Mike Eruzione

I've had challenges over 70 years of my life.

I haven't lived the greatest.

I've made stupid mistakes, and that's part of life.

That's part of being in the world that we live in.

But I think when the smoke clears, I can look back on my athletic career and what I've been doing for the last 45 years since 1980 is take great pride in knowing that I've done a good job at the opportunities I've been given and that I think people look at me and respect me and clearly respect my teammates.

You know, what we did was 45 years ago, and we talked about it earlier.

I don't know if you follow anything, but we just found out that our team is going to receive the Congressional Gold Medal.

Let's hear for that.

Which is, I think, the ultimate honor.

You know, it's not a sports award.

It's not an ESPN award.

This is from your country.

If you look at the recipients of it, it's something my teammates and I take incredible, incredible pride in.

because our game was more than a hockey game.

We didn't know it at the time, but realized that it was a moment, that's why I said earlier,

that touched the lives of a lot of people.

In 1979, 1980, we were looking for something to feel good about, the hostages, the gas lines, inflation.

And all of a sudden, we come along, and I'll say this till the day I die, other than being a police officer or a firefighter or somebody in the military, there's no greater feeling than putting on a USA jersey.

And I'm not playing for Chicago or Boston, you're playing for your country.

And I think in 1980, people saw that in us.