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President Donald Trump will honor the 1980 United States men’s Olympic hockey team that famously defeated the Soviet Union on their way to earning a gold medal in Lake Placid during the Congressional Gold Medal Act signing on Friday.
“President Trump will honor the legendary 1980 Olympic men’s ice hockey team whose ‘Miracle on Ice’ resulted in a historic and symbolic victory against the Soviet Union,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital. “This triumph fueled a resurgence of national pride as Americans across the country watched Team USA unexpectedly take home the Gold Medal. No one is more committed to honoring American greatness and patriotism than President Trump.”
The team, which featured amateurs and college players, completed the “Miracle on Ice” in a stunning upset over the Soviets, who were considered the favorites and an international powerhouse for years. The victory catapulted the Americans for a chance to win gold, which the Stars and Stripes accomplished by defeating Finland two days later.
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Team USA players celebrate on the ice after winning their medal-round game against the Soviet Union during the 1980 Winter Olympics at the Olympic Fieldhouse in the Olympic Center. The scene occurred in Lake Placid, New York, on Feb. 22, 1980. (Eric Schweikardt /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Mike Eruzione, Jim Craig, Buzz Schneider and the widow and children of the late Herb Brooks are slated to be in attendance.
The Soviets had famously walloped the United States in a pre-Olympic exhibition game at Madison Square Garden, but the Americans got hot at the right time.
The Russians famously benched longtime starting goalie Vladislav Tretiak after he allowed a goal with just a second left in the first period that tied the game at two.
Mike Eruzione participates in a ceremonial puck drop before the start of a game between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers at T-Mobile Arena in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the “Miracle on Ice” on Feb. 22, 2020. (Stephen R. Sylvanie/USA TODAY Sports)
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The Americans trailed, 3-2, entering the third, but Mark Johnson tied the game midway through the final period. Less than two minutes later, Eruzione scored what was eventually the game-winning goal and was mobbed on the ice.
The “Miracle on Ice” comes from Al Michaels’ famous play-by-play call, in which he rhetorically asked viewers, “Do you believe in miracles?” He answered his own question with an emphatic, “Yes!”
American hockey player Mike Eruzione of Team USA shakes hands with the Soviet Union during a 1980 exhibition game at Madison Square Garden. The scene occurred in New York, New York, on Feb. 9, 1980. (Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images)
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The team’s victory was depicted in a Disney movie, aptly titled “Miracle,” that was released in 2004.
Nineteen players from the game would go on to play in the NHL — Johnson and Slava Fetisov were teammates on the New Jersey Devils, but Fetisov was traded from the Devils to the Detroit Red Wings in the middle of the 1994-95 season, and they wound up facing each other in the Stanley Cup Final. Fetisov won back-to-back Cups later on with Detroit.
Eruzione did not play after the Miracle on Ice, saying he had accomplished his hockey goals.
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