President Donald Trump honored members of the iconic 1980 U.S. Olympic men’s ice hockey team, best known for their stunning 4-3 victory over the Soviet Union at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics — forever remembered as the “Miracle on Ice.” The event took place on December 12, 2025, at the White House in Washington, D.C. in a ceremony tied to the Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act.
The bill, passed earlier this year by the U.S. House and Senate, awards the team Congressional Gold Medals, the nation’s highest civilian honor, recognizing both their unlikely win over the dominant Soviet squad and the inspiration they provided to generations of Americans.
Thirteen surviving members of the 1980 squad attended the ceremony in the Oval Office, including captain Mike Eruzione, goaltender Jim Craig and forward Buzz Schneider. They joined Trump — all wearing their signature white cowboy hats reminiscent of the ones they donned during the 1980 Opening Ceremonies — to commemorate an achievement widely regarded as one of the greatest upsets in sports history.
Trump praised the team as “true legends of American sports history” and said their performance was among “the biggest moments that I’ve ever seen in sports.” He briefly donned one of the cowboy hats given to him by the players, harking back to the team’s famous attire from the Opening Ceremonies of the Lake Placid Games.
Members of the legendary 1980 squad, comprised mostly of amateur and collegiate players, shocked the world by defeating the heavily favored Soviet Union — a team that had not lost an Olympic game in more than a decade — en route to capturing the Olympic gold medal with a 4-2 victory over Finland two days later. Their upset not only captured the sporting world’s imagination but also resonated deeply with American fans during the tense context of the Cold War era.
The legislation Trump signed will see three Congressional Gold Medals minted: one for display at the Lake Placid Olympic Center in New York, one at the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum in Minnesota, and one at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado. Politicians involved in passing the bill highlighted the team’s legacy of resilience, unity and patriotic pride — values they said remain relevant decades later.
The ceremony not only celebrated a historic sporting triumph but also served as a reminder of the broader cultural impact of the “Miracle on Ice,” a game that transcended ice hockey and became a symbol of hope and underdog spirit across the United States.
