Transcript of Mike Eruzione: The Miracle on Ice & Team USA Winning Olympic Gold

In a time of great divide, few people can truly be called unanimously an American hero.

Imagine this. It's 1980. The Cold War is frozen solid. The world is divided by ideology, fear, and nuclear tension. On one side stands the Soviet machine, seasoned professional Unstoppable. On the other side, a group of American college kids. No NHL contracts, no guarantees, just the least. And one captain. Michael Rusioni wasn't supposed to change history. He wasn't drafted into hockey royalty. He wasn't the biggest, the fastest, or the most typed. But leadership doesn't announce itself with hype. It reveals itself in moments. And in a moment that felt larger than sport, larger than politics, larger even than the game itself. He did something that still echoes 46 years later with one goal, one sling of destiny. He didn't just score against the Soviets, he ignited a country. But here's what makes it even more extraordinary. The Golden End in 1980, it became a standard. It became the blueprint for what American Olympic Hockey could be. Because just last week, 46 years later, when the United States once again stood across from Canada with Olympic on the line, when a new generation carried the crest, when overtime tension filled the world, and America won gold again, that moment in Milan didn't start there.

It traced this lineage back to Lake Placid, back to a captain who showed the world that believed to defeat inevitability. Back to Mike Arruzioni. Every American player who laced up for that gold medal game was skating in a reality that did not exist before 1980. Before you, before that goal, that's legacy. That miracle wasn't just the win. That miracle was leadership under impossible pressure. The miracle was composure when the world expected collapse. The miracle was a young captain who carried not just a team, but a nation's hopes and delivered. In 46 years later, another generation proved that what you built was not a moment, it was a foundation. So today, we don't just welcome an Olympic gold medalist. We welcome the man whose leadership created a ripple, powerful enough to reach across nearly half a century. The standard bear, the original captain, the living proof that miracles don't fade, they multiply. Ladies and gentlemen, the heart of the American ice, Mike Eruzian.

46 years later, no gold medal since 1980. Who was going to speak to the men's team before they take the ice against Canada, the most decorated gold medal-winning team in US men's Olympic hockey history? And who's going to speak to the women's team before they take the ice seeking gold. And of course, both the United States men's Olympic Hockey team in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and the women's Olympic Hockey team in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, both win gold medals over Canada, both in overtime, both by a score of two to one, Mr. Mike Iruzioni. Mike, I'd love to just kick this thing off with saying thank you so much for being here today. And just ask you, what's this been like since being in Milan, first Olympic gold medal for US men's hockey. Yeah, please.

It's been absolutely incredible. I told my wife, I didn't play in this team, but if you saw the phone messages, emails, The request for me to speak at sales meetings, I think I probably in the last four days had 15 to 20 request for sales meetings. It's been crazy. I didn't know. I was surprised by it all, but it was a great moment. Hockey-wise, it was a great moment for men and women's hockey. All these, like I said, corporations, I think I got a span At one point in the next few weeks, of the seven days of the week, four of them, I'm going to be flying from various to Dallas to Scotchdale and then to Orlando. It's been incredible.

Well, congratulations.

I don't hear you. Well, thanks. Okay, I got you again.

Mike, would I say- I didn't expect it.

I didn't expect any of this. We were rooting for the team. Like I said, I had nothing to do with what they did, although I did get a chance to speak to the men's team before the game and the night before. Then I did speak to the women's team the night before their game. It was nice that they talked to me and I had a chance to talk to them. But when the games ended and we won, and I got on a plane and blew home, and then my phone just blew up. I think I had 100 or something text messages from people all across the country. Then all of a sudden, the other request came in to speak at that sales meeting. I don't know. We'll see how long it lasts.

Here's what I'd say. Again, this is Sean Kalge and Mike Rusioni was the first guest on our Unblind podcast, which has now moved to number one on Apple Business Podcasts, and we've had incredible people on there, Mike Tyson, Magic Johnson, Tom braided, and others. But I'll say this, Mike. I think it's exactly what should be happening, is you should be this I want you in demand. But I think regardless of what this incredible team did, I think you should be in that level of demand, regardless of the fact that we just won this gold medal, because what you did is heroic. You are an American hero. Mike Ruzioni is. And think of this, Mike, and for everybody who's watching this conversation we're having later, who else could you truly label that's alive today in 2026 as an American hero? All these incredible athletes we talk about, some people root for them, some people root against them. But in America, Mike's the face of the miracle on ice, the greatest sports upset in history, and he's an American hero. And you deflect Mike a lot. You're like, I'm just a lunch pail guy. True, right? But really think about it, who else is there in this divided country to stand in such a unifying force?

And when we last met, Mike, you said, Hey, you know what? I really think that this country could use a miracle now. And maybe what happened in Milan wasn't a miracle, but what if it could be a unifying moment? I think a lot of the outreach for you is because you're the face of unification of America. What do you think of that when I say that, please?

Well, that's obviously very, very nice of you to say that, and I appreciate that. Look, John, I've said this, and I said this throughout the Olympic Games. Other than being a police officer, a firefighter, or somebody in the military who protects and serves our country, there's no greater feeling than putting a USA jersey on. I think when we see our Appalachian, they're not competing for Boston or Chicago or LA, you're competing for your country. You're not playing for a Super Bowl or a Stanley Cup or a World Series. You're playing for an opportunity to win an Olympic gold medal. I think our team We did it in 1980 and brought great joy to a country at a time when we were looking for something to feel good about. I think our Olympic athletes that were in Milan, our men's team, our women's team, the other Olympians who won medals, the pride that they showed, the pride that they displayed, just proves why we live in the greatest country in the world. I'm fortunate to be a part of a moment that touched the lives of so many people, but so were the rest of my teammates.

I guess because I've been a little more visible because I think, being a captain for the last 40 years, still traveling around the country doing different things like this. I'm probably the faith of our team, but I never looked at it that way. I just looked at it as I was given an opportunity to play in Olympic Games and look what it turned out to be.

Amen to that. For anybody who hasn't seen the Netflix documentary, you want to talk about serendipity, synergy. Right before the Olympics, Mike Arruzioni and the Miracle on Ice teammates, and Mike is a team mate of teammates. This brother wants unification. He always amplifies and edifies the entire Miracle and Ice team, Herb Brooks, all of it. They had this incredible documentary. They're all honored so beautifully, and it might be such an incredible job. If you haven't seen it. You have to see it.

Then right after that, US wins the gold medal, brother.

How easy is this?

The Netflix special was absolutely spectacular. When I watched it, Sean, you've been around a lot of people. They interview you and you never know how it's going to end up. They talk to you for an hour, two hours or two days or whatever. Then they're going to put it in a can and they're going to decide what they show and what they don't show and they're going to put it together. We didn't know how it was going to end up, but when we started, actually, I had, I think, about 50 to 60 people in a little nine-hole golf course where I'm a member at in my hometown. The people were all my cousins who were up in the house I grew up in, and we all sat and watched it. There were some stories in there that I didn't know about. I mean, our Kenny Morrow talking about his dad and what his dad meant to him. If the guy is telling their story about Netflix did a sensational job of showing not only what our team did, but even the political aspect of what was going on in our country. They brought it together.

People at Netflix had told me it might have been the best one they've ever done. Netflix has done a lot of great specials.

Tears coming of my eyes. Heartful. I have a few minutes left. You're so in demand right now, Mike. Everybody got that Netflix documentary. If you don't cry during it, then I think you need to get a little bit of a checkup from the heart found it. But Mike, I know you have a charity, a foundation that you help kids with. Is that true, Mike?

Yeah, I started the foundation. It's funny. I did Who Wants to be a Millionaire a long time ago? I I got $150,000 on the show, and I decided to start a charity. It's called Winforp Charities. I named it after my mother and father. It's great. You do more than anybody with a charitable organization. It was fun to do it. It's fun to play Santa Claus. It's fun at Christmas time buy gifts for kids who can't afford them. It's fun at Thanksgiving to buy meals and turkeys for families who can't afford it. We probably inside Tartiere's, the charity. I haven't made that ridiculous amount of money. My wife and I were talking about it yesterday because I just did something on a donation to Back to my hometown, but we probably raised around $350,000 to $400,000 over the years. Quite a few years ago, I sold almost all my memorabilia. I have my skates left, my stick from the Finland game, and actually my gold medal, which I in the process of probably selling at some point. But I got like $1. 6 million for all my stuff. I endowed a scholarship in my mother and father's name at Bosch University.

I put the rest of the money, some of the money into my Charitable Foundation. Then my three kids bought houses with the money that was left over. Now that I have the medal of the bill and other items that I'm in the process of deciding when I'm going to sell, I can take that money and endow some futures for my grandkids. I have seven grandkids and an eighth, a little girl coming shortly. That's all part of a charitable organization. It's fun to help. It's fun to give back. Like I said, it's fun to play Santa Claus. These are things that my parents taught me is to give back. I never imagined I could give back what I've been able to, but that's pretty special.

Mike, you have given to this country so much. If you permit me, I'd love to do a small thing for my Calgary Christian Foundation relative to the impact you create and to donate $50,000 to your win-through, power of a foundation. I'd love to have that taken care of immediately. I just want you to know that that's the gratitude for everything you've done for our country to inspire me and to be the first guest ever on the Unblinded Apple business podcast. We've been number one and number two at bouncing back and forth, and you kick that off so powerfully, and we're so grateful, Mike. If you permit me to do that, I'll take care of that right now.

That's more than charitable, Dawn. I know I had the pleasure when we were together to meet and chat and meet all the people that you are involved with. I think the things that you do and the people that you represent and the people that support you is a pretty special bond with people as well. It's nice when you can incorporate yourself or consider yourself part of the family in some ways. Clearly, that's a very generous donation, and thank you.

No, thank you, Mike. If I could ask this, as we round the bend home, when you were speaking to the team, if you don't mind, what did you share with the men's team, the women's team before the game?

Well, I told both teams, and I believe that the women's team was the best women's team we ever put on the ice, and our men's team was the best men's team we ever put on the ice. I just told the ladies, the thing I talked to the ladies about was they had played Canada six times already during the year and pretty well dominated them. I just try to tell them that those games are over and those games don't mean a damn thing. Now you're playing for the Olympic gold medal. This is the game that means something. It doesn't mean anything prior to this, the games that you won. I stressed that point to them of letting them realize that what happened in the past is over. This is the game that counts. Don't walk off that ice, skate off that ice, wondering what could have been. Then the men, the thing I told them was, It's time to move on with us. 1980 was 1980. What we did is what we did. What you do is what you do. We need this country, young little hockey players, young men and women, young boys to look at your team and you are the heroes.

You're the ones that will be the idol and not 1980 team. It's ended, it's over. It's not going to change. What we did in 1980 is not going to change anything. This is your opportunity to go out there and show the world we're the best hockey player in the where it's come from. This is your time to do that and show that. Basically, things like that. Don't take a back sheet to anybody. You are the best. Just to be positive to the team. But the big thing with the stress, what we did is what we did. This is their time for them to enjoy the moment. My grandkids now know who Jack Eichel is, who Jack Kelly, Jack Hughes is, who Charlie McAvoy is. They don't need to know who Michael Ruzioni is anymore. These are the guys that are carrying the torch.

Amazing. I love the fact being a Jersey guy myself, that we had a New Jersey devil scoring that game-winning goal. That was special, too, right? But Mike- Yeah, so happy for him.

Sean, he's a class act. As the whole family, the other two brothers who play in the National Hockey League, the mom was involved with our women's team. She was, I think, the director of player personnel for the women's team. I don't know if people knew They're a hockey family, and it was D. Jack scored the goal in the way he did it with no teeth in his head. It was pretty ironic for a hockey player to score a goal with no teeth.

I love that, Mike. Thank you. Of course, Mike Rusioni, not only the captain, the miracle on ice, but a person delivering message, carrying through the energy of these gold medals for the men's Olympic team, hockey team, and the women's Olympic hockey team. Mike, in final, final, Anyone who ever wants to have somebody speak who is a true demonstration of miraculous leadership and teamwork. Mike Rusioni did not go to the NHL after his career. He was not the most hyped. He was not the biggest. He was not the strongest. He was none of those things, except he was the leader and the person that scored the game-winning goal against the Soviets 46 years ago. To this minute, this day, he embodies, in my humble opinion, and the opinion of some others, the greatest example of sports leadership that has ever occurred, and it just happened to be for our country. Mr. Michael Ruszioni, we are so grateful to you and for you. Anything else you'd like to share in final final today, Mike, and we thank you so much for your time today.

Now, Dr. Aaron, just thank you for continuing to send the message that you do about believing, working hard, being a good person. I'm a believer in that. Just because you You want an Olympic gold medal doesn't mean you're a good person. It's more important to be a good person, be a good neighbor, be a good friend. Have those qualities because those are far more important than sports. It's important in life. I think what you do, and those are the messages that you send, and those are the messages that I tell people all the time about being a good friend, being a good person, being a good American. We live in the greatest country in the world, and let's take advantage of the opportunities we have.

Amen, brother. Mike, we wish all the blessings. If anybody has the privilege of having Mike Rusioni come to their company to speak and be in a position of leadership, this is the number one person, in my opinion, in the world, that you want to come speak to your people. It's Mike Rusioni. Nothing could more incredibly embody a possibility than Mr. Rusioni, what the Miracle and Ice team did, led by him, Herb Brooks, and so many other extraordinary American heroes. Mike, have a blessed day, and we thank you so much.

John, thank you for reaching out, and hope we get the chance to see each other again down the road somewhere.

We will. Thanks, Mike. Thank you so much.

All right. Take care. Take care.