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Team USA Legend Talks Leadership at Berwick Academy
Mike Eruzione '73 is no stranger to heroics, but it didn’t take a miracle for his impact to be felt on campus on November 4.
The 1980 Olympic legend and 1973 Berwick Academy alum returned to his old stomping grounds this week, devoting a lunch session to discuss his story and the core values of leadership with the School’s Student Athletic Leadership Team (SALT).
The 67-year-old Eruzione has spent his entire life as a Winthrop, Mass., resident. He showed interest in various postgraduate programs coming out of high school before ultimately deciding to attend Berwick Academy. On the Hilltop, the athletic star played hockey, baseball, and football. He even rose to the occasion when the golf team needed more members.
Recruited by colleges for hockey, baseball, and football, Eruzione seemed destined for admittance into the University of New Hampshire. However, they couldn’t give him a spot on the hockey team, so he instead committed to Merrimack. With that said, it didn’t take long for Eruzione, who appreciates capitalizing on opportunities, to return to the Division-I ranks. Jack Parker, the assistant hockey coach at Boston University at the time, offered Eruzione a spot on his team after refereeing his summer league game.
For Eruzione, seizing opportunities and not taking anything for granted represents something that he preaches quite often. If UNH had recruited him for hockey, he would not have explored the opportunity at BU, where he initially played with the reserves but earned a promotion when Parker was named head coach. If Parker was not promoted, Eruzione might not have had a chance to gain a starting role. If he wasn’t a starter, NHL teams would not have taken notice.
Drafted by the New York Rangers, Eruzione was stuck playing with an affiliate team in Toledo but had his rights waived when general manager John Ferguson was fired. If he hadn’t become a free agent, he never would have been eligible for the Olympics in Lake Placid, never would have been on the ice for the astounding comeback win over the Soviet Union or the gold medal victory against Finland.
Eruzione even admits that if he had never sunk his clutch shot or won that historic gold medal, he would not have had the opportunity to pass valuable lessons onto Berwick Academy’s student-athletes.
Trust and respect are among the biggest keys that Eruzione hopes the Academy’s athletes will continue to achieve. The hockey star recalled the wise words of his coach in the Olympics, Herb Brooks, who said, “If you don’t respect yourself … your teammates … your competition, you will not be successful.”
If there’s anyone who knows about these core values, it’s Eruzione, the captain of Team USA during their miraculous run in 1980.
Asked about how he deals with errors, the hockey legend said, “Nobody goes through life without mistakes. It’s the stupid ones who allow the mistakes to happen again.” In his experience, the ability to learn from these blunders is what separates the elite and successful from the rest of the pack.
As cliché as it may sound, being yourself is of equal importance to Eruzione. “I’m the same person today as I was in high school,” he added.
That’s very true, but it cannot be ignored how much those final two games of the 1980 Olympics cemented Eruzione’s legacy. The team, of course, defeated the Soviet Union on a Friday night, aided by the Berwick Academy alum’s game-winning goal, then endured a grueling practice on Saturday morning to drain their energy and make sure they were ready to play Finland on Sunday.
They were ready.
Team USA, which outscored opponents, 16-3, in the third period that year, trailed 2-1 heading into the final intermission but emerged with a 4-2 victory over Finland. Their intense training put them in great physical condition to stay strong when other teams were getting worn down.
Beyond physical strength, respect, and trust, Eruzione also discussed the importance of communication. Sports teams often feature dozens of players, and it’s possible that a few among the crowd might not buy into the culture. This puts a team representative, such as a captain, in a position where they should sit down with these players, communicate effectively, and resolve the differences.
Eruzione closed out his discussion by adding that it is important for Berwick Academy students—from the newest member on JV to the eldest captain on varsity—to grow as both people and athletes.
Berwick Academy
31 Academy Street
South Berwick, Maine 03908
Contact:
Admission | 207.384.6300
Main Office | 207.384.2164
South Berwick, Maine 03908
Contact:
Admission | 207.384.6300
Main Office | 207.384.2164
Berwick Academy, situated on an 80-acre campus just over one hour north of Boston, serves 520 students, Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 and Postgraduates. Berwick students are from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and several countries. Deeply committed to its mission of promoting virtue and useful knowledge, Berwick Academy empowers students to be creative and bold. Berwick strives to graduate alumni who shape their own learning, take risks, ask thoughtful questions, and come to understand and celebrate their authentic selves.
