Unblinded with Sean Callagy - Mike Eruzione: USA Wins Gold, the Miracle on Ice, and the Mindset of a Champion

Episode Date: February 24, 2026

46 years.That's how long it's been since the 1980 Miracle on Ice — when a team of 21-year-old college kids defeated the Soviet Union's 15-year dynasty and changed the course of history.This past weekend in Milan, the USA men's hockey team won Olympic gold again. First time since 1980. First time in 46 years.And the women's team? Gold too.Some moments transcend sports.In this powerful and timely conversation, 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey captain Mike Eruzione joins Sean Callagy to unpack the real story behind “Miracle on Ice” — not as a fairy tale, but as a blueprint for belief, preparation, respect, and team-first leadership.With Team USA winning the men’s hockey gold medal this year, the conversation feels more relevant than ever. The legacy of 1980 continues to echo in today’s championship moments. Mike reflects on what it truly takes to win at the highest level — not just talent, but discipline, unity, humility, and relentless work.Episode Highlights Mike’s upbringing in a packed three-family home and the values that shaped him: work, respect, and humilityHow a single “random” summer league game opened the door to Boston University and changed everythingWhy Mike believes success is earned through work, not luckThe shift in college sports over time: training, money, NIL, and the modern recruiting machineThe overlooked truth: “Miracle” wasn’t magic — it was belief + preparation + sacrificeHerb Brooks’ leadership: relentless standards, psychological edge, and a culture built on respectThe infamous post-Norway skate and what it was really about (not what the movie showed)Losing 10–3 to the Soviets before the Olympics — and how Herb turned it into fuel, not fearStaying focused in the biggest moment: treating it like “just hockey” and controlling what you canThe meaning of legacy: being remembered as good people who worked hard and loved their countryKey Quotes“Life is about opportunities. It’s what you do with that opportunity that counts.” “If you believe in something and you’re willing to work hard, you can accomplish it.” “It’s easy to be nice. You got to go out of your way to be an ass.” “If you don’t respect yourself… if you don’t respect your teammates… if you don’t respect your competition… you will not be successful.” “Ability in a dime gets you a cup of coffee.” “We were a lunch pail, hard hat group of guys.” “Find something positive and build off of that.”Timestamps00:00 – Cold Open: Why This Moment Still Hits (Belief, Legacy, “Miracle” Energy)02:10 – Sean’s Opening Tribute: What Mike Eruzione Represents05:25 – Mike’s Background: The Path That Built His Mindset12:40 – Coach Herb Brooks: The Standard, the Vision, the Culture20:00 – Team Identity: “We” Over “Me” (How the Group Locked In)27:30 – Handling Pressure: Staying Present When the Stakes Get Loud35:00 – Leadership Under Fire: Doing Your Job, Not Chasing Noise42:15 – Trust + Accountability: How Great Teams Self-Correct Fast50:00 – “More Than a Hockey Game”: Belief as a Competitive Advantage58:20 – Pre-Run Reality Check: Doubt, Discomfort, and What It Cost to Prepare1:00:46 – The Wake-Up Call: Madison Square Garden Loss (10–3) and the Lesson1:08:30 – Turning the Loss Into Fuel: Process, Discipline, and Repetition1:17:10 – The Soviet Game: When It Became “Just Hockey” and Confidence Flipped1:26:05 – Third-Period Edge: Conditioning, Four Lines, and Closing Strong1:35:38 – Legacy Beyond the Rink: Family, Perspective, and What He Wants People to RememberThis episode is not just about a historic win. It’s about what winning requires.With a new generation of Team USA champions bringing home gold, the lessons from 1980 feel alive again: belief matters, work matters, respect matters — and opportunity only counts if you’re ready for it.– Legacy and what it means to represent your country

If I had never played in that Summer League game, I never would have gone to Boston University. And if I had never gone to Boston University, I never would have ended up playing on a U.S. Olympic team. Not every day is a great day. Sometimes things don't work out the way you want them to work out. There are a lot of important values in life, and the most important one is respect. And we skated that night because of three things. He said to us, if you don't respect yourself, you won't be successful. All of a sudden, Herb calls me into the back area, and he says, Mike, I just got a call from President Carter,

and they are sending Air Force One tomorrow morning at 6.30 in the morning to take you guys to the White House. Other than being a police officer, a firefighter, or somebody in the military, there's no greater feeling than putting on a USA jersey. Oh. Thank you. Thank you very much. Hi, Sam. Thank you. Wow.

You people were born when I played. Some of you. I told Mr. Mike Ruzioni that if we had the opportunity to have Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, or Beyonce, you guys would prefer him. Was I telling the truth if yes, say yes? I'd rather see me than those three as well. So, Mike, it is such an honor and privilege to have you here today. But before we get started, we wanted to share a couple thank yous. And you met Nicole Tink, Miello, back there.

So she's going to read a couple of thank you so we've prepared for you, for being here, and for who and what you are in the world. Would that be okay with you? That's fine. Thank you very much. Tink, are you ready? Absolutely. Mr. Ruzioni, on behalf of Unblinded, our certification partners, unblinded, the entire unblinded ecosystem, my co-founders and leaders, Sean Calgi, myself and all of our loved ones, would like to thank you for a few things. Thank you for being here.

Thank you, Mr. Arugioni, for making the trip to Long Beach Island to be with us at this unblinded immersion. Your very presence here is a privilege and a gift. Thank you and your team for your voice. Thank you and your teammates for choosing not only to win that game, but to carry a message of belief and possibility into the world for decades since. Thank you for the order for the order for the order. Thank you for the ordinary becoming extraordinary. Thank you for reminding us that ordinary people

through vision, courage, and relentless effort can do the most extraordinary things. Thank you for standing in the fire. Thank you and thank you to coach Irb Brooks for braving the rivalries, the conflicts, the pressure, and showing us all that greatness is born in the fire. Thank you and your team for carrying a nation. Thank you, Mr. Ruzioni, and your entire 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team for carrying the spirit

of America on your shoulders in the darkest hour. Thank you for scoring the goal of belief. Thank you for putting that puck into the net against the Soviets not just to win a game, but to ignite belief in a nation that had almost forgotten how to believe. Thank you and your brothers on the ice for proving possibility. Thank you for proving together that giants can fall and that impossibility is an illusion and that miracles are not fairy tales but lived reality. Thank you for reshaping history. Thank you and your teammates for a victory that became more than a medal, a moment that shifted the psychology of America and helped open the door to a new future for America and the world.

Thank you for embodying team. Thank you for showing the world that legacy isn't written by one hero alone, but by a band of brothers who believed in each other when no one else did. Thank you for your humility. Thank you for staying grounded, blue collar, integrous and humble, when the world put you on its grandest stage. That humility is more powerful than any goal ever could be. Thank you for your legacy. Thank you for a legacy that lives not only in the record books, but in the hearts of every child. of every child who laces up skates, every parent who whispers you can do it, and every human

who chooses belief over despair. Thank you for miracles. And finally, thank you for reminding us all that miracles are not once in a lifetime. They are possible every day and every life, in every moment we choose belief. Oh, thank you. Yeah. Thank you, sir. Thank you, Sean.

I think we could use in 1980 now. Yeah, we really could for sure. And it feels very difficult for me to call you Mike. Yeah. When we spoke on the phone, you asked me to do that. I didn't get my last name until I was in the fourth grade, so yeah, Mike's a lot easier. Yeah, so, you know, I come from a world very much like you did, Northeast.

I played probably about 10 years under you, but I had a lot of people that you were shaped by in high school and was very much like my high school experiences. You know, I would love to call Mr. Rosioni. I won't, in honor of his request, to call Mike, but it feels like you should always be Mr. Rosioni. So thank you for that privilege to call you, Mike. So, Mike, who were you in high school? Like, what was growing up like?

And you live in, you know, small town, big, lots of family around. Yeah, lots of family. You know, I thought my life was like any other kid's life. I grew up in a three-family house. We lived in the second floor. I have four sisters and a brother. This kind of gets a little crazy. Upstairs was my mother's brother who married my father's sister.

I told you it was going to get crazy. And they were five kids in that family. And my father's other sister lived on the first floor. And they were four in that family. So I grew up in a house of about 15 kids. and understood the importance of hard work. I learned at a young age how important it was to be a good person, be a good brother, be a good friend, be a good neighbor,

of values that my mother and father taught me as a kid growing up in this three family. I thought everybody lived in a three family. I mean, I didn't know people had their own homes. And as, you know, fast forward, my wife grew up four houses for me, and she's one of 13 kids. Wow. And I lived next door to the house I grew up in, and my son lives directly behind me,

my daughter lives down the street, and my other son, he moved to Connecticut a few years ago because she wanted to be near her family. And I said to her, who moves to be with their family? So, as we talked about earlier, and I have seven grandkids now, which is kind of fun, watching them play, hockey football, lacrosse. They're all, at that the oldest is 12,

the youngest is 18 months. But again, back to, you know, my childhood growing up because you worked. I caddied as a kid. My dad worked three jobs, and my mother stayed home and took care of six kids. There wasn't a lot of money in the house, but there was a lot of love, there was a lot of support.

And that's kind of how I grew up. Sports was your vehicle. I played football, I played baseball. Probably played more baseball than anything. And hockey was something you did in the wintertime. It got cold, you went and played hockey because your friends played. I remember wanting to play hockey because my friends played,

but I didn't have any ice skates. My parents didn't have enough money to go buy me ice skates if it wasn't something I wanted to show them. I wanted to do. And they used to freeze the tennis courts down the street from where I lived. And in those days, you could go down the tennis courts by yourself. So you didn't have to have a police escort. Not everybody got a trophy, you just showed up. And I remember I'm wanting to play hockey because my friends played, but I didn't have any ice skates.

But my sister had these white figure skates. And I'd fit into her white figure skates, and I'd get the white figure skates and down the hill I'd go on the tenets. on the tennis courts and learn to skate or try to skate. Hockey's a macho kind of game. Not only was I in white figure skates, but she had these blue pom-poms on her and that's how I started to play ice hockey. And in those days, you could save,

some people might remember, maybe not, you could save S&H green stamps. And I came home one day, and there was a pair of hide ice skates on the table, and my mom saved up enough stamps to get me a pair of ice skates. Wow. And that's how I started playing hockey

at nine years old, never knowing it was going to lead to the Olympics, obviously, but it was something I wanted to do. And like, all great parents, you support your kids and what they want to do. So that's kind of how hockey started for me. But like I said, I probably played more baseball, and actually, you know, I was in all-state football hockey and baseball players. So sports were, was my life as a kid. And Mike, do you think that was, you know, how much of that was baseball, football, hockey was genetic, how much do you think you worked harder? You know, you had better coaching? Like, what do you attribute? I think it's a little of both, but, you know, without hard work,

you don't accomplish anything. So, you know, nobody steps on the field, nobody makes major league baseball or football or NHL players by just skill. There's a lot of work. There's a lot of time, there's a lot of effort, there's a lot of sacrifices that go into people becoming successful. And again, I think of sacrifices. Like I said, my dad worked three jobs. You know, he had to support a family. So the sacrifices he made for giving me a chance to play a game, never knowing it was going to lead, like I said, to an Olympic games.

But as a parent, you support your children and what they want to do. And I was fortunate to have a dad that understood that my love was sports. And he found a way to make sure that I was able to do that. And, you know, I look back on my coaches, my high school football coaches, a big influence in my life. Obviously, my college hockey coach, Jack Parker, at Boston University, where I played and worked right now. And I'm going to tell you, this is a crazy story.

But I always talk about opportunity. To me, life is about opportunities. It's what you do with that opportunity that counts. And I was given an opportunity to play a game, never knowing, thinking, or believing, or dreaming it would get to or get to, but it did. But I remember graduating from high school. I wanted to go to University of New Hampshire. And my grades were really good in school.

One thing I kind of messed up was, as long as I was eligible, I was happy. So I wanted to go to the University of New Hampshire. I went to prep school for a year up in Maine with the hope of going to UNH and playing football, hockey and baseball. That's what I wanted to do. Well, the hockey coach didn't think I was a Division I

one hockey player, so I had no school to go to. Wow. I was 17 years old with no college and nobody interested. So one school that was interested was a school Merrimack College and Merrimack College was Division III they weren't Division 1 they were Division 3 school and they offered me a full scholarship and for all you parents out there it was $3,500 my freshman year I think Boston University's I think 80-something thousand now but that's thank God I'm not around now so I wanted

to go to college at UNH but I ended up go I'm gonna go to Merrimack well in the summer I played baseball in the summer I didn't play hockey in the summer so a friend of mine called me and he said look we have a summer league game And we need some guys to play. A bunch of guys went away for the weekend. Do you want to play? I said, well, you need a player, I'll play. So I played in the game.

And it turned out the referee of the game was this guy named Jack Parker, who I didn't know who he was. He was just the referee. And when the game was over, Jack Parker pulled me aside. He says, hey, I'm Jack Parker. I'm the assistant coach at Boston University. We have a kid from Canada that decided not to come. Would you like to come to Boston University?

And I'm like, yeah. I mean, BU's coming off back-to-back national championships. at the time. And I said to him, it has to be a full scholarship because my dad can't afford, you know, $3,500. He goes, no, it's a full scholarship. So I went to Boston University, and Jack Parker was the assistant coach. The guy named Leon Abbott was the head coach. And Leon Abbott didn't know me from Adam, but I made the varsity my freshman year, and I was playing a few games here and there. And Leon Abbott got fired for recruiting violations. Jack Parker became the head coach. So I went from centering the fourth line to playing left wing on

the second line and led my team in scoring my freshman year. Wow. Let's hear for that. So I tell you this story because if I had never played in that summer league game, I never would have gone to Boston University. And if I had never gone to Boston University, I never would have ended up playing on the US Olympic team because I would have come out of Merrimack versus a national championship contending BU team.

So again, life is about opportunities. And then I was given that opportunity to play on an eight. 80 Olympic team and there I am today. So it's kind of funny how life works. It sure is. So going back for a sec, though, I didn't know that part of the story. That you're coming out of high school, you don't have Division I offers. Fun footnote, by the way, my daughter, Courtney, went to University of New Hampshire

for starting her college career, just as a quick, fun footnote. and you have a division three opportunity. And were you coming out of high school thinking and hoping about playing college baseball or football or hockey? Like, what was that, what was going on there that was in your mind or you weren't thinking that? So what was happening as you were leading up to going to college? Were you hoping to play a different sport in college or hockey in college? I wanted to play all three. I wanted to play football, hockey, and baseball.

Even at Boston University, I ended up playing hockey and baseball. They wouldn't let me play football because it was kind of the beginning of the hockey season. But, yeah, my mind was to play all three sports in college, but ended up just doing two at Boston University, although my junior senior, I didn't play because I made the U.S. national team and went over to Europe for the world championships.

So, like, how... And just, I think this is important for the audience, how often we could just be overlooked. So obviously, Mike Ruzioni was incredibly talented. He goes out and ends up starting and be one of the leading scorers in his first year at Boston University,

but yet nobody's, and this is a defending national championship team, but nobody else is even offering you Division I to come play. Like, why do you think that was? Was it just you didn't have opportunities to be exposed to college coaches? Like, why weren't you getting those opportunities?

do you think because they weren't smart enough to realize how good I was I mean that's I'm again you know Sean you and I know each other a little but I'm not a real deep thinker I'm not that in depth on things I just do things and I never thought about why they didn't like me I like I thought I was pretty damn good yeah I mean I you think he was pretty damn good say yes no but you guys miss I look at the college coaches that I played against these teams and say you missed the boat. And, you know, Boston University, four years. I graduated as the all-time leading scorer. It's crazy.

Which has since been passed because players today are a lot better than when I played. But, you know, I've always been, the one thing I've always been is very confident in myself as an athlete and as a person. You know, I was talking a group of people the other day, and I'm kind of old school. I believe in a lot of old-fashioned values, things that my dad taught me about pride and commitment and respect. I talked to you really about respect. I tell kids today, you know, it's easy to be a nice person. You've got to go out of your way to be an asshole.

No, you really, pardon my language, but... Mike, these people have heard a few F-bombs in the space, so we're okay. But it's easy to be nice. It's easy to be a good teammate, a good neighbor, a good friend. And those are things that I always believed and always taught, even at a young age. And I think those are values that carried with me to this day, but I think carried me through my athletic career too. Was I don't care what other people think.

I know what I think and what I care about and what's important to me. And I'm not going to listen to somebody say, no, you can't do that. If they do, then it drives me even more that I want to say, really, let me show you what I can do. And not, you know, not everybody's a great day. I've had challenges over, you know, 70 years of my life. I haven't lived the greatest, you know, I've made stupid mistakes, and that's part of life. That's part of being, you know, the world that we live in. But I think, you know, when the smoke clears, I can look back on my athletic career. And what I've been doing for the last, you know, 45 years since 1980s, take great pride in knowing that I've done a good

job at the opportunities I've been given. And that I think people look at me and respect me. And You can clearly respect my teammates. You know, what we did was 45 years ago, and we talked about it earlier. I don't know if you follow anything, but we just found out that our team is going to receive the Congressional Gold Medal. Let's hear for that.

Which is, I think, the ultimate honor, it's not a sports award, it's not an ESPN award. This is from your country. This is, if you look at the recipients of it, it's something my teammates and I take incredible, incredible pride in. because our game was more than a hockey game. We didn't know it at the time,

but realized that it was a moment that that's why I said earlier that touched the lives of a lot of people. In 1979, 1980, we were looking for something to feel good about, the hostages, the gas lines, inflation, and all of a sudden we come along, and I've said this, and I'll say this till the day I die, other than being a police officer or a firefighter or somebody in the military, there's no greater feeling than putting on a USA jersey.

And I'm not playing for Chicago or Boston. You're playing for your country. And I think in 1980, people saw that in us and rallied people. We didn't go to Lake Placid to rally a whole country. We didn't even know. Think about it. There was no Facebook or Twitter.

There was three TV stations that the social media didn't exist. And yet when we won, when we got out into the country and realized that this thing was, wow, pretty big. And I think, again, we take even 45 years later, take great pride in knowing that people came together. because of what our team was able to do, not me, what our team was able to do, and showed the world that, you know, if you believe in something and you're willing to work hard, you can't accomplish it. And our team was at her Brooks. Our coach used to call us a lunch pail hard hat group of guys. Because that's what we were. If you follow the backgrounds of my teammates, we all came from working class families, and we're all taught about the important values in life and not just values in the sport of ice hockey. So, Mike, as you, a couple quick things. So some of the things I love to think about are things, and it's exciting for me that you hadn't thought about that before.

Because one of the things that we, about why coaches weren't seeing you, because one of the things we talk about here is how do we create the opportunities to be seen? You know, so when you ended up being asked by a friend, hey, would you like to come play in this game, that was an incredible blessing, and you seized that opportunity, hearing you loudly and clearly. But sometimes you don't get that phone call and have the same opportunity. You didn't know it was an opportunity, but you were seizing all the opportunity. But if I could, do you think that, you know, at that time, because today, I know that you know, this is part of your world, does all these showcases, and club teams and every sport imaginable, it was a different world then, right? In the 1970s, was there anything out there?

Was it just like your high school coach was going to be talking to college coaches or were there any showcases? How broken was the talent assessment system of high school hockey at that time that you weren't seen? I mean, do you think it was just all these college coaches making bad choices about not seeing you,

or they just never even knew you existed because there's no social media, no showcases. No, there were no showcases. You played in your hometown. I played in, where I live now, I've played in Winthrop. I played pee-wee hockey. I played youth hockey. You played high school hockey.

I played Bantam hockey. There were no all-star teams. There were no travel teams. Today, it's crazy today. The cost, you know, these kids, they were on these select teams, these travel teams and mom and dad are paying thousands of dollars chasing something that might not be there. But the problem now is if you're not on one of these teams, they think you get no chance of being seen.

In my day, you know, you were seen because coaches went to your high school games. There were no showcases. So you want to see the best players play? Go to Lynn Arena and watch Winthrop High School play Danvers High School. So, I mean, that's basically what it was. We live in a whole different, you know, again, I work at Boston University. You know, we got three kids from Sweden, we got two from Finland, we got one from Russia. We're recruiting all over the world. Wow.

And our coaches are out there at these showcases, but all these kids are paying a lot of money to play. And, you know, to me, there's only a few that are going to make it. And I personally think this kid spend too much money spending, searching, trying, traveling. But that's, you know, that's the culture. You want to play Division I baseball, you've got to be on the AAU team. That's what it is today. I'm glad it wasn't like that when I played because he just played. And there weren't pressures.

And did you have, so when you're at Winthrop then, did you have coaches, did you have one, two, five, ten college coaches come to see? Like how many overlooked you? Was it just a small number or was it a lot of coaches that were coming to your high school? No, I would say they were probably a small number because there weren't many colleges playing hockey at that time. You know, the game has grown. It's, you know, where, you know, when I was a kid, you were from Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, maybe Maine, upstate New York, places like that are hockey players. Now, California, Arizona, Texas, Florida. Look at how many players played.

Not just men, our women. Our women's prover. You can't believe how good the women are now than they were 10 years ago. So the game has grown. The sport of hockey has grown. and more and more kids are playing. So, you know, you're probably going to get seen a lot more now than you would have when I played

because there were just a handful of schools that had Division I programs. Absolutely. So when you were then in high school, you're loving baseball, football, hockey, did you ever think about the Olympics in hockey in high school before college, or that wasn't even a thought in your head?

No, I just played. I know, I never, I wasn't that smart to think ahead other than just I'm going to be a senior next year and let's hopefully my senior year will go well athletically or whatever it always went well athletically um but i you know i again it was a different era and a different time i don't know how i would be in today's era you know because i i know one thing my parents wouldn't have had the money for me to play the travel that the kids play today right right so when once you get to college and all of a sudden you become this standout like your mastery is rising at that point were you doing things

differently than the other kids like we're doing extra things or you practice in more intensely than the people on your team or you were just flat out better already no I think the practices continue I mean you want to play at Boston University you better be ready to play every year because there's new recruits coming in next year and new players challenging you. But it was, again, it was a different thing. I watch our players today. I mean, when practice is over, these guys are in the weight room. We have a nutritionist. We have a sports psychologist. My sports psychologist was my father. My nutritionist was my mother. You know, we have a sensory room now. Kids have, they go in

this room and they just sit there and just kind of, I don't know what they do in a sense of We didn't have any of that shit. We just, you know, you just played. And when the season ended, you know, the summertime, you know, I'd maybe play a little once in a while at the end of the summer to get ready for hockey, but I played baseball in the summer. These kids, after practice, they go into the weight room. I can tell you the truth, we went to the dugout, was the bar on campus.

Practice is over, hey, guys, let's go now. We have a few bears, and we'll go to school classes tomorrow, and then we'll get up and go to hockey practice, and after practice, we'll go to the dugout for a little while. It's now it's a different Whole scenario and good for them. I think it's great for the players because these guys have aspirations of playing the national hockey league I wanted to go to Boston University to play at Boston University and if it happened that it may be maybe I could play a pro hockey after then that was something But I didn't go you know we have freshmen that come in now that first round draft picks second round rap picks

then you got the name image image and likeness kids getting paid money. You know we lost it. We lost it. We The number one recruit in the country this year was coming to Boston University. He's going to be the first pick in the draft next year. He was coming to Boston University. He's going to Penn State because Penn State's giving him $800,000. Wow. That's name, image, and likeness. I don't know if you follow any sports.

Quarterback at Michigan this year is going to make about $9 million. Shaddaugh Sanders, the football player, he took a pay cut to play for the Cleveland Browns. the money he was making in Colorado. So you're dealing with a whole different mindset now. This is making money. For me, my scholarship was plenty. But now it's a different environment in the college sports for men and women.

There's a girl I think out in UCLA, the gymnast that's making stupid money. But that's just the arena we're in now that was never there. When I played, when I played, you just played. Yeah, so when you're just playing and you're at BU and you're obviously just standing out, scoring goals, leading a team on the way to breaking the scoring record, at any point did you, I mean, you're just playing, you're focusing. Do you remember when the first time you ever thought or heard of the Olympics in hockey?

Like when did that come into your mind? Okay. Again, crazy story. I got asked to play in the 1976 team, the Olympic team. Wow. And I did not want to leave Boston University. In those days, you'd leave your school right before the Olympics, and you'd go play. In our case, we trained for six months.

It was a whole different mindset in 1980 than it was in 76. So I had a chance to play in 76, and that was the year I thought we were going to win the national championship. I was a junior at Boston University and decided I was going to stay at BU. The games were in Innsbruck. And I think the U.S. team came in fourth or fifth. So I missed that and passed that opportunity up. So again, I talk about how my life turned and things in your life that happened. So I graduated from Boston University in 1977.

And the New York Rangers, they owned my rights. They drafted me. I was a second round draft pick of the New York Rangers. So when the season ended, BU ended, that summer, I was getting ready to go to camp with the New York Rangers. So I went to camp with the New York Rangers. And I had a really good camp. And a guy named John Ferguson was the general manager of the New York Rangers. And Fergie called me in his office.

He says, Mike, you had a great camp. We really like you. We think you're going to be a really good player. But we're not signing any new players. We have our first pick, which is a kid named Ron Du Gay, who had a great career with the Rangers. And we have a bunch of older players, and we're not shelling out any money for any more players. But we want to keep you in our system. So they sent me to Toledo, Ohio, and I played for a team called the Toledo Gold Diggers.

Anybody seen the movie Slapshot? That's where I was. You played for the team from Slapshot? That was the league. Oh, okay. Wow. Oggy Goghawk, remember him? Yes.

He was on our team in Toledo for a week, and then he got traded. But anyway, so I go to camp. I get sent to Toledo. New York Rangers' number two farm team, but I didn't have an NHL contract. It was a minor league contract. So I got paid every two weeks by the gold diggers. I made $4,000 my first year in Toledo. I led our team in scoring.

I was rookie of the year. I'm going to sign with the New York Rangers. John Ferguson got fired. A guy named Fred Sherro, who used to be with the Philadelphia Flyers, he becomes a general manager of the New York Rangers. And he calls my agent and says, look at, Mike's free to do what he wants to do. We're not signing Mike. We know he had a great year, but we're going in a different direction.

Wow. So here I am in limbo. What am I going to do? So I go back to Toledo to stay in amateur, hoping to get invited to try out for the 80 Olympic team. So I go back to Toledo. They gave me $8,000 and a van. Because I didn't have a vehicle when I played there.

So I had a van, and I got $4,000 raise, but I still got paid every two weeks. get traded tomorrow, no NHL contract, which kept me as an amateur, which gave me the opportunity, if I did get, to try out for the 80 Olympic team. So I go back to Toledo. That summer, I got a call from Her Brooks inviting me to try out for the 80 Olympic team. So I go to the eight tryouts, I make the team, and here I am today. If John Ferguson never got fired, I would have signed with the New York Rangers, and I would have been considered a pro. and not given an opportunity

to play on the 80 Olympic team. So there are two moments in my life about opportunity. One, in high school, and second, when the Rangers decided to let me go and do what I wanted to do, and the best decision that ever happened. And then the Olympic Games,

and then, you know, we win, and then a couple of NHL teams wanted to sign me to pro-contracts, and I decided it was time to make move on and do something else in my life and I was going to coach and teach and then found out that this moment, this event was bigger than we could have imagined. And I remember I was talking to my phys ed, the school administrator in my high school asking if there might be a phys ed job open next year because I want to teach. And then I was thinking about maybe coaching at Boston University

because they might be looking for an assistant coach. And then IBM, this was this was in February. And then IBM called my agent, advisor, and they wanted me to do ten appearances, five at the Fountain Blue in Florida, and five at the Drake in San Francisco. I'd never been to California and I'd never been to Florida. And they were going to give me $3,000 just to walk out on the stage and wave. I didn't even have to do anything. I made more in those ten appearances than my dad made in one year. So I thought, this is a pretty good deal. maybe I'll do some of these again

and then I get into broadcasting then I get into obviously speaking and doing things that I do now 45 years later although as you well know I work at Boston University I've been there 30 years although if you counted all the days I've been there probably been there five I got a good gig at BU

but it's just funny how your life works never knowing what you're going to do what is available but like I said after you have to Olympics I was going to coach and teach that's that's what I was going to do and the next thing you know wow this thing was pretty big and your life kind of turned or changed my life changed to a degree I haven't changed it drives my wife

absolutely nuts and we've been together for 50 years so it's not like you know I always tell my kids all the time the same thing about I was very happy with who I was before the Olympics you know why should why should your life change because of an athletic event. It clearly changed a lot of things in my life, but it shouldn't change who you are. You know, my friends are my friends, my family's my family,

and I still live where I belong and stay where I am, because if we didn't win, I'd be living in that town, I'd be probably have more than three kids because I'd have been home more. So for everybody, we had these conversations

over the last couple days about these dark moments and the hero's journey. So Mike's this phenomenal place, has nothing going on with colleges besides a Division III opportunity. We talked about my opportunities where nobody's looking to me and all of a sudden there's 100 schools looking at me and how God makes all things work together for good

or the universe or whatever you believe. And same thing. I mean, it's really amazing that Mike comes out, second round draft pick. Mike, correct me if I'm wrong, most second round draft picks end up on the team. Isn't that relatively normal? or yeah yeah so Mike doesn't this is normal course like you're a second round draft pick from a professional team in sports you're going to be on the team and all of a sudden he's not and that could have been something i mean i'm you know we're getting a sense of mike and mike seems like a pretty

incredibly grounded person and he just goes forward so something that happens that for most people would have been emotionally devastating what i'm hearing from you mike is he kind of like shrugged and said, all right, on we go. Because the values that he was raised with, and that's an incredible strain for this man, that he's not taking things and trying to analyze, why did God do this to me,

and why is the universe against me? He's just like, hey, this is the hand I'm dealt, let's go. And we do see that things work together for good. As Mike said, maybe he gets on the Rangers, maybe he gets hurt, maybe he plays a little bit, and there's a couple of things that happen,

and all of a sudden he's not eligible, for the Olympics. He's not in the NHL, and Mike's life looks completely differently. So these two events that would have been incredibly upsetting and frustrating for most people, maybe not for Mike, because he has such an incredibly strong level of self-mastery, right? Self-masters our language for psychology, that he's just like, hey, let's go. And he knows that he's going to make whatever happens in his life turn into the right thing. Am I hearing that correctly, Mike? That's how you operate? Yeah, my dad always said to me, even as a, it's a, more to life than athletics.

And at some point the game ends. Michael Jordan had to stop playing someday. You know, these great athletes, eventually it ends, but your life doesn't end. Just because I didn't play, let's just say this, and if I didn't go to Boston University, I'd still be happy with my life, whatever that was, because that's the direction I was going to go in.

I'm always very positive and very upbeat. You know, there's so much out there for me to do if I didn't play hockey, if I didn't play football, I'd have done something else, and I'd have been happy with what I did and what I was doing. But my life took a different turn, and my life went this way, but it shouldn't change, as I said earlier, who I am. Absolutely. And why should I be different?

Just because I won a gold medal doesn't make me better than people in this room. There are certain things that you can do that I sure as hell can't do. So everybody brings something to the table. I happen to bring something to the table in terms of my athletic ability and then it turned out to be what it's become today. But I think for me, like I said,

if we didn't win, I'd be living in my hometown, I'd be married to the same girl, I'd be coaching and teaching and that's just the way it was going to be. That's the way it was going to be. So this is, and for everybody here I want to really lock in on this, the lack of attachment

that Mike has the outcome. He shows up, he gives everything he's got, and then what happens, happens. And I'm, I'm inspired, I'm not only inspired, it's a, it's a really, we talk about the difference between inspiration and tools, you know, like, right, hockey sticks a tool, how you use the hockey stick is, you know, part of your tool, and then you have psychology, and for me, what I'm clear about is I get, I get more attached than Mike does, and I invite you to consider the same for yourself, so thank you, Mike, already for helping me like be a mirror for me i'm like yeah i i took things a lot harder than you did you know

and that you know i'm i've i had a strong psychology not as strong as yours as a high school athlete as a college athlete i almost played my way out of college baseball my sophomore year pouting i was you know runner for ivily rookie of the year my freshman year at columbia and the coach tried to change a few things and i was quiet i wasn't ever mouth he's very respectful but i would pout more i would take things more personally I would be more upset about things and what I'm hearing from you is it sounds like you didn't and if I could ask when when the Rangers didn't sign you did you spend if you remember did you spend you know the night getting upset you go have a few beers you call somebody you're like hey F it like here I go or is it like a

week you're upset at all and if so for how long when I was pissed off yeah what do you mean you don't want to sign me look what I just did but then again hey that's that's that's your decision I'll go in a different direction Yeah. What's here? How strong is that? But it's, right? Yeah.

Look, look. Not every day is a great day. Like I said, sometimes things don't go the way you want them to go. What are you going to do? Pout? Quit? No. Well, I mean, most people do.

You don't. No, why? If you pout and quit sometimes, say yes. Yes. So thank you. Yeah, no. That's not in my, that was never in my vocabulary. And I think part of it is the way I grew up.

You know, like I said, I saw my dad get up every morning and go to work, come home and go to work, come home and go to work. I saw my mother take care of six kids with no money. So quit isn't something that I've ever even thought about doing. I know I'm going to be successful at what I do, whatever it was I was going to do. So my mindset was, and again, that's my wife and I get into these discussions all the time. Why are you in such a good mood all the time? I says, because I don't want to be miserable. I don't want to live a life of wondering.

I'm just going to do what I want to do, and I'm going to go ahead and do it, despite the challenges. And like I said, not every day is a great day. Sometimes things don't work out the way you want them to work out. I missed a two-footer yesterday for $20. I was so pissed off. It's like this.

The next time I have that two-footer, I better make it. So again, I'm not that deeper guy. I'm not that smarter guy. I just live my life the way I want to live it with total respect for me. my family and my kids and my wife and usually things are going to work out well and if they don't there's another day and i'll figure that out yeah and mike thank you and just so we're like level set i failed freshman high school geometry for the year as a freshman high school um i had a lower

uh GPA in high school than i did in law school so i i wasn't i went to columbia because of baseball you know so it wasn't that i was thinking about things quite the same way then as i am now And one of the things that I think for these guys, like these are people who are trained, like, this is not a sales program. These are people trained to think about how do you, how do you succeed and how do you master things? And so what we're hearing, what they're hearing from you is we have the saying that Einstein said, make it as simple as possible, but not simpler. And honest to God, what I'm taking away from you is that it is so simple for you because you just give everything you have, You take the outcome result and you just go forward. And that is that, because my job, the way I look at people is I try to find out, like, what's the simple formula that causes Microsione to be Microsioni?

And that's present for me. Like, that's here. Like, that's just clear to me. And while you're saying it as, yeah, just like, it's easy. It's, if you think it's not easy for you, yet, say yes. Yeah. It's not easy for me either. but because you do it,

what they're trained to do, what I'm trained to do, is like, we're going to have the self-master according to Microsioni, which is very simply, don't get attached, get everything you got,

like the Microsion word from his dad formula, and your identity doesn't change. We talk a lot about that, but just go do your thing, what happens, you know it's going to work for good in any way,

because you're just going to do the next thing, you're going to use it as fuel and go forward. So does that sound like a fair, very simple, encapsulation of you. I've never met a person that's successful because they're lucky. People are successful because they understand the values of work. And again, I'll go back to my dad always said, if you understand the value at work, at some point in your life, you'll be successful. And it might not be today or tomorrow or next month, but when you're the best

of what you do, I guarantee it's the time and effort and work that you put in. And those are the values that are important. Whatever field you're in, whatever challenges you have, if you're not willing to work hard at it, you're not going to be successful. So I worked hard at everything that I've done, whether as an athlete or if I happen to go in a different direction. You know, if sports ended and I went, which it did, I went into a new direction, I'm worked damn hard at what I do in order to be successful at what I do. And I think that's, to me, it's pretty simple. It's like I said earlier. It's easy to be nice. It's really hard to be an asshole. So Mike, I live with that. And if you feel that from Mike, say yes. Yeah. All right. You're If you feel his authenticity, say yes.

Yes. Yeah. And his mastery, yes? Yeah. So, Mike, you go and these B-U-Ns, the draft with the Rangers, playing hockey in Toledo, and now Herbrooks calls you up. And what happens from there? Do you then, was there, in the movie, right, these guys have seen the movie lots. We show clips all the time.

So in the movie, there's the shortened version. of the tryout, like, could you please take us through what happens? Well, in the movie, the team was picked them one day. Trust me, it was two weeks. And in the movie, they had a bunch of people picking the team. There was only one person picking this team, and it was going to be Herb Brooks. So I went to the tryout. I got invited.

I was on the Great Lakes team. They divided all these players into four teams, and we competed against each other over two weeks. And Herb Brooks sat in the stands, evaluated the players, and we were in a room maybe kind of. like this maybe a little bigger and the 68 players tried out for the 80 Olympic team well I shouldn't say that hundreds tried out 68 got selected 68 of us went to Colorado Springs competed against each other in a kind of a mini tournament and tryouts were over 26 players made up the 80 Olympic team but only

20 will go into Lake Placid six guys are going to get cut okay okay so in Colorado Springs when this happens, what's that two weeks like? And I'm just going to give you a couple of multiple choices, where there are fist fights, where people getting along, were people kind of in the same boat of being friends, buddies, where their rivalries from college?

How was all that? What was Colorado Springs like? Well, it was a tournament. It was competitive. And it was a team from Massachusetts, which I was not on. I was on the at-large team. So my team was guys from Michigan, Minnesota, New York.

Then there was the Minnesota team, and then there was another at-large team. And that had players, her coach Brooks' college team, right? A lot of the kids played under Herb at the University of Minnesota. Right. Because it for everybody. So Coach Herbert Brooks coached the University of Minnesota. They were a top program in the country. Mike played at Boston University, a top program in the country,

and correct me if I'm wrong, there's a big rivalry, yes? Well, we had the year before, the Olympic tryouts in the national championship, Minnesota and Boston University got into a bench-clearing brawl. I would call that a big robbery. Four minutes into the game. This is a national championship? Yes, both teams should have been thrown out of the tournament because you can't fight in college.

So we ended up losing a player. They lost a player. They ended up beating us in the game. And who was the player you guys lost? We lost Terry Mahar, who was our leading goal scorer at the time. And they lost one of their guys who wasn't quite their leading player. And the guy, Terry Mahar? Yes.

Did he make the 80 Olympic team? No, Terry was from Canada. Got it. He was the captain of our team in 1979. And Jack O'Callaghan, he played four. Jack was a freshman at Boston University at that time. Got it, on that team. Right.

There were four guys. When the smoke cleared at the end, there were four guys from Boston University, nine from the University of Minnesota, two from Wisconsin, two from Bowling Green, one from North Dakota, and two from Minnesota Duluth. But of the 20 guys, 12 of the 20 players were from Minnesota. Wow. And 13 of the players, then, if I'm counting correctly, nine from Minnesota, four from B.U. So 13 of the players were from this big rivalry with nine from Minnesota and four for Boston University. Well, in Wisconsin and Minnesota had an huge rivalry. Because of national championship battles for years. So there was a lot of animosity between the two programs. So we're in the room and 68 players tried out. and Herb came up to the stage and he said,

if I call your name, please stay. And if I don't, thanks for coming. Okay, I'm going to try out. Forgive me for interrupting. I just want to really let these guys get it because they've seen somebody has clips and things. So do you think in that moment, A, I know I made the team, B, I think I made the team, C, I hope I made the team.

Probably B, because I was on the Great Lakes team and I was elected captain of the Great Lakes team and then we, the Great Lakes team, won the tournament. Oh, wow. And I led to our team in scoring. So I thought, I'm going to be on this team. But the concern I had was Minnesota coach, Western players, Eastern coach, Eastern players. That's how it always was years before. It was an Eastern coach that he was going to pick most of the guys going to be from the East because he knew them. So my concern was, is Herb going to take an Eastern guy?

So we're all in the room, and I remember the first name he called was Ken Morrow. Kenny was a great defenseman from Michigan. He played for the Islanders later. He won four Stanley Cups right after the Olympics. That's a pretty good run. And I'm sitting there thinking, I hope this is an alphabetical. My name's not getting called. And then my name was called it.

So there were 26 players in the room. And then her, you were the second name called? No, I was called later on down the road. I forget who was cloud. Were you starting to get concerned? Yeah, we all antsy, wondering, you know, kind of listening, is it going to be me? Is it going to be me? And it's interesting because now we have the Winter Olympics coming up in February.

The team USA is going to have 26 players, 25 players. They carry more now than they did then. Then they could only carry 20. So 26 players make up the team, and then we're going to embark on six months of training, and six guys are going to get cut throughout the course of the season. And you're still up until, I was elected captain in our, But was this by the players? By the players.

Okay. But I don't think I was voted by the players. There's no way nine guys from Minnesota voted for a guy from Boston. Wow. And as our assistant coach said, we voted, but Herb counted the ballots. I think Billy Baker was probably named captain by the team because the nine kids played with him at the university. And Billy actually was the assistant captain of the 80 team.

But for whatever reason they gave me the captaincy, which was not a big deal to me. big deal to me. I think my dad was more excited than I was because I've always said I was a captain amongst captains. We had a team of captains. Everybody in that team was a captain of their high school team. Eight guys were captains of their college team. So it was a great group of leaders and people. So the captaincy was nice, but it wasn't that, oh my God, I'm the captain. So 26 players made up the team and throughout the course of six months of travel and training, six were going to get cut. and up until the last week, I still wondered if I was going to be one of the 20.

Okay, take it back for a second. So during Colorado Springs, that time was Herb Brooks quiet and just watching and scouting, or was he already starting to be coach Herb Brooks towards everybody? He was coached Brooks, and that's the way it was going to be. We were going to travel, I think we played 60-some-odd games all around the country, went to Europe for a month, played overseas. And then throughout the course of the six months,

he evaluated all the players. And, you know, he threatened to cut me two weeks before the Olympics. He said, look, he's just not doing it. I just don't know what I'm going to do. And I'm like, wait a minute, I'm the captain. And I'm thinking, well, he's the coach. And, you know, always, and it's even funny. Years later, Herb would call my house,

and this was before cell phones. and my wife would answer the phone and she'd go, it's Coach Brooks, and I'm like, oh, shit. Here I am, I got three kids at home, and I'm worried he's going to yell at me. He was always in charge. Even when he threatened to cut me, I thought he would. And it was just the last kind of jab at me

to get me going, for whatever reason I don't know, but he was an incredible mind kind of guy. He loved to get into people's heads and players' heads. And part of me said he can't cut me on the captain. And the other part said, you know, he just might. He's crazy enough to do it. So in the you guys get together, like the movie depicts a moment that Mike told me actually didn't happen. He didn't say, who do you play for?

I play for Team USA. But there was a night of crazy skating. So can you take us through that night? And if that was, was there a time the team was, the movie Miracle shows great division between the players. Was there that kind of division or is that a little exaggerated or what was it really like? And then how does that fit into the skating? The division was what they thought was going to happen once the team was picked. Everybody can the Minnesota and the Massachusetts guys get along.

Can the Wisconsin, Minnesota guys get along? And we bonded right from the beginning. And I tell you that because anybody who's played hockey, you realize at a young age how important your teammates are. Hockey is the ultimate team sport. And you know how important. Like I've said many times, Mark Johnson, who's from Wisconsin, was our best player. We don't win without Mark Johnson. But how good would Mark be if the right wing and the left wing and the defensemen and the coaches weren't doing their job?

So we understood. Everybody had a job. Everybody had a role. Understand what your job is. Understand what your role is. and we as a team have an opportunity to be successful. That was the mindset from the beginning. Not everybody's going to be out on the power play.

Not everybody's going to be out killing penalties. Everybody's got a job and a role. We do that, we'll be fine. To me, I've always said this, there's no better place to be, whether it's on a team or in business, when everybody that you're with has the same goals and objectives that you have. And our goals and objectives as a team was to be the best.

Never knowing it was going to lead to a gold medal, but we knew in order for us to be successful, we had to believe in ourselves, but we had to believe in each other. And that's a great place to be. To go to practice every day, knowing everybody's willing to sacrifice to be the best. And that was our mindset from the beginning.

So the team's picked 26 guys, then right before the Olympic Games, he cuts the last two players. The again again night. The skating. The skating. We played Norway, and the game ended in a three-term.

three-three-tie and her doesn't very happy with the way in Norway was not like a world power no we should be able to handle the Norwegians they're not known for its hockey and it ended in three-three tie and in the movie miracle they have the guys on the bench looking at the girls in the stands that look at her look at her that trust me that didn't happen I told my wife that didn't happen I said the guys from Minnesota were looking at the girls I was not but we did skate We skated for an hour and a half. They shut the lights off in the building. We didn't go 20 at a time.

We only went waves of five guys at a time. And only 15 of us dressed that night. The other 10 guys were in the stands watching. So we did the Herbie's for about an hour and a half. The game ended. The drill ended when Mark Johnson smashed a stick against the glass. And Herb said, if I hear another stick smash against the glass, you'll skate until you die.

I say that one more time. What did Coach Brooks say? If I hear another stick smash against the glass, you'll skate till you die that is called Zeus energy ladies and gentlemen yes and then they shut the lights off in the building just had the electrical lights on it we finished the skate and he brought us in the locker this way again tomorrow you're going to skate again well we beat norway eight to nothing the next day but you i'm going to tell you why we i tell the story about why we skated uh it wasn't because we were looking at the girls in the stance to me this is the message

from Herb was this. There are a lot of important values in life. And the most important one is respect. And we skated that night because of three things. He said to us, if you don't respect yourself, you won't be successful. If you don't respect your teammates, people that you work with, people that you associate yourself with, you will not be successful. And if you don't respect your competition, you will not be successful. We never made that mistake again. And now, fast forward we win the Olympic gold medal we beat Finland a lot of people don't know this if we lose to Finland we could have won no medal there was a chance we could have come in fourth place we beat Finland we win the gold medal we go lack in the

locker room it is bedlam bedlam in the locker room all our parents are in the locker room you couldn't go anywhere in Lake Placid without your badge what your name tag to this day how our parents got in the locker room we have no idea How my dad could in with a six-pack of beer. I have no idea. My dad was sitting waving at me like it was a high school game, and the locker room was the size of this here. It was so tiny.

All of a sudden, Herb calls me into the back area, and he says, Mike, I just got a call from President Carter, and they are sending Air Force One tomorrow morning at 6.30 in the morning to take you guys to the White House. I want you to make sure that everybody's in bed early, and nobody acts up tonight. And I looked at Herb and I said, who's going to watch me? I got to tell you the truth, we stand out all night.

But why I tell you that story was Herb never wavered from that value. Respect your success. Respect your accomplishments. Respect the time, the effort, the work, and the sacrifices we put in collectively and you put in individually. So even though we had won this incredible moment, And although Herman, like I said earlier, our team didn't know it was that big a deal. He never wavered from that fact.

Respect your success. And that's an important value that you have to have in life, not just sports. And I think that's, and we talked about a little earlier, I think that's what we've lost sight of in our countries. People just don't respect people anymore. And, you know, we can mention it, we just got awarded, our team's going to receive the Congress. professional gold medal, which is, I think, did I say that earlier? You did, yeah. I did, well, I repeated myself.

That's all. But that is an ultimate honor for our team. And I think that's, you know, what makes our team and separates our team from other athletic achievements is that it was a U.S. story and not Boston or Chicago. So I think Herb was the right guy to keep and maintain those values that are so important in life. an old school guy you know he was he was you know lunch pale hard hat that was our team that's the way he coached us that's the way he was and Mike so now we're getting towards the Olympics and

there's the game against the Soviets at Madison Square Garden and do you think that why do you think her want to play that game was it just hey this is part of the schedule was there you know any deeper thought you think by you know coach Herb Brooks and the game did not go will for you guys. And how did that all fit into what would happen at the Olympics, if at all? It was just like a game and like, hey, you watched it all. Well, for me, it was the last, and why we scheduled the game, I have no idea other than maybe Herb wanted us to play the Soviets just to see what the competition was going to be like.

Because during our season, we played 68 games against colleges, minor league teams. We had a great series with the Canadian Olympic team. We played him eight times. We had a great series with the Soviet B team, not the A team. The A team was playing the New York Rangers, the New York Islanders, the NHL teams as they prepared. So the last game was in Madison Square Garden. So you guys understand this? So they're the 1980 team that Mike is on, they're playing against college teams, minor league teams.

The Soviets are playing against the NHL teams and beating them. and the NHL All-Stars, Mike and the team, these are college players. The Soviets, because of communism versus capitalism, are professional hockey players, essentially, where their life is paid for, their world is paid for, and these are much older players, much more season players, like they would be NHL players. And I repeat, they were beating NHL teams

and NHL All-Star teams. But, Mike, back to you and going into Madison Square. Yeah, so we step on the ice. You've got to remember one thing, too. Some of the Soviet players were going for their third consecutive gold medal. That's playing together for 12 years, some of these guys. The average age of our Olympic team in 1980 was 21 and a half, 22 years old. Matter of fact, I don't know anybody here follows college hockey,

but our Olympic team in 1980 would be the youngest team in college hockey today. And I was 25 at the time, and Buzzy Schneider was 25. Neil Broughton was 18, Mike Ramsey was 18, Davey Christian was 19. So we step out on the ice in Madison Square Garden, the building sold out. This is two days before the Olympic Games, and we lose 10 to 3. Totally embarrassed, totally humiliated. God, we thought we were good, and all of a sudden we got welcome to the world moment. So we lose 10 to 3, the game's over, the last two guys get cut from the team.

Now 20 of us are going to get on the bus the next day and go to Lake Placid for the Olympic Games. And when the game ended, Herb didn't say anything to us. say anything to us. He said, go back to the hotel, get a good night's sleep, come back to the rink in the morning, we'll pack our bags, and we'll go to Lake Placid. Never mentioned, talked about the game. So the next morning, I pick up the New York Post, wrong newspaper to pick up, and the article talks about how the U.S. team has no chance in the upcoming Olympic Games, the Soviets are the best team in the world. They will win. They will win the gold medal in the U.S. has no chance. And it said, we didn't have the talent. We didn't have the talent.

We didn't have the ability. We didn't have experience to compete at that level. And then there was a quote from Herb Brooks, and Herb said, I knew our team was in trouble. When the Soviet players were being introduced, my players were applauding them. And it was like, there's Kalimov,

there's Yakashev, there's Kutov, these great players we heard so much about. Herb was a great speaker, great motivator. We go in the locker room to get ready to go to Lake Placet. He said, gentlemen, if you ever get a chance to play the Soviets again, and we don't know if we are because they're in the other division.

We had to win our own division or come in second in our division to even get a chance to play them. He says, remember how you played in the second and third period, not the first period. We were losing six to nothing after one period. And I tell you that because he turned a negative

into a positive right away. He said, look how even you played with them when you guys were ready to play. So instead of screaming and yelling at us, saying how much we sucked or how bad we were, we walked away thinking, wow, we played even with the best team in the world.

And I tell that story, because when things don't go well, and there are times things don't always go well, find something positive and build off of that, because if you think negative things, guess what, nothing but negative thoughts will stay in your head. So we get on the bus clearly excited about what just happened. We played even, and we don't know if we're even going to play him again. So our mindset going into Lake Placid was totally different

than if he had screamed and yelled at us. So we get to Lake Placid and the tournament starts. But that game that we lost 10 to 3 was never, ever talked about again. Even when we got to play him the second time in Lake Placid, the day before it practiced, Herb never said. Remember what happened last time? That game didn't. It was like it didn't even exist.

All he talked about was positive. Do the things we need to do and not to win. We were never concerned about other teams. Herb said it in the movie, I think a lot, I haven't seen the movie in years, but play your game, play your game. That was constant on our bench. We were never concerned about what other teams were doing. We needed to control the things we needed to control and do the things that we needed

to do in order to be successful. So play your game, play your game. Throughout the Soviet game, that's what he talked about. Never once did he bring up anything negative about what had happened before. Wow. So your mindset's different. Your mindset's totally different. This game didn't.

It was like it didn't even exist. It was something in the past. And I wouldn't have expected to hear that. That's extraordinary. Right? I mean, would you guys have expected to hear that? Yeah, extraordinary. So now you're at the Olympics, and as it starts,

and I think you play Sweden Game 1, am I right? Yeah. Okay, so going into the Sweden game as you're there, you know, you're there, was there any talk in the team about how you guys would do? Gold medal, metal rounds, or the team culture was more like just play the game in front of you. Didn't guys talk about things? How was that psychology? Well, we got to Lake Placid, and the first thing you do is you go into the room where they're going to give you the clothing that you're going to wear for the opening ceremonies. In our case, it was sheepskin jacket, jeans, cowboy boots, cowboy hat.

I live in Boston. That's the last time I'm going to wear a cowboy hat and boots and jeans. But anyway, that was the, you know. So you get all your clothing. And then I remember there was a stack of Sports Illustrated. And you go over and you're picking them up because they get predictions. Speed skating, bobsled, luge. And you read it.

It's got ice hockey. And it says, the Soviets will win the gold medal. They're the best team in the world. Czechoslovakia because of the rivalry between the two countries from a political standpoint at the time. And the Czechs had the three stock. Bros. who were great players, they might, might give the Soviets a game. Then it said Sweden, Finland, Canada, and West Germany will fight for the bronze. United States will be anywhere from seventh to tenth place.

I think it was the same guy who wrote the article in the New York Post because it said we didn't have the talent, the ability, or experience to compete at that level. And I remember seeing it the second time, it reminded me my high school football coach. My high school football coach told me that ability in a dime gets you a cup of coffee. And you think about it in your life how many times we've all been around people with great ability and great talent and can't get the job done. It's like, no, I can take you all outside. I can measure how far you can run, how high you can jump, I can measure how much weight you can lift. But I can't measure heart and I can't measure pride and I can't measure commitment

and those are intangibles. I've said this, little things separate good teams from great teams and little things separate good business from great business. Intangibles. Hard work, qualities that our team had. So we open up the Olympic Games against Sweden, and there's nobody in the building at that time because the opening ceremonies were the next day. So the games hadn't officially started. And there were maybe 2,000,000 people in the stands.

Billy Baker scores arguably the biggest goal of the Olympics with 28 seconds left to go. We tie Sweden two to two. And it was a huge point because nobody thought we could beat Sweden. And at the end of the game, I'm sorry. Yeah. So they're losing by a goal into the final minute, correct? 28 seconds.

28 seconds left. They're losing. If they lose this game, then basically there's no way you're going to make the medal round. Yeah, it would have been really hard because that was a big point for us to get. So we tie Sweden. We get a point. Next day is the opening ceremonies, which was incredible. Next day is Czechoslovakia, the only team that anybody thought could beat the Soviets,

and we blow them out. We beat him seven to three. But now everybody's talking about the U.S. hockey team. You can't go anywhere, you can't talk to anybody. The good thing was there was no media. There was no Facebook and stuff like I told you earlier. So we didn't know what was being written. And we were in a little village in Lake Placid,

which is about the size of this church. And, you know, we beat them, then we beat Norway, then we beat Romania, then we beat West Germany, and now we're in the medal round. That was our goal. Get to the medal round. And as it turned out, we were second in our division because Sweden had a better goals for and goals against.

So it's a crossover. Number two plays number one. Obviously, number one and the other side was the Soviets. They were averaging seven goals a game. They beat Japan 16 to nothing two nights earlier. Wow. And we're going to play. That's the deal.

You're in the tournament. The next game is the Soviets, and now we'll play them. And so the movie shows the pregame speech, I think when we had spoken a few months ago, you had mentioned, I think, that more of what Herbrook says in the movie in the Soviet pregame speech, he said in practice the day before, is that right?

Right. When I saw the movie for the first time and I heard his speech, I went, oh shit, that's long. I don't remember him saying that. But I remember him saying, you were born to be a player, you are meant to be here,

this moment is yours, tonight is your night. But in the movie, they lengthened it because of, what he talked about in practice the day before. They're ripe. They're ready to be beaten. If anybody can beat him, you guys can beat him. And we went on and on and on about that.

So I think they incorporated what he said the day before into the speech before the game. And they show the wall in the game? How did that build over the... Was that a real thing that the wall in the letters... Yeah, we got telegrams. I mean, every day you'd get bags of telegrams from people all across the country.

That's the only kind of way that we knew people were watching. But I remember we got a telegram from a lady in Texas. And I live in Boston. And all the telegram said was beat those commie bastards. Swear to God. That's all it said. And I was like, wow, that's cool. So that went up on the wall.

And a lot of telegrams would come to individual players, family, friends, and some just to the team in general. And it was a great way to spend it. You come to practice and it'd be telegrams. open up and read it and put it up on the wall so we're walking out of the locker room onto the ice and that wall of telegrams were there so we knew people you know watching from afar but no way nowhere did we have an idea the world was watching the way they were so that was kind of motivating for us as a team and

then we went out and obviously beat the Soviets four to three and two days later we had to play Finland would it be okay if we watched a couple clips in the movie yeah hey Tink so maybe let's show the pregame talk which is a a combined talk from the day before in practice and then you know leading up to going on the ice and we're ready to play that quickly or is it take a minute just go on the bank tank just how long yeah perfect great moments are born from great opportunity and that's what you have here that's what you've earned here tonight one game if we played them 10 times they might win 9 but not this game not we skate with them we stay with them and we stay with them and we

We shut them down because we can. Tonight, we are the greatest hockey team. We were born to be hockey player. You were meant to be here. Their time is done. It's over. I'm sick and tired. I hear about what a great hockey team the Soviets have.

Screw them. This is your time. Now go out there and take it. Oh. What does that bring up? bring back, if anything, for you. Just the emotion in the locker room. See how quiet it was?

It was deadly quiet. Our locker room was never quiet. Guys would be eating hot dogs before the game. Like I said, Neil Brought, in 18 years old, he'd have a slice of pizza before you go on the ice. And I'm sitting there, oh, how can he eat anything like that? But this game here, I remember walking in the locker room, how deadly quiet it was.

And I'm thinking, wow, we are just, we are focused and we are ready. Although I thought we were ready for every game we played, but never in the locker room was at quiet like that. And then I think the speech, as I said to you, a lot of that stuff he talked about the day before, that I was sick and tired of the Soviets, and everybody talking about them. And I thought they did a great job of combining everything.

And I think the music adds a little to it, too. And for Russell, I told you, he was amazing as heard Brooks, although friendlier in the movie. Well, let's hold it. That guy, this is something Mike said to me just a little while, go, Kurt Russell playing Herbrooks, he said, was much softer and friendlier than what you saw the movie. Like Herb's wife's in the movie, and I don't think I saw her once all year. I didn't even know what you looked like.

But there's a couple of scenes in the movie that he smiles, and I'm like, that's not the guy that coached. So did you ever see Herb Brooks smile? Yeah, years later. because I was a broadcaster for the New York Rangers when Herb was the head coach so I got to see a little another side of Herb. Herb made a choice

to coach our team that way he was going to be it was good cop bad cop Craig Patrick our assistant coach was huge how important he was because Herb stayed away he was an SOB that's the way he was going to be

partly because again all the Minnesota guys on the team. If Herb favored the Minnesota guys, it would have created an unpleasant locker room. But the fact that he was a bitch to all of us and was a hard demanding coach bonded us even more together because it was always us against him. We'll prove you wrong.

You're going to yell at Buzzie, then you're yelling at me. And we understood that he says, he said many times This is a method to my madness. But he did say after the Olympic Games, he would have loved to have been closer to that team, but choose not to be. Wow. And so he was sacrificing what he wanted emotionally for himself

for some greater outcome. Yes? Okay. Any, and we'll get to, we're ready for the come out to the game tank? Okay. So we'll go there in one sec. And so just in a little bit of fun,

Were there any moments where he just did something totally crazy and insane were some of the more ridiculous moments? They even felt ridiculous then, but as you look back, any unique, crazy, interesting moments between the team and him or things he said that come up for you and like? No, he was just a prick to play for him. John Harrington used to write down, we called them Brooksisms. Herb would come up with these statements and Harrington would write them all down and we kept them a book of them

You know one thing one time he said weave weave weave but don't weave for the sake of weaving And weaving was intercrite cross crisscross that's the style of hockey that we were going to play So weaving was the international thing and I remember sitting there going weave weave weave but don't weave for the sake of weaving And and he told Ken Morrow one day in practice that he was skating like he had a 10 pound fart on his head And Kenny skating around going What's it look like? So there were some stupid things that he said that kind of made you laugh a little. But for the most part, he stayed pretty true to form as far as being, this is the way it's going to be.

And like I said, we got it. We understood it. But we as a team kind of had fun with it sometimes without him knowing it. And there's a scene in the movie with an interaction after the Soviet came between Jim Herbrooks and Jim Craig. did that happen? How did he relate to Jim Craig, you know, Coach Brooks? I don't know that. That must have been something with separate. You know, goaltenders, you usually just leave him alone. We had a goaltender coach who could probably maybe deal with Jimmy.

But for the most part, you know, whatever they said, I wouldn't have, I wouldn't have remembered. A lot of both. And it is correct, by the way. The team has never been back to get. Did the whole team make it on to Air Force one that next day or they did that? Just Jim Craig did not. He went to Atlanta because he signed with the Atlanta coffee team. So it is true that not even at the White House the next day, has the team ever been back together again since they were all on the podium together?

Is that correct, Mike? Is that crazy? I remember sitting on the plane going back to Boston after we go to the White House and then found out that this thing was huge. And I remember getting on the plane, Eastern Area. That's how long ago that was and I'm sitting next to Dave Silken. Silky's kind of got tears in his eyes and I said Silky what's the matter? And he just looked at it and he went it's over. We're never going to play together again. And it was like fuck you're right and we all went our separate ways. You know, Neil Broughton signed Mark Johnson signed all these guys, you know signed pro contracts and I remember going home and we won the gold medal on Sunday and Monday night my mother's making me dinner. I And I'm like, what the hell just happened to me? Well, you know, and I had to get up early the next morning to go to New York to do Good Morning America

And I slept in my own bed, you know, my mother made breakfast the next morning and Had a car out of limousine taking me to the airport to take me to New York and I got on the Eastern Airlines shuttle and everybody on the plane started applauding and I turned around. I didn't know who got on the plane I swear to God, I went what the what the people watched and the pilot and the pilot and And he just wrote a book, the pilot, in the book he mentions, he told me to get out of my seat and come and sit behind him on the plane because people wanted to come up and talk to me and get autographs and pictures.

And he said, don't tell anybody you're here because you're not allowed to be here. You're not a member of Eastern Airlines. And I remember getting off the plane in New York, the line with people. They were all clapping and patting me on the back. What the hell of you? You know, what happened here?

You people watched. Wow. It was, it was, it was crazy, you know, to go from having no idea to, oh my God. Mike, I was 10 years old. I was not a hockey player. I did like the Islanders at that time, but I was much more of a baseball, football, basketball, fan and player. and nobody in my family was a hockey person at all. I remember fighting with my mom to help Rush get me home

so we could listen to the game on the radio because if I recall correctly, I was in New Jersey, it wasn't being broadcast on television. That was taped delay, the Soviet game. So I had to listen to it on the radio, and I was a huge USA person. So I love the Olympics. I watched everything.

So I didn't necessarily just love hockey, but I loved all of it. And I sat by myself in the basement of my parents' house, small house on the main road. We were in three families, two family, and listened to this go on. And as a 10-year-old, somehow, I mean, couldn't stand the Soviet Union, commie bastards. I was in a commie-bastard household for short. And it meant everything. and I sat there as a 10-year-old by myself crying when you guys won. And what all those people did and they were sharing, it just couldn't be more real.

And I thank you for that with all my heart because what you guys did was life-changing for me. And every time along the way that I faced a challenge, I couldn't find out I was going to go blind to high school sports challenges and everything that would come in my life. things to this day, your signature or a fraudulent version of it, but I hope it's yours, is on a jersey in my library, in my house, along with the hockey skates. It has the 80, blue jersey, all you guys signed it, and the skates. And that is the core of everything for me, is what you guys did. And it is so unbelievable, and it is totally believable. and how I relate to what you guys did personally and what we talk about here is it was totally possible.

It was almost impossible, but obviously it was totally possible. And because of the process, the system that was put in place, we call that the math, the math, the numbers, the dynamics, and the heart. Coach Herbrooks put that together. You as captain was such an incredible leader amongst leaders, as you always say, all these leaders. and you really did do something that was virtually impossible that changed the course of human history. And it's so unbelievable. And remember, you know, Mr. Michael Rizzioni isn't on television. He's not in movies.

He's not on social media. But he's at the seashell today. And what happened? Somebody recognized me. And then what happened? Then they wanted to take pictures, then they wanted autographs, then they started chanting USA USA, and I'm like I get my I just wanted a drink And he was gonna recognize me here and you know So I finished my drinking took some pictures and signed some photographs and left my drink at the bar I'm still pissed off

We'll get you a few drinks. Oh, I'm gonna get a few later Tink can we hit it? Let's hit it So fairly accurate, not failure accurate, and how were you so focused that you don't even remember hearing USA? Were you at all aware of the moment and the magnitude? Or were you just like, I'm focused, then we're going to go play this game. Like, how is it for you? You know, when you're on the ice, you don't hear anything. You hear a teammate, you know, asking for a pass or Herbie Ellen, change up the line.

lines or whatever. So you don't hear any chance. You're on the bench. You could hear the crowd a little, but you're still, you know, you're just so geared to what you're doing, what you're watching, that you don't, everything's kind of blocked out. And it's funny because I'm not that smart a person, but it's amazing the focus that you can have in a situation like that where you're just, their mindset is just on the ice and, you know, what's happening in front of you. Awesome. Do you miss playing at all? Oh, no. No. I skate. I help out with my high school team. I've been, you know, 45 years of volunteer coach. I skate with my grandkids. They play. So we were talking earlier, I got a little rink I put in my backyard. So the kids, the grandkids come over and we'll skate and things like that. But, uh, do you check them? I don't want it because I may fall and miss them. I'm a golfer, so I'd much rather do that than, than, than, you know, so. Then skate around the ice. I don't need the aggravation. Plus, I just can't do things. I try to lift the puck in my shoulder hurts.

I'm like that. So quick, fun fact, and we're going to think then go to the next spot. The game is tied three to three. And I don't know, some guy scores a goal that puts the USA up four to three. So maybe we'll go there next. But not that long ago, Mike was a golfer, and he ends up at this place. and there's a shared experience and some people around the table.

And I think it was Tiger Woods, Jack Nicholas, who was considered to be the greatest golfer in history by many, Jack Nicholas's son, and, oh, the President of the United States, President Trump, and President Trump's like, come on over. And so Mike is sitting there, and I think you reminded the president of a very important fact that he might not have been aware of with Tiger Woods and Jack Nicholas and some difference between you guys. Well, you know what, and I'm not going to get into politics because I've known President Trump a long time.

He used to play celebrity golf with us. And while he was the president, I played a couple of rounds with him because I remember at his club. So I was going to play that day, but Jack Nicholas' son ended up playing. I was going to be the fourth in the group. So they'd done golfing, and I was sitting at a table, and the president called me over and sit down. And we're just talking back and forth about this and that. And I looked at the president, and I said, hey, boss, I said, there's a lot of majors between these two guys, but I'm the only gold medalist at the table.

Let's hear for that. And he looked, he just, he went, he went, that's funny. Tink, we're ready. We're ready, guys? Just give me a heads up where we are. So, games going, okay, one sec, games going, you're playing, and is it, and what I'm hearing is, it's for you, you're so focused on the team, it's like just another hockey game, but I think of Keith, I think, and correct me if I'm wrong.

But what I'm also hearing is because you treat it like just another hockey game, you no longer were, you guys weren't elevating the Soviets, you're playing hockey. And the game is now three to three in the third period, correct, not correct, or was any time in the game when it kind of changed where you guys became clear it was just a hockey game, we could beat these guys. Like, did you come into the game just as a game, or did your confidence? as a team do you think build over the game? First of all, you know, you go into the game thinking you can win. If you think you're going to lose, you probably will. So, I mean, we knew it was going to be difficult. We knew we had to play well.

We had to be smart. We had to be disciplined. We couldn't take penalties. We couldn't get into a shootout. Because if, you know, we weren't scoring five goals. You know, four, we got four. Because, you know, if they scored five, we weren't getting five. Right.

But, again, that's the way the game kind of went. But, you know, as a player, you. You just focus on what you're doing. Doing your job. Do the things that you're asked to do. Go out there every shift. Play hard, play smart. Be disciplined.

And, you know, the game just kind of goes the way it does. And, you know, obviously, Mark Johnson scores a goal with no time left on the clock to tie the game. At the end of the first period. The end of the first was a huge goal because we didn't play really well in the first. We weren't terrible, but we didn't play well in the first. Jimmy played great. So it's two-two. You know, then it's three to them and it's three-three us.

And like I said, if it got to be four to them, the game's over. Because now we're going to chase them. Now we've got to change the way we want to play. The fact that the game stayed the way it was going. Because you were never down two goals in the game. No. No. We were never down.

You know, I'll give you a statistic that I didn't know about until a couple of years ago. In the third period of the Olympics, the third period, we outscored our opponent 16 to 3. That is unheard of. We gave up three goals in the third period. All tournament long. Wow. We didn't give up any to Finland. We didn't give up any to Sweden.

And we didn't give up any to the Soviets. I think it was conditioning. Mindset. Conditioning. I think conditioning was a big part of our success. We played four lines. We didn't play one and two. We rolled four lines.

Everybody played. Everybody contributed. And when I scored, there were ten minutes left to go. Can we see that for a sec? Is that okay? This part? Tink. Does it go in again?

I hope so. Let's hear for that. Do you ever watch the movie and think it might not go in? But, I mean, and Mike, I know that you're a humble man. You're like, listen, I'm not that deep. Do you feel anything when you watch that or no? I feel happy that it goes in. You know, yeah, obviously it brings a smile to your face.

You know, for me, knowing I was able to help out our team at a time when we need to it's something to happen. Like I said earlier though, if Mark Johnson doesn't score his two goals, who knows my goal doesn't mean anything. But the fact that I scored at a team that I did, and there were still 10 minutes left to go in the game, it was a long 10 minutes. But in the movie, like I said, I haven't seen it in years,

but in the movie they have, like at the end, after I scored, like the Soviets, they just save Craig, save Craig, save Craig, and when you watch the actual footage, I scored with 10 minutes left to go in the game, The Soviets only had five shots on a goal in the last 10 minutes. Wow. We totally shut them down in the third period, and especially the last 10 minutes. But, again, I look at it.

Yeah, it's nice. It went in. I got the winning goal, and we win four to three. And so what that means is, and Tink, let's get ready to watch the last very end of the game. Okay. So for everybody, that means that they just kept playing the game. and as the Soviets became more desperate and urgent, it sounds to me like what Mike Erzioni is saying

is that they were taking that momentum as a team and they were shutting down the Soviets. They weren't just playing great defense, they were still playing offense, they were outplaying them at every level because the Soviets only had five more shots on goal the rest of the game. Am I hearing that correctly? Yeah.

Yeah, they started doing things they normally don't do. you know and we just continue to play the way we were playing continue to do the things that made us successful throughout the tournament tank please up the ice he fires a shot he's clear it big way the US leading we're going to short shift 30 to 40 seconds keep an eye on it

bottle of the law past Mikhailov over the moonlight to make a shot sliding saved by a shot Get brave. Switch him up. Go, go, go, go! Go! Over the hall set.

Up to Casetton, he sends it around the board. Picked up by Cicester. Hit hard by Sil. Get out. Get out. Kemp out and cleared by Mario. Yes, Ome has to be back in their own end. Once he can go now.

Nets to play in the third period. Cassetano leaves it for Mikhailov. Mikaela. Moves a no. No. Slash shot! Knocked away by Craig! Move it in the tablet.

Get ready! He moves through the neutral zone. Oh, and he's running on the board. Bill, you let them up, and the shorty is clear for 3.50 to play in the game. Get off the ball of the ball. He moves it up to Krutov. Kruzot for the buck, through the neutral zone. Moving in on the net.

Back stop by Kray. Lock in the corner. Kruot chasing it. Steiner right behind. fighting for him. Bring it up the board! Bring it up the board! Keep it out, down, boy!

319 left to play. McCallahan moving out. What are you doing, Doc? Chimnolly him up, change him up! Let's go! Golodagh will get up to center right. Go! Take him out, take him up, take him up, take him up!

What is Pichel? Fashel! Is there! Boys and control! McClanahan is scrapping for him. Hanzibald. Hards hit by Mike Ramsey. by Mike Ramsey. Two, 17 remaining the United States on top.

No more changes until the next one. Come on the top. How well conditioned this U.S. team is. I've never seen the Soviets outskated this late in the game, and that's exactly what the US team is doing on the end. Goal-a-crossed the backtrop. Shot, kicked the way by... Over the ball, sir.

We'll begin on the net. Backstop by Craig. Chip it out! Ship me out! Over the blue line to Malta. Fight! Hattomersay! Fighting for possession!

The Olympic ice around the U.S. huge underdogs. The Soviet Union. My boys defeated Finland to win the gold. As I watched them out there celebrating on the ice, I realized that Patty had been right. It was a lot more than a hockey game. Not only for those who watched it,

but for those who played it. I've often been asked in the years since, Lake Placid, what was the best moment for me? I was here. A sight of 20 young men of such differing backgrounds. Now standing is one. Young men willing to sacrifice so much of themselves. All for an unknown. A few years later, the U.S. began using professional athletes at the games.

Dream teams. I always found that term ironic because now that we have dream teams, we seldom never get to dream. But on one weekend, as America and the world watched, a group of remarkable young men gave the nation what it needed most. A chance for one night,

not only to dream, but a chance once again. Mike, what was it like standing that podium and bringing the team up when that was all complete? Oh, that was pretty special. Like, you know, to stand and hear the whole building, the whole building singing the Star Spangled Banner and see our flag being risen just a little higher than everybody else's was pretty special. And, you know, I was standing there and I ended up obviously calling all my teammates up onto the podium because one person shouldn't be there. It should be everybody.

And the next Olympic Games, and since then, it's a long platform where all the players stands. And that's the way it should be. He changed that. Let's hear for that. We can see we all fit. I don't know if we'd all fit now, but we all... Although there's only, unfortunately, three of my teammates have passed since 1980, but we'll actually, we'll all be together next week in Minnesota

doing one of those memorabilia signing things. We sign, this company hires our team for, I think every three years we do, we sign like five or six hundred prints, and then they use them for charities or whatever. We'll get together and we'll have some fun. And they have a Netflix show you're in Late Placillac's what's going on. Netflix special should be coming out in January or February. They finished that. They interviewed all of us.

All of us went back to Lake Placid, which was kind of fun. And it's kind of typical Hollywood or whatever. So Netflix comes to my hometown, and they kind of walked around with me and talk to people. And I don't know what's going to end up on the editing floor or not the editing floor, but they interviewed my wife and my wife doesn't say anything she's very quiet and very shy so they said can we talk to her i said yeah you can talk to you're not going to get much out of her um so she was sitting there and the guy looked at my wife and he said uh when mike was elected captain of the team and he calls you and told you what what did you think what did he say and she

looks and goes call me you think he called me he didn't call me he called his friends and his father I'm the last person he called. And I said, God, I hope that makes it onto the show. That's pretty funny. So I'm curious what Netflix is going to do, but they usually do some good stuff, so I think that'll be fun. I think, you know, after the Netflix and then the commemorative, that's got to be, yes. What else can they give us? It's over, you know?

It's never over. Do you think it's over? No, I get that, but still, it's like, you know, okay. What else can we have? So, legacy, do you think about those things? Do you think about, you know, in a simple person, do you think about what you'd want people 100 years ago when you leave this, 100 years from now when you leave this world,

what you want to be remembered for? Has that ever come across your mind, your heart? No, I guess I think it's what I talked about earlier. You know, like my teammates and I had to be remembered as a group of guys who worked hard to accomplish their dream. and that we were good people. And like I said, if you spent time with my teammates, you'd get a total understanding of how we were successful.

Not only were we good, we were the type, we were the guys that you wanted as a neighbor, as a friend. And I think I'd like our team to be remembered. It's just a bunch of good guys who worked hard and had incredible values who loved our country. We took care to pride in putting a USA jersey on. And I think we, you know, represented our country the way that I think people in this country were proud of and wanted to be, our team wanted to be remembered for that. Being, you know, a good group of guys that you would want to hang with and sit with and talk with and you could trust and who you respected.

And I guess things that my dad always told me about. It's easy to be a good person. And I think our team was that. Amen. It's okay if we're getting down to it, final couple of minutes. Okay, if we ask two or three quick questions. Sure. Okay.

Let's go cert partner questions. Any cert partners have a question for Mr. Microsioni? Raise your hand real quick, and let's get them the microphone. And actually, did Lance, if did, I also would, if Lance and then if Nathan had his hand up, great, if not fine. But after what Nathan did today, I think that would be earning a question. And let's try to get one of the women of cert as well. But Lance, you had your hand up? Mike, I just wanted to say, I've never...

Oh, by the way, Nathan is a retired lieutenant colonel, United States Air Force, commercial airline pilot now and doing many other incredible things to the world. Mike, my nephew, a separate subject, just retired as a full bird colonel in the Marine Corps. All right. He went to the Naval Academy and then he took the Marine end of it and works for the government now and he can't tell me what he does. I'll stand out. I won't hold the Naval Academy part against him, but I'm sure he's just standing.

I just, I never really knew your full story or, you know, this man here is responsible for my full knowledge of this and the, and how special it is to everyone in this audience. First time I've ever met you or heard you speak. And I just want to say, you were a national treasure. And not just because of the way you told this story, but for being a lunch pale and hard hat kind of guy. And the values that you espouse and talk about and just oozes. out of you. So this isn't a question. I just wanted to acknowledge you for that. And also,

how you tell Herb Brooks' story. And I think the witness that you provide for what he did and who he was is the greatest gift that I believe you can give another human being, being a witness for somebody's life the way you are for him. And yeah, we all believe in miracles in this room. and as you said, you know, maybe we meet another 1980 this day and age. And because of this man and the witness that he is for your team and your life, I think one of us, and, you know, as a retired, you know, fighter pilot myself, I've said this before, but I believe that the mission that we're on now is more crucial to our nation, to the furthering of that dream

for what you fought for, what you represent, than the mission I served when I was actually flying over the skies and defending my country. So they do believe in miracles, and I think that the next miracle that happens will be created in this room. So thank you for being here tonight to tell that story, and thank you for everything. Thank you for having me. Thank you. Amen, Nathan. I wrote a book a few years ago. It's called The Making of a Miracle, and it's kind of my life story and I don't tell you to buy the book

but you can if you want to but I wrote I remember when they contacted me they wanted to write a book about our team This is simple Mike I'm buying a book for everybody in the room done I'm seriously order the book I don't know you get Amazon

but I remember they wanted to write a book about our team and I called my teammates up and they said no no not interested and if you like I said if you move to my teammates they don't like any attention at all whatsoever or they said, no, we're not interested in a book.

I said, okay, so I called the guy back, and he goes, why don't you write one? I don't want to write a book. Then I got to talk about myself. Then I got to go to book signings, and you've got to see people. And then I thought about it, and I talked to my wife. I said, you know what, I'm going to do it. I wrote the book, and I wrote the book for one reason. I want my grandkids to know that Papa's life wasn't one game or one goal or one moment,

and want my grandkids to know about their grandfather, their great-grandfather, and their family, because family is very important to me. So I did write the book and it actually became a bestseller. And thank God COVID hit because I didn't have to go around do book signings and shit like that. I did like two signings and that was enough for me. Thank God for COVID. Thank God for COVID. That's amazing.

Who's got the next question, team? Can't ask me any later. Here's a question for you. This is Mama's Soul Wisdom. She had her face on a Times Square Billboard 40 feet for like a month. rotating, which is an incredible human being. Please, Momusole. Thank you.

Mr. Erugiani, what do you hope the miracle on ice teaches future generations about what's possible for the human spirit when vision outweighs fear? I think that the message is what I talked about. If you believe in something and you're willing to work hard, you can accomplish it. So I think value of work, I think hopefully our team will instill that in people.

You know, miracle is a catchy phrase. Sounds great, but it wasn't a miracle. It was an accomplishment by a group of people who believed. We believe that I said this earlier in ourselves, and we believed in each other. And I think that's an important value to have about belief and faith and hope. And don't ever quit despite the obstacles and the challenges. And I guess that would probably be our message because nobody thought we could win. We believed that we had a hope and a dream, but let's go play and find out.

So I think that would be a great legacy and message. I remember when we were named Sportsman of the Year, Sports Illustrated, E.M. Swift wrote an article about our team, and it was entitled, The Lesson and Message of What We Can Be. And the article didn't talk about goals that were scored or saves that were made. It talked about our values. It talked about our work ethic. And I think that's the key to our success.

And I think that, you know, and then it was named the greatest sports moment of the 20th its century and a lot of it was because of those values and that's where I hope people take away from the movie or take away from our team is what we the hope and belief that we had man let's hear for that thank you and like I'm gonna take a final question I was 10 years old as I told you and maybe I was too naive or maybe I just hadn't been brainwashed about why you can't do things but when I went home that that day to watch that game, I believe with every cell in my body that we, that's what you guys did, we, you made it a we for everybody in America who actually could still not be conditioned to a negative headspace,

that we were going to win. And I thank you for that. And because of that incredibly impossible dynamic of me being 10 years old, It's the right age, the right time that imprinted on me. Just in all these circumstances that I am next in my life and lives of others, yeah, that it's truly possible. And I mean it with every part of me. Thank you. And I feel so blessed to have the miraculous timing of being 10 years old and that night happening. So thank you.

Thank you. That's funny. My grandkids want to watch the movie sometimes. And I've never sat with them and watched it at some point I'm going to, but about a month ago my grandson wanted to watch the movie and I took the tape out and he looks and he goes what's that I says that's the movie what movie that's the movie miracle what's that that's the tape that's the tape of the movie you know we spoil little brat that's it's not a CD it's done a test it's a freaking VHS tape here watch it well and I have to say when I share

this far be it for me to ever ever even give you any advice But would it be okay if I offered a thought really quickly? Yeah. Please watch it with them. Because it will be, I am absolutely certain, a remarkable experience for you and them forever. And you have so earned what that will imprint on them forever. No, I'll watch it. And I think someday I'll watch the Soviet game with them as well.

The problem with the Soviet, I don't want to be watching the Soviet game, which is on VHS. I don't want to watch on the game and all of a sudden one of my buddies shows up. Let it go, Mike. It's over. But I do have a VH tape of every game that we played and maybe that would be something. Maybe when the 18-month-old is a little older, we can all watch it together. Let's hear for that. Final question. Final question. Oh God.

Tony Marielo. Listen, we talk about, like, you think you're not smart. I don't think I'm not smart. This dude's a brain surgeon, literally, an actual brain surgeon. So yes. I'm glad he's not a dermatologist. We'll get to that in a second. So just watching the clips and hearing the story,

there's a lot of similarities to medicine and the way we were trained. And would you say that Herb Brooks would, was the toughest coach that you played for? No, my high school football coach and my college hockey coach were pretty intense. Right. But then again, you know, we were talking about real. That's how coach is coached in the 70s.

Yeah. You deal with it, you know? Live in the house of my father for, you know, 40 years and you see how tough it was. You know? I tell people, Herb was like your dad. You know you love your dad, but sometimes you hate your dad

because he makes you do things you don't want to do. That was Herb. So that's the way it's going to be. Okay, I can deal with it. You only get to yell at me for two hours. Practice is over, and I'm out of here. But he was demanding, and he was challenging, but that's the way it was going to be.

So if that's the way it's going to be, that's the way it's going to be. I'm not quitting. I want to be on this team. Yeah. Some of the physicians here with me, we all trained in an error where our attendings treated us like that and again and again and again. Right.

And, you know, we just have, our results were better because of that. We keep them in a special place in our heart because they made us who we are. It makes you stronger. Yeah. And I wonder if some of that's missing today, you know, you're still, you're with the university now and do you notice that things have changed? It's a lot different. Coaching kids today is, you don't coach them the way you used to coach. Don't yell at Johnny because, you know, you're getting trouble. Yeah. But, you know, I think that the era that we grew up in was that kind of an era. Now they grew up in a different era.

You've got to learn how to coach today differently than you could coach 20 years ago, 30 years ago. And the great coaches adjust that way. The great coaches understand, you know, things. They can still be firm and discipline and things like that, but you got to find a different way of doing it than I think the old coaches did. Thank you. Thank you, Tony. Thank you, Tony. So Mike's got a great new doctor.

Can you share that real quick? My wife's a fanatic about going to the doctors. Got to go to the doctors. My dermatologist retired. So she gets me this new dermatologist. This was about, I'm going to say, six, eight months ago. So I go into the guy's office. He sent me to go to room four.

So I go to room four. I sit down, waiting for the doctor. The doctor comes in. Take your shirt off. So I take my shirt off. And he's got the thing, he's looking. That's good. That's good.

good, that's good. And I have, after the Olympics, my girlfriend, who's my wife, I had this replica gold medal made for me. She worked in a jewelry business, and he looks at it, and he sees Lake Placid. He goes, Lake Placid, I went there last year. You know, that's where the U.S. hockey team won the gold medal? I swear to God. And I think he's messing with me, right? And they have the oval where Eric Hayden won five gold medals right next to the arena, and they have a museum and they can watch ski jumpers and there's a bobsled and a luge. Have you ever been there? And I still think he's messing with me, right? I looked at him and I went, I was on that team. He goes, no, no, you weren't. I said, no, I was. I was on that team. He goes, oh my God.

So I leave and I go home and I tell my wife the story. She goes, what do you think? I said, I think I need a new doctor. This guy had no idea who I was He never looked at my chart It's not like my name is Smith My name is in the If you go to Lake Placid In the arena, there's a big billboard

With all our names all around the ring It says, you know, Mike Lugioni in the rink And he was there And he never looked at my chart So I'm getting a new doctor I'm getting a new doctor That's good

That's a true story. That actually happened. No idea. Anything left that you want to accomplish that is unaccomplished yet. I hear family, the congressional gold medal, you obviously have incredibly successful speaking. No, like I, like I said to you, I take each day as it comes. I look forward to going home tomorrow. and my grandson's got a football game, I think, tomorrow night and go watch him play.

And live every day and enjoy every day and watch my kids, my grandkids grow. And hopefully live a little longer to see them have kids someday. And I told my wife, and this is funny, I know you aren't going to agree with me. But when I first became a grandfather, I said to my wife, the worst thing about being a grandfather is I'm sleeping with a grandmother. And she didn't think that was funny. I thought it was hilarious. I slept on the couch for the next month. Like I said, I just, you know, I cherish the things that I'm doing,

continue to do, opportunities that I still have. Working at Boston University is awesome. We're going to have another good hockey team this year. Three years in a row, we went to the Frozen Four, final four, and maybe this year we can win it, which would be great for the kids themselves. But, no, I just hope the, hope the, plane lands on time tomorrow and I'll make I'll make maybe nine holes in the

afternoon with the boys that's a beautiful thing can't thank you enough for everything you've done here thanks for having me the appreciation knows no bounds and what I think would be a wonderful way to have Mike call this an evening would be to give him a little USA USA on our feet what do you guys think So let's rise to our feet as Mr. Micah Ruzioni heads off this stage. Let's first of all give him a hand. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Thank you, Sancho. Thank you, sir. Thank you. And let's hear a little USA, USA, USA, USA, USA, USA. USA, USA, USA, USA, USA. Thank you. Thank you.

USA, USA. Mr. Micahruzioni, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you.