____________________ _______________ LAKE PLACID’80____________ It was a night for captain and country AKE PLACID — He stood there wearing his real big Little League home run berk in Wmtrbop once cowboy hat and this smile that was in danger of a long lime ago Now someone was asking him what R 0 L running away from him, down Main Street and was like to be on the ice over the la«t 10 tnm jte t ater he away. Mike Eruzione was pressed back against th r glass rifled this whisper of a wrist shot pa>t a little Russian doors of the arena, and he was clutching a yellow daisy goalie named Vladim ir Myshkin in his right hand, and in back of him the people had "First. I was real netted' said t s j none “Then I switched from the National Anthem to “ God Bless thought Hey. we re up one with seven minutes to to Ifl America.” Off in the distance, from M irror Lake, came was 10 minutes, who cares’ )' After that. I just kept the fireworks, lighting up the night sky, providing the going around to the guys and telling them to relaa Rut proper backdrop for a celebration that had something to you know what’ I dont think God could have come do with sports, and the Olympics, and this funny old down and got us to relaa * place called America. The last 10 minutes were merely an rtrrn it) and the th e fireworks belonged to some other athletes in the Russians seemed to be on this constant power play hut and cocky and lovable bunch of American hockey Olympics; they were part of the nightly medal ceremony the Americans could s m e ll R now. knew the oddi no players was not such s bad thing It was the shining in Lake Placid. But at a little past eight o'clock last longer mattered, that they had the Russians in their moment of these Olympics Eric lieiden'i record here is night, when Mike Eruzione looked up and saw the colors sights And every l i a r the Russians would push through something great and enduring, but this was America vs and heard the roar, he must have thought the fireworks the defense. Jim Craig, the goalie, w ould be th e re ( raig Russia in the year 1980. You take your heroes as you were fo r him, and his U.S. Olympic hockey team, and the who had hem marvelous, strong til night long olio wos find them these days piece of history they had just carved out of the XIII joining goalies named Jack McCartao and Lefty Curran The Russians had not lost an Olympic hockey (am t Winter Olympics. And now Eruzione’s smile was out of in American Olympic legend, who would say ‘ No" U> the since 1968 They were seeded first here, some thought his control, lighting up his corner of this remarkable Russians until R was over, until he rouM throw his they should have been seeded ‘ Invincible ’ The Russians night. goalie stick bock over ha head and wait for ha had won every Olympic gold medal since 1980 They had He is th r captain of the ll.S. hockey team, Eruzione is. teammates ruined the NHL All-Stan in the Challenge Cup at He is the son of a sewage plant worker from Winthrop, "J im m y Craig sraa unbelievable said fcru/ione Rut Madison Square Garden last spring. The Russians are Mass., named Gene Erutiooe, who doubles aa a bartender we expected that Ha t Um one who gol u i here He s thr the truest pros in all of hockey And a bunch of in Cast Boston. In the Olympic Fieldhouse last night. main reason He helped us hang in there until we rnuid American college kids beat them in the Olympics These Gene Eruzione sew his son score the goel that beat the get some breaks and score some fools" Eruziones and Jim Craigs and B uoy Schneiders and Russians with 10 minutes le ft in a game that w ill be So in th third porxodL Mark Johnson scored ha Mark Johnsons are an unlikely group of heroes, from remembered fo r awhile. From the crush of people near second goal, then Eruzione scored ha Thee the Amen little mining towns in Minnesota and dirty little nnks in thki door of the Fieldhouse, someone asked Eruzione to can team memners were doing all manner of dances on Boston, but they have found some glory in Lake Placid, describe his feelings. the ice. and these two guys, one of them m a Philadelphia against big odds, as they search for gold ‘ Ecstasy,” Eruzione shouted, and waved the yellow Flyers uniform, started sliding around the re tarry mg "The Russians were Just stunned when it was over.” daisy at the people, who were chanting "U-S-A!" an American flag The crowd was oa Ra fort ihantwg Michael Eruzione was saying ‘ I don't think they realized "U S A" for the 9000th time The Russians load up rt THE SCORE WAS America 4, Russia 3 on a Friday they had lost. But know what’ They lost We beat 'em ‘ their blue line How many moments like the have there evening that w ill be taken from Lake Placid, and these A VOICE IN THE CROWD shouted over the music hem’ In the Olympics’ la sports* How many tunes ran Olympics and stored in memory as one of those clear and the fireworks and asked about the U.S. shot at the R be this right’ and perfect sporting moments, so right that you are gold medal now, with Finland on Sunday. ‘ We epitomize the word taaat" Enusune said "And afraid to script it, o r believe la it when it is over. For the ‘ If aomeone had asked me t i i months ago about our we play this game with boon * fans in the Fieldhouse, it was a treasure that managed to chances to r a gold, I woulda said,' Sure, maybe, if we They have done that since the very fir s t game Now go past hockey and sports fo r s couple of shining hours. play well, ” said Eruzione ‘ Now it's a reality We re they have one to ploy In the Olympics and w h ile they They w ill see the flags, hear the chanta and the music, right th e n We beat those Russians and now we got our ire assured a gold if the beat Finland they are no lo c k la and they w ill recall how a bunch of American kids with shot." w in a medal otherwise beetuae of a Msthemefual heart and scrap beat a team they had no business being Eruzione It 23 years old, and if you ask him if he Olympus that goes oc tor from the ire Rail m l she on the ice with. might have a career in professional hockey, he trill tell Placid. New Y o rk , loot night Amrnra heat Russia 41 The victory w ill stop no boycott! o f the Moscow you be doesn't know. He played his college hockey at Mike Erunone. captain scored the game winner The Olympics, and it won't move any troops out of Afghanis­ Boston U nivem ty because no other school would take fireworks ended after awhile but the amgmg went or tan, and it won't free a hostage, not one. But to be in the him. I f you ask him about bis biggest moment In sports Olympic Fieldhouse last night, and root for this colorful betoro last night, ho will laugh and tell you be ha this for a long tune U.S. scores pair in 3d Just a matter to stun Russians 4-3 of experience fCeoifeaed from Rack Page! Lake Placid — If you re wondering But he typifies the teem in hie spunk. how the U S hockey teem could haw Perhaps they were Inspired, too, by The others see Eruzione dive serosa the defeated the Russians 4-3 leal o«nt coach Brooks' pregame pep talk ia which ice, flinging out his stick to break up e after losing to them M 3 m Mad was he said, “ You are born to be a player. You pass, and they respond They see him Square Garden lata tore two wsahs are meant to be a player. This moment ts hurl his body into bigger bodies as herd ago R was all a matter of eapei m m yours, and you are meant to be here. Use as he can, and they mimic. *We were m awe of everything poise and possession with the puck.” ERUZIONE SCORED the winning goel u i d l S coach Herb Brooks referring THEY COULDN’t always keep posses­ with 10:00 left in the game, when Mark to the slaughter aa Broad** ‘ We sion of the puck; the Russians are too Pavelich and John Harrington dug the even got off the but in awe of the good for tha t They could use poise, and puck off the left boards and sent it across Madison Square Garden building And wo wore a awe N 30 after they did. It was a team triumph through the slot, where Mike snapped a 23-toot au n u let and through. shot past goalie Vladimir Myshkin's far watching the Ruauaa players ' But that doesn't mean there weren’t pad.