Michael Anthony "Rizz, Rizzo" Eruzione (, , born October 25, 1954) is an American former
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
player. He is best known as the captain of the
1980 Winter Olympics
The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States.
Lake Placid was elected ...
United States national team that defeated the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
in the famous "
Miracle on Ice
The "Miracle on Ice" was an ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. It was played between the hosting United States and the Soviet Union on February 22, 1980, during the medal round of the men's hockey tourna ...
" 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
Winthrop is a town in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,316 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Winthrop is an ocean-side suburban community in Greater Boston situated at ...
. His father was a bartender and worked in a sewage plant,
and he grew up with many of his relatives living in the same home.
He learned to play hockey for Youth Hockey of Winthrop as part of the GBYHL (Greater Boston Youth Hockey League). He graduated from
Winthrop High School
Winthrop High School is a public four-year high school in Winthrop, Massachusetts, United States. It is a part of Winthrop Public Schools.
The current school building, with of space, had a cost of $80.2 million, with about $42.5 million or 60% o ...
in 1972, where he was captain of the
varsity hockey team during his senior year. He then spent a year at
Berwick Academy to fine-tune his hockey skills in a New England Prep environment. After leaving Berwick, Eruzione attended
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...
. He had initially opted for another school, but he switched to Boston after his coach forgot his name.
While at Boston, he averaged over twenty goals a season for four years. BU coach
Jack Parker called Eruzione "
Pete Rose
Peter Edward Rose Sr. (born April 14, 1941), also known by his nickname "Charlie Hustle", is an American former professional baseball player and manager. Rose played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 1986, most prominently as a membe ...
on skates".
Eruzione also played for
Team USA
The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions.
Olympic teams
Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...
at the 1975 and 1976
Ice Hockey World Championship
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annua ...
tournaments. He then spent two seasons with the
Toledo Goaldiggers
The Toledo Goaldiggers were a minor professional ice hockey club based in Toledo, Ohio, from 1974 to 1986. They played in the International Hockey League (IHL) and held their home games at the Toledo Sports Arena on the east side of Toledo. Pr ...
of the
International Hockey League,
being named the
Rookie of the Year in 1978 and leading the team to the
Turner Cup
The Turner Cup was the championship trophy of the International Hockey League from 1945 to 2001 and the renamed United Hockey League from 2007 to 2010. The Cup was named for Joe Turner, a goaltender from Windsor, Ontario. Turner became professi ...
championship in that year. After his second year in Toledo, Eruzione, who played
left wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
, was named the Captain of the 1980 Olympic hockey team, 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 has become one of the most played highlights in American sports, and was chosen by Sports Illustrated in 1999 as the greatest sports moment of the twentieth century. In March, 2008, it was voted the greatest highlight of all time by ESPN viewers.
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
NHLPA (french: AJLNH) is the labour union for the group of professional hockey players who are under Standard Player Contracts to the 32 member clubs in the National Hockey League (NHL) located in the United States and Canada. The association r ...
director
Alan Eagleson
Robert Alan Eagleson (born April 24, 1933) is a disbarment, disbarred Canadians, Canadian lawyer, ice hockey, hockey Sports agent, agent and promoter. Clients that he represented included superstars Bobby Orr and Darryl Sittler, and he was the ...
. 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?"
Post playing career
Eruzione was one of five players on the US Olympic team not drafted by an NHL team.
Initially, he voiced his interest in playing professionally, mentioning the "
New England Whalers
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
" (by that time, renamed as the Hartford Whalers) as a possibility. He retired from competition after the Olympics, despite contract offers from the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
, stating that he'd reached the pinnacle of achievement already. He was a technical consultant for the 1981 film ''
Miracle on Ice
The "Miracle on Ice" was an ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. It was played between the hosting United States and the Soviet Union on February 22, 1980, during the medal round of the men's hockey tourna ...
'', and said "we all know the movie will never be able to equal what happened."
Eruzione then became a
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
broadcaster, grabbing the microphone at Rangers and
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...
games and for the ''
NHL on USA
The ''NHL on USA'' was the de facto title of a television show that broadcast National Hockey League games on the USA Network.
History
Before the USA Network came to be (1969-1980)
Manhattan Cable and HBO (1969–1977)
Manhattan Cable (subseque ...
'' and ''
NHL on Fox
The ''NHL on Fox'' is the branding used for broadcasts of National Hockey League (NHL) games that were produced by Fox Sports and televised on the Fox network from the 1994–1995 NHL season until the 1998–1999 NHL season. NHL games continue ...
'', and going on to comment at five
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
, working for both
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
and
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
. 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
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...
, where he currently works as Director of Special Outreach. He is a member of several halls of fame. He is a part-owner of the
USHL
The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictly ...
Omaha Lancers
The Omaha Lancers are a Tier I junior ice hockey team and are members of the Western Conference of the United States Hockey League (USHL). Founded in 1986, the Lancers play at the Liberty First Credit Union Arena in Ralston, Nebraska. Previous ...
, 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
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internation ...
in
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
.
[
On January 19, 2007, Eruzione appeared on the new version of the game show '']I've Got a Secret
''I've Got a Secret'' is an American panel game show produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS television. Created by comedy writers Allan Sherman and Howard Merrill, it was a derivative of Goodson-Todman's own panel show, ''What's My Line ...
''. His secret was that he was the captain of the 1980 U.S. Men's Olympic hockey team, but he failed to stump the panel, as his secret was guessed by Billy Bean
William Daro Bean (born May 11, 1964) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder for the Detroit Tigers (1987–1989), Los Angeles Dodgers (1989), and San Diego Padres (1993– ...
.
In 2012, Eruzione appeared at the Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...
, and he gave a short speech in support of nominee Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...
.
In 2012, the Lawrence Larsen Hockey Rink in Eruzione's hometown of Winthrop, Massachusetts was renamed the Larsen Hockey Rink at the Mike Eruzione Center.
''The Making Of A Miracle''
On January 28, 2020, Eruzione's book, ''The Making of a Miracle'', was released by Harper, in imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. After its first week of sales, the book was No. 6 on the ''Wall Street Journal'' list of best-selling books, 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
The "Miracle on Ice" was an ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. It was played between the hosting United States and the Soviet Union on February 22, 1980, during the medal round of the men's hockey tourna ...
" 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
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
made-for-TV movie about the 1980 U.S. Hockey team called ''Miracle on Ice
The "Miracle on Ice" was an ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. It was played between the hosting United States and the Soviet Union on February 22, 1980, during the medal round of the men's hockey tourna ...
'', Eruzione is portrayed by actor Andrew Stevens
Herman Andrew Stevens (born June 10, 1955) is an American executive, film producer, director and actor.
Early life
Stevens was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the only child of actress Stella Stevens and her former husband Noble Herman Stephens.
Ca ...
.
In the 2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
film entitled ''Miracle
A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...
'', he is portrayed by actor Patrick O'Brien Demsey. Demsey had played hockey at Fitchburg State College
Fitchburg State University (Fitchburg State) is a public university in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. It has 3,421 undergraduate and 1,238 graduate/continuing education students, for a total student body enrollment of 4,659. The university offers und ...
, but he gave it up because of injuries and a desire to pursue an acting career.[Patrick O'Brien Demsey](_blank)
Internet Movie Database He saw the call for auditions the day before the auditions closed and won the part just days after his 24th birthday. To prepare for the role, he trained with the team Mike Eruzione coached at the time.
In the ''American Dad!
''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Since 2014, the series has been airing new episodes on TBS. ''American Dad!'' is the first television ...
'' episode " The Return of the Bling," Roger
Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...
reveals that he was part of the 1980 U.S. hockey team, under his persona "Chex LeMeneux." Stan does not believe him until Roger takes him to a team reunion at La Quinta Inns and Suites and Stan gets to see his team heroes Jim Craig, Mark Johnson and Eruzione. Eruzione provided his own voice for the episode.
In season four, episode 12 of the animated television show ''Archer
Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In mo ...
'', the main character, Sterling Archer
Sterling Malory Archer (codenamed Duchess after his mother's dog) is the fictional titular character on the American adult animated sitcom '' Archer'', which aired on the basic cable network FX from 2009 to 2019 and is currently broadcast on si ...
responds to his mother's exclamation, "So then ''we'' will beat the Russians!" with the retort, "Give it up folks: Mike Eruzione!"
Mike Eruzione was the presenter in the 1981 pilot of ''Starcade
''Starcade'' is an American game show where contestants competed against one another by playing arcade video games. The series originally aired on WTBS from 1982 to 1983, followed by a run in syndication for the following season.
The series w ...
'', a game show featuring video games.
40th Anniversary Trump Rally appearance
Mike Eruzione and thirteen teammates from the 1980 Lake Placid games were in Las Vegas in 2020 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the game, when they were invited to appear at a President Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
rally. They posed for a private photo with the president then were invited up on stage. Several of the former players, including Eruzione himself, sported red Keep America Great hats. Eruzione said he was saddened by the negative comments he and his teammates have received online, stating "I shake my head at it, that's all I can say."
Awards and achievements
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
References
External links
*
Mike Eruzione's U.S. Olympic Team bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eruzione, Mike
1954 births
1980 US Olympic ice hockey team
American men's ice hockey left wingers
American people of Italian descent
Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey players
American game show hosts
Ice hockey players from Massachusetts
Ice hockey players at the 1980 Winter Olympics
Living people
Medalists at the 1980 Winter Olympics
National Hockey League broadcasters
New England Whalers draft picks
Olympic Games broadcasters
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in ice hockey
People from Winthrop, Massachusetts
Philadelphia Firebirds (AHL) players
Toledo Goaldiggers players
Berwick Academy (Maine) alumni
New Jersey Devils announcers