Mike Eruzione
Michael Anthony "Rizzo" Eruzione, born October 25, 1954, is a former American ice hockey player. He became well-known as the captain of the United States national team during the 1980 Winter Olympics. In one of the most famous games in sports history, called the "Miracle on Ice," his team defeated the Soviet Union. Eruzione scored the winning goal in that exciting match. He later wrote a popular book about his experiences, titled The Making of a Miracle: The Untold Story of the Captain of The Gold Medal-Winning 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team, with Neal E. Boudette, published by HarperCollins.
Biography
Mike Eruzione was born on October 25, 1954, in Winthrop, Massachusetts. He grew up playing hockey and became the captain of his high school team. He later played for Boston University, where he scored many goals each season.
Eruzione was the captain of the U.S. hockey team at the 1980 Winter Olympics. He scored the winning goal in a famous game against the Soviet Union, helping the U.S. team win the gold medal. His goal was later named one of the greatest moments in American sports. After the Olympics, Eruzione worked as a television commentator for hockey games and helped coach at Boston University. In 2020, he wrote a book about his experiences on the Olympic team called The Making of a Miracle.
In popular culture
Mike Eruzione was shown in several TV shows and movies. In the movie Miracle on Ice, he was played by actor Andrew Stevens. In another movie called Miracle, actor Patrick O'Brien Demsey played Eruzione. Demsey trained with Eruzione's team to get ready for the role.
Eruzione also appeared in an episode of American Dad! where a character claimed to be part of the 1980 U.S. hockey team. Eruzione lent his voice to this episode. He was also mentioned in an episode of Archer. Additionally, he was the host of a game show called Starcade back in 1981.
Politics
Eruzione has voted for leaders from different parties over the years. He supported Barack Obama and later Donald Trump. In 2020, he and some of his teammates attended an event for Trump, which caused some disagreement among his former players. Eruzione later said he wished he had not been part of that event and felt he had not thought it through carefully.
Awards and achievements
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| All-ECAC Hockey First Team | 1974–75 1975–76 |
| All-ECAC Hockey Second Team | 1976–77 |
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
| 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 | ||||
Keep exploring
This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Mike Eruzione, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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