An auction of memorabilia from Mike Eruzione’s run with the 1980 U.S. Olympic “Miracle on Ice” hockey team generated more than $1.3 million on Saturday, according to the Associated Press.
The jersey he wore in that famous win against the Soviet Union was the big ticket item at almost $660K, but other items really drove up the total:
Spirited bidding drove the value of the hockey stick to $262,900, more than five times the $50,000 it was expected to go for as a 9-year-old boy and his father outbid others, earning a high-five slap and a hug for the youth from Eruzione himself.
Gloves he wore throughout the Olympic tournament sold for $53,775, more than 10 times their pre-auction estimates. The blue jersey the team’s captain wore to win the gold against Finland fetched $286,800. Even his warm-up suit sold for $26,290 while his red pants went for $28,680.
The 58-year-old icon insists that he didn’t auction the items off because of money problems. Instead, he intends to leave behind a nice “nest egg” for his family and also expects to benefit the charitable Winthorp Foundation.
There’s at least one item Eruzione wasn’t willing to part with, though.
“As long as I’m alive, the gold medal won’t be sold,” Eruzione said.