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In an interview with Fox News Digital earlier this year, “Miracle on Ice” goaltender Jim Craig said he hopes the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team will show “that commitment” of his 1980 team. After all, this team has defeated him.
In an Instagram post showing the celebration of the US’s overtime victory over Sweden in the quarterfinals, Craig praised this year’s Olympic team as they prepare for Sunday’s gold medal game against Canada.
“You hear it. Preparation. Calmness. Reaction when it matters most,” Craig wrote.
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Jim Craig celebrates Team USA’s victory over the USSR on February 22, 1980. (Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
“Great teams don’t chase history – they create it. The 1980 team proved what belief can do. This team has the same crest. Different names on the back. Same name on the front. That crest has history. It carries sacrifice. It carries belief.
“Congrats on the win, @usahockey. One more.”
When Craig played in the Olympics, NHL players were not allowed to participate. Craig was to compete with “the best athletes in the world”, but under one condition.
“I just hope they have the same commitment that the amateurs had, right? What’s most important is not their brand, or where they play. It’s about representing their country, and not themselves,” said Craig on Fox News Digital last month.
Team USA’s Quinn Hughes celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal in overtime during the Men’s quarterfinals match between the United States and Sweden on day 12 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 18, 2026, Milan, Italy. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
TEAM USA WILL FIGHT CANADA FOR OLYMPIC GOLD AFTER STRONG PERFORMANCE BY SLOVAKIA
“That’s what I’m proud of our partner that we were able to do. It wasn’t about who will get the best contract, where are you going, how much will you make? It was about what was really important, representing your country.”
For Craig, last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off proved to be the case, but clearly for Craig, this team proved it.
“You can make political arguments all you want, but you can see how illegal these groups were,” Craig said of the 4 Nations group. laughing. “Canada wanted to win, and the USA wanted to win, and you can see how Canada chose their team [this year]. I mean, their team now is not just great athletes. It is an ingredient of what it will take to beat the United States.
“They are strong, there are players like Herb [Brooks] he said, ‘I’m not looking for the best players, I’m looking for the right players.’ I really think now when they go to the Olympic Games, we are not the one who scores the most goals. They’re looking for something to help them win, and that’s what Herb did a long time ago.”
Tage Thompson of the United States, second right, celebrates with a teammate after scoring his team’s fourth goal during the first round ice hockey game between the United States and Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
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The puck will receive gold at 8:10 a.m. ET Sunday — the 46th year of the “Miracle on Ice.”
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