Mike Eruzione

If we lose to Finland, we could have won no medal.

There was a chance we could have come in fourth place.

We beat Finland, we win the gold medal, we go back in the locker room, it is bedlam.

Bedlam in the locker room.

All our parents are in the locker room.

You couldn't go anywhere in Lake Placid without your badge, your name tag.

To this day, how our parents got in the locker room, we have no idea.

How my dad got in with a six-pack of beer, I have no idea.

My dad was sitting waving at me like it was a high school game, and the locker room was the size of this here.

It was so tiny.

All of a sudden, Herb calls me into the back area, and he says, Mike, I just got a call from President Carter.

And they are sending Air Force One tomorrow morning at 6.30 in the morning to take you guys to the White House.

I want you to make sure that everybody's in bed early and nobody acts up tonight.

And I looked at Herb and I said, who's going to watch me?

I got to tell you the truth, we stayed out all night.

But why I tell you that story was Herb never wavered from that value.

Respect your success, respect your accomplishments, respect the time, the effort, the work and the sacrifices we put in collectively and you put in individually.

So even though we had won this incredible moment, although Herman and I, like I said earlier, our team didn't know it was that big a deal.

He never wavered from that fact.

Respect your success.