game is easily remembered because it has never been forgotten. The United States squad was made up of college-aged players molded into a peaking unit by hard-nosed, no-nonsense coach Herb Brooks.

The Russians, the Communist enemy during the Cold War, had the most feared team in the world. The USSR was a power that routinely swept to world championships and Olympic golds, but there was also a pervasive feeling that the Russians were amateur in name only. Heightening the drama was the world situation. The Russian army was fighting an unpopular war in Afghanistan. The U.S., which ultimately boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow over the issue, wanted the Russians out.

By the time the two nations’ teams worked their way into the semifinals, the Lake Placid hockey tournament had become a morality play. The match-up was regarded as hopeless for the Americans. Yet the score was 3-3 when Eruzione, of Winthrop, Mass., and a former captain of the Boston University Terriers, slammed in the go-ahead goal. The tension only escalated as the U.S. frantically protected its 4-3 lead for 10 minutes.  When the buzzer sounded, the celebration reverberated across the universe.

Eruzione, 53, was catapulted to fame. From a semi-anonymous college hockey star who had dabbled in minor-league play, he became a national icon. If the moment is frozen in time, Eruzione has not been.

A player on two U.S. national teams, Eruzione handled Olympic and sports television commentary, gained part-ownership of a minor-league hockey team, raised a family, helped coach his alma mater, helped coach his hometown high school team, become a highly sought after motivational speaker for corporations, and held development positions for Boston University.

On “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?” Eruzione raised more than $100,000 for Boston area charities. On a modernized version of “To Tell the Truth,” he couldn’t stump the panel because he was too famous.

Eruzione remains clued into the hockey world. He predicts the recruitment of two goalies will rejuvenate Boston University. And he sees the Boston Bruins’ ascension to the playoffs as a first step towards Stanley Cup contention.

Eruzione likes both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings in this year’s Cup Final, seeing the battle as a confrontation between youth and experience.

 “I’m a big Penguins fan,” Eruzione said, “and they’re awfully good. But I’m wondering if they’re ready to win. Detroit, this is a team that’s been there before, but I don’t know if it’s too late. I think Pittsburgh is the team of the future.”

The U.S. Olympic team of 1980 may be a team of the past, but it was too special to fade away.  For nearly 30 years Eruzione has heard the huzzahs from Americans who tell him how much the win meant to them. Hockey fans can acquire a variety of Mike Eruzione memorabilia, including Mike Eruzione pucks, Mike Eruzione sticks, or Mike Eruzione helmets and masks.

“Everywhere I go, the response is always the same,” Eruzione said. “Part of it was the political situation. The amateurs. I don’t think the circumstances can ever be repeated.”

No, they can’t. But once in a lifetime is good enough.

(Lew Freedman is a Chicago-based sportswriter and the author of 30 books).