Trump honors America’s ‘Miracle on Ice’ team during Congressional Gold Medal signing

President Donald Trump signed a bipartisan bill Dec. 12 that awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the 1980 U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team for its historic “Miracle on Ice” upset over the Soviet Union.

“We're delighted to be joined today by true legends of American sports history, heroes for the entire nation, the 1980 U.S. Olympic ice hockey team,” Trump said after signing the bill. “This was one of the biggest moments that I've ever seen in sports, and I like sports. These are the men who gave us one of the most storied athletic wins of all time, it's called the Miracle on Ice.”

The ceremony recognized the American squad’s stunning upset of the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, during the height of the Cold War. The U.S. team, made up largely of amateur and former collegiate players, defeated the heavily favored Soviets, who had dominated international hockey for years, FOX News reported.

The victory advanced the Americans to the gold medal game, where they defeated Finland two days later to secure the championship.

“The Soviets had not lost an Olympic game since 1968, and they were coming off a four-straight gold record, gold medals,” Trump said at the signing.

The game became immortalized by broadcaster Al Michaels’ famous call, “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” — a phrase that has since become synonymous with the victory. The team’s unlikely Olympic run was later dramatized in the 2004 Disney film “Miracle.”

The White House’s official rapid response account later shared video footage of the team’s celebratory win on X.

The legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal drew bipartisan support and cleared both the House and Senate in September before being sent to the President’s desk.