1980 'Miracle on Ice' Team Reunites at Lake Placid

The ice rink where amateur American hockey players shocked the world is bringing that magic back.

Captain Mike Eruzione, goalie Jim Craig, top scorer Mark Johnson, and legendary announcer Al Michaels returned to Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid this week for "Run Back the Miracle." The special event used high-definition holograms and full-surface ice projections to recreate the legendary 4-3 victory over the Soviet Union on February 22, 1980.

For most of the players, this marked the first real chance to relive that night together. "When the Olympics ended, I think in five days, I was playing in the National Hockey League," Craig told reporters. "We just, all of a sudden, we were on a team, and we were just gone."

The timing couldn't be more perfect. The final day of next month's Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina will mark exactly 46 years since the upset that became known as the "Miracle on Ice."

For Michaels, whose famous "Do you believe in miracles?" call still gives people chills, it was only his third time back since 1980. "I can just feel it in my bones, my fiber to walk back into this building," he said.

Why This Inspires

The game meant more than a score. During the height of the Cold War, these amateur college players beat the world's most dominant hockey team while the entire nation watched. It was the night the "U-S-A" chant was born.

Craig remembered playing in Moscow just a year earlier and seeing how the Soviet Union used sports as propaganda. "It's really about pride of being and representing your country," he explained. "That brand is more important than you."

The reunion allows new generations to experience a moment when underdogs proved that belief and teamwork can overcome any odds. Fans packed the same arena where it all happened, watching history come alive through cutting-edge technology while standing alongside the men who made it real.

Michaels remains protective of his famous final word from that broadcast, saving it only for truly special moments.