The 1980 USA men’s Olympic hockey team will be getting congressional gold medals to go along with their Olympic gold medals. President Donald J. Trump has signed legislation passed by Congress to give the “Miracle on Ice” squad the latest honor.

The underdog team faced off against a Soviet juggernaut in the sport during the games being contested in Lake Placid, New York. In the game, the U.S. team, composed of mostly college athletes, defied expectations by beating a team from the Soviet Union to advance the gold medal round. The Soviet Union had won the previous four Olympic gold medals before being defeated by the U.S. team. The U.S. versus Soviet Union game was televised to the nation on a tape-delay on Feb. 22, 1980, drawing 34.2 million viewers and stoking patriotic pride as Team USA went on to defeat Finland two days later for the gold medal.

“This was one of the greatest moments in the history of U.S. sports,” said President Donald Trump on Friday, Dec. 12 as he signed the measure in the Oval Office.

The legislation was proposed by Minnesota representative Pete Stauber in January. Stauber had proposed a similar bill in a previous Congressional session.

The three gold medals will be distributed to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, Minnesota; the Lake Placid Olympic Center in New York; and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Congressional gold medal legislation grants the Treasury secretary the authority to direct the U.S. Mint to strike and offer for public sale 1.5-inch and 3-inch bronze duplicates of the gold medals.

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The 1980 USA men’s Olympic hockey team will be getting congressional gold medals to go along with their Olympic gold medals. President Donald J. Trump has signed legislation passed by Congress to give the “Miracle on Ice” squad the latest honor.

The underdog team faced off against a Soviet juggernaut in the sport during the games being contested in Lake Placid, New York. In the game, the U.S. team, composed of mostly college athletes, defied expectations by beating a team from the Soviet Union to advance the gold medal round. The Soviet Union had won the previous four Olympic gold medals before being defeated by the U.S. team. The U.S. versus Soviet Union game was televised to the nation on a tape-delay on Feb. 22, 1980, drawing 34.2 million viewers and stoking patriotic pride as Team USA went on to defeat Finland two days later for the gold medal.

“This was one of the greatest moments in the history of U.S. sports,” said President Donald Trump on Friday, Dec. 12 as he signed the measure in the Oval Office.

The legislation was proposed by Minnesota representative Pete Stauber in January. Stauber had proposed a similar bill in a previous Congressional session.

The three gold medals will be distributed to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, Minnesota; the Lake Placid Olympic Center in New York; and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Congressional gold medal legislation grants the Treasury secretary the authority to direct the U.S. Mint to strike and offer for public sale 1.5-inch and 3-inch bronze duplicates of the gold medals.

Connect with Coin World:  
Sign up for our free eNewsletter
Access our Dealer Directory  
Like us on Facebook  
Follow us on X (Twitter)

Whether you’re a current subscriber or new, you can take advantage of the best offers on magazine subscriptions available in digital, print or both! Whether you want your issue every week or every month, there’s a subscription to meet your needs.