Captain of the US Hockey Team that Won Olympic Gold in 1980 and Inspiration for the Disney Blockbuster Film Miracle
Do you remember where you were when the U.S Hockey Team beat the Russians in the 1980 Winter Olympics? Most Americans do. Millions of spectators around the globe cheered as Mike Eruzione and the 1980 Olympic Hockey team made history once again by lighting the Olympic torch at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.
Career Highlights
Mike Eruzione served as the enthusiastic captain that led the 1980 United States Olympic Hockey Team to its Gold Medal victory at Lake Placid, one of the great moments in sports history and topic of a 2001 HBO Documentary Film. The highlight of the games for Eruzione was his winning goal in the “Miracle on Ice” game against the heavily favored Soviet Union in the game that stunned the world.
Walt Disney studios adapted the story of that Olympic triumph over the Soviets into a feature length film, titled “Miracle,” which was released in February 2004. The film stars Kurt Russell as legendary Olympic head coach HerbBrooks, and Hollywood up-and-comer Patrick O’Brien Demsey as Mike Eruzione.
Early Life and Education
A native of Massachusetts, Eruzione was well known as a local sports talent, being on all-scholastic teams in baseball, football and hockey. At Boston University, Mike Eruzione captained his senior year hockey team and finished as the second leading scorer in B.U. history. For all four years that Mike played at B.U., his team won the Eastern Collegiate Championships. Eruzione was also cited as best defensive forward in the East all four years and was inducted into the Boston University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Hockey Career
After graduation, Eruzione joined the U.S. National Team and then played for two years with the Toledo Goaldiggers of the International Hockey League, maintaining his amateur status. In the IHL he was voted the McKenzie Award, which is annually presented to the most outstanding American born hockey player in the League. The following season, Eruzione was chosen to join the fateful 1980 U.S. Olympic Team at left wing and held the honor of being elected captain by his teammates, as well as being inducted into Olympic Hall of Fame.
Sports Commentator
After the spectacular Olympic victory, Mike Eruzione spent several years in New York and New Jersey as a commentator for the Madison Square Garden Communications Network. He provided coverage of the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils games and also did special interviews with players and coaches. In 1984, Eruzione was seen broadcasting for ABC Sports for both the Winter and Summer Olympics from Sarajevo and Los Angeles, and again in Calgary for the 1988 Winter Olympics. In 1992, Eruzione went to Albertville, France for the Winter Olympics with CBS as a hockey commentator. In preparation for the 1994 Winter Olympic Games, Mike did the Olympic Hockey Tour sponsored by John Hancock Insurance Co. promoting the U.S.A. team and supporting our Olympic athletes. We saw Eruzione in Lillehammer, Norway commentating once again for CBS covering the Olympic hockey games.
Dynamic Professional Speaker
For the past several years, Mike Eruzione has traveled throughout the United States for major corporations and organizations as a motivational speaker and sports promoter and remains actively involved in fund raising events for the U.S. Olympic Committee as well as many charities and youth programs.
