When he saw that Paul Henderson’s jersey which he wore during the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union sold for a record $1.2 million at auction in 2010, Mike Eruzione came up with idea to do the same venture. And, that was very successful, since his jersey which he worn in the U.S. Miracle on Ice victory over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics has reached $657,250 at auction.
Beside this item, the stick Eruzione used to score the winning goal and his gold medal game jersey were available via Heritage on Saturday night, which pushed the overall sale to more than $1.3 million.
Mike Eruzione, captain of the 1980 gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic ice hockey team, poses next to the uniform he wore when the U.S. defeated the Soviet Union
The stick finished at $262,900, more than five times the $50,000 it was expected, while the blue jersey the team’s captain wore to win the gold against Finland fetched $286,800. Other collectibles connected to Eruzione include gloves he wore throughout the Olympic tournament sold for $53,775, more than 10 times their pre-auction estimates, his red pants went for $28,680, while his warm-up suit sold for $26,290.
”Tonight, we saw collectors show Mike Eruzione, and that entire team, how highly they think of him and of the things he achieved,” said Chris Ivy, director of sports at the Dallas-based Heritage Auctions. ”It couldn’t have happened to a nicer, more giving person.”
The one piece of “Miracle” memorabilia Eruzione declined to put on auction was his gold medal.
“The gold medal will never be sold as long as I’m alive,”Eruzione told ESPN’s John Buccigross in December. “If something happens to me and my kids/grandkids want to do something with it, hopefully it’s for the right reasons.” [BornRich]
