- Content: 
By Mallory Mattingly
Known as the Miracle on Ice, the USA hockey team beat the Soviet Union 4-3 on Feb. 22, 1980, during the Winter Olympics.
Forty-six years later, captain Mike Eruzione, goalie Jim Craig, leading goalscorer Mark Johnson and announcer Al Michaels reunited at Herb Brooks Arena to “Run Back the Miracle.”
According to Fox News, the event “reimagined pivotal moments from the legendary U.S. Olympic men’s ice hockey team victory using high-definition holograms, full-surface ice projection and historic footage, allowing fans to relive the magic of one of the most celebrated moments in sports history.”
The event was an incredible moment for the former athletes.
“What we’re able to do here is we’re able to relive the moment that we never had a chance to do. When the Olympics ended, you know, I think in five days, I was playing in the National Hockey League. So was Mark Johnson,” Craig told Fox News Digital. “We just, all of a sudden, we were on a team, and we were just gone. And so, this is going to be great. We’re going to relive years of experience. It’s going to bring back this memory to different generations.”
Related: Hockey Star Recalls the Moment He Dedicated His Life to God: ‘It Was a Miracle’
Michaels, whose famous call is still heard around the sports world today, could “feel” that moment as he walked back into the arena again.
“I mean, I can feel it. I can just feel it in my bones, my fiber to walk back into this building, even though when obviously it’s been remodeled and refurbished, but I can still remember that night and 1980,” he shared.
That game marked a significant turning point for the United States, as tensions were escalating due to the Cold War.
“Some of us were lucky enough to play in the World Championships in 1979 in height of the Cold War, and the games were in Moscow,” Craig explained. “So we really saw how the USSR back then utilized sport as propaganda. To me, it’s not about politics, but you can’t help but get some of those in there. It’s really about pride of being and representing your country, right? And understand that brand is more important than you.”
Craig took to social media to honor his late father, who helped inspire his hockey career, on the 46th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice.
“I’m back in Lake Placid for the Michelob ULTRA Run back the Miracle, standing in a place that holds so much history. This experience brings the highlights of the 1980 games back to life — the moments, the energy, the belief that changed the game forever. Being here reminds you how powerful those memories still are, all these years later,” Craig wrote.
“This year, being back means even more to me. Today is the anniversary of my father’s passing, and I can’t help but think about him as I take it all in,” he continued. “He’s the one who first taught me to love the game and to respect what it takes to be part of something bigger than yourself — the preparation, the teamwork, the heart. The Miracle meant something special to him, not just because of the win, but because of what it represented.
“Being back here in Lake Placid today feels like a moment to pause. To remember the Miracle, to appreciate this experience, and to honor my dad. Some places, and some moments, stay with you forever — and this is one of them,” he added.
The 2004 movie MIRACLE, which Movieguide® gave a +1 content score, captured the historic game. The review praises its “Very strong moral worldview with very strong patriotic content about molding a group of young men to excel in sports through hard work, persistence, and preparation.”
“It’s like watching instant replays of the original games themselves,” the review continues. “Best of all, MIRACLE shows that the success of the 1980 hockey team was not just some fluke or happy coincidence, but was the result of hard work, persistence, and detailed preparation.”
With the 2026 Winter Olympics on the horizon, it’s fun to look back on all of Team USA’s historic wins.
Read Next: Mark Wahlberg ‘Inspired’ by Friendship With Paralyzed Hockey Player
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
– Content: +1Share:
– Content: +1