Now goes to Senate; ‘would be ultimate for our team,’ Eruzione says
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WASHINGTON — A bill to award the 1980 United States men’s Olympic hockey team the Congressional Gold Medal passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday.
The 1980 U.S. team defeated the Soviet Union in the “Miracle on Ice” at the Lake Placid Olympics and won the Olympic gold medal two days later.
The Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act was approved by voice vote and now heads to the Senate for its consideration. Once approved by both chambers of Congress the bill would be signed into law by President Donald Trump, and three medals would be minted and sent to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, Minnesota, the Lake Placid Olympic Center in New York and U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
“This could be the ultimate for our team,” said Mike Eruzione, who was captain of the team comprised largely of amateur players from Minnesota and Massachusetts. “We’ve accomplished so many great things over the years with movies and stories and books and everything else. But this would be the greatest honor that you could give our team because it represents our country, and that’s what makes it special.”
The Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. Congress, is awarded to individuals or groups for distinguished achievements and contributions. Recipients include George Washington, Orville and Wilbur Wright, Jackie Robinson, Thomas Edison, Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.
President Joe Biden signed a bill into law on Jan. 31, 2022, to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Willie O’Ree, who became the NHL’s first Black player when he debuted with the Boston Bruins against the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 18, 1958. The date O’Ree will receive the medal is pending.
Monday’s vote came after Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn.-08, reintroduced the “Miracle” bill in the House and Senators Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., did the same in the Senate. The bill was originally introduced in October but needed to be resubmitted for consideration by the 119th Congress.
Stauber passionately re-enacted broadcaster Al Michaels’ iconic call of the final seconds of the game on the House floor before the vote and spoke about what that victory meant to his state and his family. He went on to become a forward at NCAA Division I at Lake Superior State University from 1986-90 and had a minor league playing career; his brother, Robb Stauber, played 62 NHL games in goal for the Los Angeles Kings and Buffalo Sabres from 1989-95 and coached the U.S. women’s team that won the gold medal at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics; and his nephew, goalie Jaxson Stauber, has played 12 games for the Utah Hockey Club and Chicago Blackhawks from 2022-25.
“What that hockey team did for our country at that time,” Rep. Stauber said on the House floor. “They beat the most powerful team in the world, these amateurs from our college ranks…Nobody gave them a chance. In fact, that game was tape-delayed because they didn’t think it was going to be significant. And that was the most powerful moment in the history of sports.”
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn.-06, a member of the Congressional Hockey Caucus and former University of Alaska-Fairbanks player, echoed Stauber’s sentiment.
“On a cold winter night in Lake Placid, New York, a group of young hockey players, many of them Minnesotans, inspired us all to believe in miracles again.”
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly thanked House leaders and members on behalf of the League for their support on the “Miracle” legislation, saying the Congressional Gold Medal for the 1980 team is a well-earned honor for a team that changed the hockey landscape in the United States and the world.
“The 1980 U.S. Olympic Men’s Hockey Team’s victory over the Soviet Union remains one of the most extraordinary and inspiring moments in the history of sports,” Daly said. “The ‘Miracle on Ice’ was not only a triumph of athletic excellence, but also a defining moment that lifted the spirits of an entire nation and inspired generations of hockey players and fans.”
Coached by Herb Brooks, the underdog United States defeated the four-time defending Olympic gold medalist Soviet Union 4-3 in the semifinals at Olympic Center in Lake Placid on Feb. 22, 1980. A 4-2 win against Finland two days later gave the United States its first gold medal since the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics.
“This honor is particularly meaningful for both the NHL and USA Hockey, as the 1980 team’s legacy has been instrumental in growing the game in the United States,” Daly said. “We are proud to see their historic achievement recognized with the Congressional Gold Medal — one of our country’s highest honors. The legacy of that team lives on in the hearts of hockey fans across the world, and we look forward to seeing the bill passed by the Senate and signed into law by the president.”
USA Hockey Executive Director Pat Kelleher also thanked the bill’s sponsors and the House for their support.
“The Congressional Gold Medal is a very fitting and well-deserved honor for our 1980 Olympic team, and we look forward to the Senate passing its version of the bill in the very near future,” he said.
