LOCALadk Magazine

The Miracle on Ice — perhaps the most well known hockey game in histor y. Photo courtesy of Mike Eruzione LOCALadk 28 The Enduring Legacy Of a Miracle By Paul Post Sports Illustrated called it the top sports story of the 20th century, which considering all the great horse races, dramatic World Series, and unforgettable Super Bowls is monumental in and of itself. The 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team's takedown of a heavily-favored Soviet squad in Lake Placid is a mo- ment frozen in time, one memorialized by Hollywood and in numerous Halls of Fame. "Nobody thought it would go on this long," Buzz Schneider said. "We've had so many opportunities. We're having a long summer. It never ends. It certainly did change all of our lives." Almost a half-century later, the tributes keep coming. He and team captain Mike Eruzione were among the players who gathered for White House ceremonies where the Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act, unanimously approved by Congress, was signed into law on December 12. The act awarded the Congressio- nal Gold Medal, the country's highest civilian honor, to members of the team. "This is the ultimate," said Eruzione, who scored the game-winning goal against the Soviets with exactly 10 minutes left on the clock. "Take a look at the list of people who have received the Congressional Gold Medal. It's not like an ESPY, it's not a sporting award. This is for your country. It's real- ly special. My dad was a Marine, so if he was alive this would have been pretty special for him." Plans call for creating three medals for public display at the Olympic Museum in Lake Placid, the U.S. Hock- ey Hall of Fame Museum in Eveleth, Minnesota and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs. Coach Herb Brooks' inspirational speech before the Soviet game has gone down in history. "Great moments are born from great opportunity. And that's what you have here tonight, boys," he said. "If we played 'em 19 times, they might win nine. But not this game. This is your time! Now go out there and take it." What quite often gets overlooked is that the U.S. Team's work wasn't done after defeating the Soviets. Two days later, on Feb. 24, they had to play Finland for the gold medal. "The next day after we beat the Russians, telegrams were posted along the walls and there were a bunch of hockey sticks on the trainer's table for us to sign," Schneider said. "Herb Brooks came in, swiped them all off and said, 'You guys haven't won anything yet!' So he made sure our heads didn't get too big. That day we practiced was one of the hardest practices we had all

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