Mike Eruzione

Michael Anthony "Rizzo" Eruzione (, , born October 25, 1954) is an Italian-American former ice hockey player. He was the captain of the 1980 Winter Olympics United States national team that defeated the Soviet Union in the famous "Miracle on Ice" game, in which he scored the game-winning goal. He is the author, with Neal E. Boudette, of the national bestseller, The Making of a Miracle: The Untold Story of the Captain of The Gold Medal-Winning 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team, published by HarperCollins.

Biography

Early life and playing career Eruzione was born on October 25, 1954, to an Italian-American family in Winthrop, Massachusetts. His father was a bartender and worked in a sewage plant.

Eruzione also played for Team USA at the 1975 and 1976 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments. He then spent two seasons with the Toledo Goaldiggers of the International Hockey League, being named the Rookie of the Year in 1978 and was one of the leaders in the team's Turner Cup championship in that year. Prior to the 1979–80 season, Eruzione, who played left wing, rejoined the U.S. team and was later named Captain of the 1980 Olympic hockey squad, scoring the winning goal against the Soviets and helping the Americans win the gold medal against Finland. Eruzione's winning goal against the Soviet Union was chosen by Sports Illustrated in 1999 as the greatest American sports moment of the twentieth century. In March 2008, it was voted the greatest highlight of all time by ESPN viewers. In an HBO documentary about the 1980 Olympic hockey team, Eruzione said of his winning goal against the Soviet team, "My friends always like to joke with me [about that goal], 'Three more inches to the left, you'd be painting bridges.'"

Due to Eruzione's having played under contract for the Goaldiggers prior to the 1980 Olympics, his amateur status was later brought under question by NHL Players' Association director Alan Eagleson. Eruzione rebutted the charges, saying "He's trying to take something away from me that we so richly deserved. He can't take away the memory. Is he going to try to convince everybody in the United States we lost?" He retired from competition after the Olympics, despite contract offers from the New York Rangers, stating that he had reached the pinnacle of achievement already. He was a technical consultant for the 1981 film Miracle on Ice, and said "we all know the movie will never be able to equal what happened." Eruzione then became a television broadcaster, grabbing the microphone at Rangers and New Jersey Devils games and for the NHL on USA and NHL on Fox, and going on to comment at five Olympic Games, working for both ABC and CBS. Eruzione said that he did not regret deciding not to play professional hockey, saying "after being a commentator and covering the NHL for a few years, I have no doubt I could play."

Eruzione returned to be the assistant coach for the hockey team for three seasons at his alma mater Boston University. He is a member of several halls of fame. He is a part-owner of the USHL Omaha Lancers, and a motivational speaker. He also helps the Winthrop High School ice hockey team during the winter. In 2002, Eruzione reunited with his 1980 Olympic teammates to light the Olympic cauldron for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. and No. 4 on the bestseller list of Publishers Weekly. Like Eruzione, the book's co-author, Neal Boudette, is a graduate of Boston University.

The book gives a detailed, inside account of U.S. Olympic hockey team's path to the gold medal, including the upset of the Soviet Union in the "Miracle On Ice" game, as well as a portrait of Eruzione's close-knit family and the experiences in college and minor league hockey that led him to try out for the Olympic team in 1979. Eruzione has said he wanted to write the book so that his grandchildren would know there was more to his life than scoring one goal in Lake Placid.

In popular culture In the 1981 made-for-TV movie about the 1980 U.S. Hockey team called Miracle on Ice, Eruzione is portrayed by actor Andrew Stevens. He saw the call for auditions the day before the auditions closed and won the part just days after his 24th birthday. In 2012, Eruzione appeared at the Republican National Convention, and he gave a speech in support of nominee Mitt Romney.

Along with thirteen teammates from the 1980 Lake Placid games, Eruzione received backlash when he appeared at a campaign rally for President Trump in Las Vegas in 2020. Several of the former players, including Eruzione himself, sported red Keep America Great hats. Eruzione said he was saddened by the controversy, stating "I shake my head at it, that's all I can say." He later said he regretted the appearance, noting that the team had only been invited to a private picture event and had not expected to appear onstage. On wearing the hat, he said, "I just put it on. I wasn’t thinking. Maybe this shows I’m naive, shows I’m stupid. I don’t know. I don’t follow politics. I know [Trump] has had some issues and said a lot of things people don’t like.” All-ECAC Hockey Second Team 1976–77

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1971–72 Winthrop High School MIAA — — — — — — — — — — 1972–73 Berwick Academy MPA — — — — — — — — — — 1973–74 Boston University ECAC 31 21 19 40 14 — — — — — 1974–75 Boston University ECAC 32 27 29 56 20 — — — — — 1975–76 Boston University ECAC 30 21 27 48 18 — — — — — 1976–77 Boston University ECAC 34 23 41 64 18 — — — — — 1977–78 Toledo Goaldiggers IHL 76 30 56 86 43 17 8 13 21 12 1978–79 Toledo Goaldiggers IHL 74 27 45 72 28 3 1 2 3 2 1978–79 Philadelphia Firebirds AHL 6 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1979–80 United States Intl 43 18 23 41 20 — — — — — ECAC totals 127 92 116 208 70 — — — — — IHL totals 150 57 101 158 71 20 9 15 24 14

International Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 1975 United States WC 9 1 2 3 4 1976 United States WC 10 0 0 0 0 1980 United States OG 7 3 2 5 2 Senior totals 26 4 4 8 6