It isn’t often that the sport of ice hockey dominates the headlines in the U.S., but the one time that it did was when the U.S. Olympic Men’s Hockey Team shocked the sports world and the vaunted Soviets on their way to winning the gold medal. Now known around the world as the “Miracle on Ice,” the game was immortalized by Hollywood and was named the top sports moment of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated.
Those of us who were alive to watch the game on tape delay in 1980 have nothing more than cherished memories of that moment, but thanks to a member of that team, someone with the financial means will get a chance to own a small slice of history at the intersection of sports and the Cold War. That’s because Ken Morrow, one of the squad’s defensemen, has decided to auction the jersey he wore in the game against the Russians.
It’s all part of a long list of items from Morrow’s amateur and professional hockey careers (which included 10 seasons in the NHL and four Stanley Cups with the New York Islanders), but don’t doubt for a second that the Team USA jersey is the most significant item available. Bidding opened at $5,000 this morning. The high bid is now pressing the $11,000 mark just a few hours after the start of the auction.
How high will the bidding go? While there’s little doubt Morrow’s jersey will fetch a pretty penny before the auction ends on February 22, there are more than a few items from the winter of 1980 that could attract a much higher price, like one of the gold medals awarded to a member of the team or perhaps the puck that Mike Eruzione shot past Vladimir Myshkin to seal the 4-3 victory and a place in history.
If either of those items turn up, hang on to your wallets.
Eric McErlain blogs at Off Wing Opinion, a Forbes “Best of the Web” winner. In 2006 he wrote a “bloggers bill of rights” to help integrate bloggers into the Washington Capitals’ press box. Eric has also written for Deadspin, NBC Sports and the Sporting News, and covers sports television for The TV News. Follow Eric on Twitter.