Town Proclaims Mike Eruzione Day for End of August

By Adam Swift

Saturday, August 26 will officially be Mike Eruzione Day in Winthrop.

Tuesday night, the Town Council approved a proclamation for the day for the 1980 USA Olympic Ice Hockey captain and champion to coincide with a showing of Miracle on Winthrop Beach sponsored by the Friends of Winthrop Beach.

In addition to the showing of the movie on the beach, the town will be flying the 1980 Olympic Flag, along with an insignia of Eruzione’s number 21 uniform number from Friday, August 25 through Sunday, August 27.

The proclamation honors the night the team won the gold medal against Finland on Feb. 24, 1980, as well as the game two nights earlier when Eruzione made the game-winning goal against the seemingly invincible Soviet Union team in the semifinals.

“Mike Eruzione has donated his time, financial contributions, and experience through his Winthrop Charities Foundation for many deserving individuals and organizations within his beloved hometown,” the proclamation states. “The town of Winthrop recognizes the importance of celebrating this date for Mike Eruzione.”

Town Council President James Letterie said August 26 was selected to honor the hometown hero to coincide with the showing of Miracle on Winthrop Beach at 8 p.m. The film about the 1980 Olympic hockey team stars Kurt Russell as coach Herb Brooks and Patrick O’Brien Demsey as Eruzione.

“We thought that in accordance with (the showing of the movie) it would be a very nice gesture for the town to make more of this to get more people down to watch it,” said Letterie. “It’s an incredible movie, probably the best sports movie ever made.”

Precinct 5 Councilor Joseph Aiello said that Winthrop is known far and wide as the hometown of the Olympic hero.

“I know a lot of us in this room and in this town travel extensively, and the one thing 90 percent of people say when I tell them I am from Winthrop, they say Eruzione,” said Aiello. “It’s really remarkable.”