By Cary Shuman
When Winthrop High School hockey coach Dale Dunbar was a mega-hockey star at New Hampton Prep, he and his teammate and roommate, Ray Shero – the future general manager of the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins – hitchhiked back to Winthrop, “because we wanted to be in town to watch Mike Eruzione and the 1980 Olympic team.”
Eruzione would deliver the greatest sports moment of the 20th century when he scored the winning goal in the USA hockey’s team unforgettable 4-3 upset of the reigning four-time Olympic champion Soviet Union. Two days later, Eruzione and Company claimed the goal medal over Finland, 4-2, in Lake Placid, N.Y.
Dunbar would later pay tribute to Eruzione by requesting to wear No. 21 during his own hockey career at Boston University before going on to play professionally in the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins organizations.
And now Dunbar and his 2025-26 Vikings are set to rekindle all the glorious memories of Eruzione’s Olympic triumph with a trip to Lake Placid where they’ll play two regular season games on Dec. 11-12 against Marblehead High School.
“I said to Michael, ‘before we hang it up, we should bring the kids up to Lake Placid and let them see, not only ‘The Miracle on Ice,’ but Michael will be able to tell all of us – the players, the Winthrop and Marblehead parents, everybody – what it was like back then – it’s going to be great experience,” related Dunbar.
It will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience – similar to a sports fantasy camp – for the Winthrop and Marblehead programs as Eruzione himself is expected to lead a tour of the Lake Placid Olympic Museum which is located inside the Olympic Arena where the chants of “USA, USA,” filled the facility and echo to this day.
For the games, thanks to Eruzione’s connections, the Winthrop High team will use the Team USA locker room where Coach Herb Brooks gave the dramatic speech, stating, “Great moments are born from great opportunity,” and “This moment is yours, so go out and take it.”
Eruzione and his wife, Donna Eruzione, attended a fundraiser for the team’s trip Saturday night at the Winthrop Elks. It was a festive event with two bands, Locust and The Pointe (Shirley), entertaining the crowd.
“I think the trip to Lake Placid is going to be awesome,” said Captain Mike. “There’s going to be two conference games against Marblehead. I’m going to fly up, go to the game, and be on the bench with the team. And I think it’s going to be a great experience for the kids. They all know the story of our hockey team in 1980, even the Marblehead kids know. So, it’s a great opportunity for them to be part of something special. It will be a nice few days for everyone.”
And for those old enough to remember, Al Michaels’ famous call of Mike Eruzione’s golden Olympic moment, “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” – still brings chills across Winthrop and the nation.