Mike Eruzione
Rips Critics Over Team USA Backlash
… ‘Shut Up And Enjoy What They Did!’
Published
February 26, 2026
12:30 AM PST
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TMZSports.com
Mike Eruzione isn’t here for the outrage … he’s here for the red, white and blue.
The “Miracle on Ice” captain — who scored the most iconic goals in U.S. hockey history at the 1980 Winter Olympics — tells TMZ Sports he’s fed up with the pearl-clutching and is firing back at haters taking shots at today’s Team USA stars.
“Shut up and just enjoy what they did,” he told the critics in an interview with Babcock on Wednesday.
Eruzione pointed to his own experience in 1980, when political figures were openly supporting the team without controversy. He recalled then-Vice President Walter Mondale sitting in the stands — and even a phone call in the locker room from the POTUS after the “Miracle on Ice” win.
“Jimmy Carter called the locker room and I spoke to him,” Eruzione said, adding the team was invited to visit the White House the very next day — and there was zero backlash.
Now, as many current players face criticism over comments and celebrations, Eruzione says the noise is ridiculous. To him, wearing a USA jersey is sacred territory.
He didn’t mince words, either — saying, “Other than being a police officer, a firefighter or somebody in the military who protects and serves our country, there’s no greater feeling than putting on a USA jersey. You’re not playing for Boston, Chicago, New York, you’re playing for your country.”
And as for the critics? Eruzione’s got a blunt message: “Who listens to people f***ing complain? Shame on you.”
He also made sure to shout out the women’s squad — calling them the best ladies’ team the U.S. has ever put on the ice — and said the overwhelming majority of American athletes are proud to compete under the flag.
Forty-six years after stunning the Soviets, Eruzione is still defending Team USA — just now with words instead of a slapshot.
Check out the full interview!
You can view the original article HERE.
