'Miracle on Ice' team members visit Capitol Hill with Congressional Gold Medal under consideration

WASHINGTON --The “Miracle Men” came to Capitol Hill on Tuesday.

Four members of the 1980 U.S. Olympics men’s hockey team that defeated the Soviet Union in the "Miracle on Ice" at Lake Placid, New York on Feb. 22, 1980 and went on to win the gold medal walked the halls of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, posed for pictures with lawmakers and well-wishers with the Stanley Cup and spoke about legislation to award the team the Congressional Gold Medal as part of the annual Hockey Day on the Hill.

It was a long shift for Mike Eruzione, Buzz Schneider, Phil Verchota and Rob McClanahan that began with chants of “USA! USA! USA!” when they met with the House Republican Conference in the morning and concluded with them attending President Donald Trump’s evening address to Congress. But they didn’t mind.

“It doesn’t get old,” said Eruzione, who captained the U.S. team and scored the go-ahead goal against the Soviet Union. “When you talk sporting events, when you talk moments in sports, our story always comes to the forefront. With the movie, ‘Miracle,’ I have seven grandkids, my grandkids play hockey and the oldest is 12. I go to their hockey games and all the kids know me because of the movie ‘Miracle.’ So it’s the gift that keeps on giving.”

Key lawmakers hope to present the team another gift: The Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award given by Congress to individuals or groups for distinguished achievements and contributions.

Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) reintroduced the Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act in the Senate while Congressman Pete Stauber (R-MN-08) did the same in the House. The bill was originally introduced in October, but needed to be resubmitted for consideration by the 119th Congress.

If approved by Congress and signed by President Trump, three medals would be minted and sent to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, Minnesota, the Lake Placid Olympic Center in New York and U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

“You deserve it, it’s a great American moment and it’s a great Lake Placid moment,” Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader, told the four Olympians.

Congressional Gold Medal recipients include George Washington, the Wright Brothers, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson, inventor Thomas Edison, civil rights pioneer Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.

“I would have to say it would be the top,” Verchota said. “I’ve had a chance to do some reading on it because I never knew what it was really all about. It’s an unbelievable honor just to be talked about in the same frame let alone with other recipients in the same light.”

Officials from the NHL and USA Hockey were on the Hill Tuesday to voice their support for the gold medal legislation.

“The 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team inspired a nation, uniting Americans through the power of sport at a pivotal moment in history," said Rob Wooley, NHL Vice President of Legislative Affairs. “Their achievement transcended hockey, symbolizing perseverance, teamwork, and the belief that anything is possible. The Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act is a fitting tribute to their legacy, ensuring that their impact is recognized not just in sports history, but in American history. The National Hockey League is proud to support this effort to honor a team that continues to inspire generations.”

Eruzione said receiving the medal would be the “frosting on the cake for our team.”

“Winning an Olympic gold medal was amazing. Having it named the greatest sport moment in the 20th century was amazing,” he said after meeting with members of the Congressional Hockey Caucus. “Lighting the cauldron in Salt Lake City at the opening ceremony (of the 2002 Olympics) was amazing. Two movies made about our team, and this would just be the ultimate prize for our team to receive something like this.”

Stauber said honoring the team with the Congressional Gold Medal is long overdue.

“We need to make sure these men get to enjoy this honor bestowed upon them by our nation while they’re here with us,” said Stauber, whose brother, Robb Stauber, was a goaltender who played 62 NHL games and coached the U.S. women’s team that won the gold medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. “They can celebrate with their families, their communities and, more importantly, the hockey community.”

The hockey-loving community on Capitol Hill descended upon House Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s office when word got out that he had the four Olympians and the Cup in his elaborate office, a hockey shrine filled with sticks, pucks and other memorabilia.

“Having them here is great for the game,” the Minnesota Republican said. “The game had a real boost in the last few weeks with that 4 Nations (Face-Off) that I don’t know any of us expected to be quite like that. But that makes this timing even better, right? The NHL struck gold there and brought back memories, things that we are celebrating today.”