Mike Eruzione
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| Olympic medal record | |||
| Men's Ice Hockey | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 1980 Lake Placid | Team | |
Mike "Rizzo" Eruzione (born October 25, 1954, in Winthrop, Massachusetts) is a former ice hockey player who was the captain of the 1980 Winter Olympics United States national team that defeated the Soviet Union in the famous Miracle on Ice game.
[edit] Playing career
Eruzione starred for Boston University, averaging over twenty goals a season for four years. He then moved on to the Toledo Goaldiggers of the International Hockey League, winning the rookie of the year award in 1978 and leading the team to the Turner Cup championship in that year. After his second year in Toledo, Eruzione, who played forward, was named the captain of the Olympic team, scoring the winning goal against the Soviets and helping the Americans win the gold medal against Finland.
Eruzione retired from competition after the Olympics, despite contract offers from the New York Rangers, stating that he'd reached the pinnacle of achievement already. Eruzione then became a television broadcaster, grabbing the microphone at Rangers and New Jersey Devils games, and going on to comment at five Olympic Games, working for both ABC and NBC.
Eruzione returned to his alma mater of Boston University to be the assistant coach for the hockey team for three seasons, and where he currently works as Director of Special Outreach. He is a member of several halls of fame. Currently, he is a part-owner of the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights, a farm team for Calgary, and a motivational speaker. He also help the Winthrop High School ice hockey team during the winter.
[edit] Trivia
- On January 19, 2007, Mike appeared on the new version of the game show I've Got a Secret. His secret was that he was the captain of the 1980 U.S. Men's Olympic hockey team. He failed to stump the panel when former major leaguer Billy Bean guessed it.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Cathy Freeman Sydney 2000 |
Final Olympic Torchbearer 1980 USA Men's Ice Hockey Team Salt Lake City 2002 |
Succeeded by Nikolaos Kaklamanakis Athens 2004 |
Categories: 1954 births | Living people | 1980 US Olympic hockey team | American ice hockey players | Boston Terriers ice hockey players | Italian-American sportspeople | National Hockey League broadcasters | Olympic competitors for the United States | People from Suffolk County, Massachusetts | Toledo Goaldiggers players | Winter Olympics medalists
