'Miracle on Ice' legend praises USA Olympic team for showing 'same edge' as 1980 squad: 'You can feel it'

In an interrogation with Fox News Digital earlier this year, "Miracle connected Ice" goaltender Jim Craig said helium hoped this year's United States Olympic men's hockey squad would amusement "that aforesaid commitment" his 1980 squad had. Well, this squad has won him over.

In an Instagram station showing the solemnisation from the U.S.'s overtime triumph implicit Sweden successful the quarterfinals, Craig praised this year's Olympic squad arsenic it geared up for a golden medal crippled against Canada connected Sunday.

"You tin consciousness it. The preparation. The poise. The effect erstwhile it matters most," Craig wrote.

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Jim Craig celebrates Team USA's triumph implicit USSR connected Feb. 22, 1980.  (Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

"Great teams don’t pursuit past - they make it. The 1980 squad proved what content tin do. This radical has that aforesaid edge. Different names connected the back. Same sanction connected the front. That crest carries history. It carries sacrifice. It carries belief.

"Congratulations connected the win, @usahockey. One more."

When Craig played successful the Olympics, NHL players were not allowed to participate. Craig was each for having the "best athletes successful the world" compete, but connected 1 condition.

"I conscionable anticipation that they person that aforesaid committedness that the amateurs had, right? That what's the astir important happening isn't their brand, oregon wherever they play. It's about representing their country, and it's not astir themselves," Craig said to Fox News Digital past month. 

Quinn Hughes of Team United States celebrates with teammates aft scoring a extremity successful overtime during the Men's Quarterfinals Playoff lucifer betwixt the United States and Sweden connected time 12 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games astatine Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena connected Feb. 18, 2026, successful Milan, Italy.  (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

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"That's what I'm truly arrogant of our teammates that we were capable to do. It wasn't astir who's going to get the champion contract, wherever are you going, however overmuch wealth are you going to make? It was astir what was truly important, and that's representing your country."

For Craig, past year's 4 Nations Face-Off proved arsenic such, but intelligibly for Craig, this squad has confirmed it.

"You tin beryllium politically close each you want, but you tin spot however unpolitically close those teams were," Craig said astir the 4 Nations squads. with a laugh. "Canada wanted to win, and the USA wanted to win, and you tin adjacent spot the mode that Canada has picked their squad [this year]. I mean, their squad present isn't conscionable the top athletes. It's an constituent of things that it's going to instrumentality to bushed the United States.

"They're tougher, there's players that, similar Herb [Brooks] said, ‘I'm not looking for the champion players, I'm looking for the close players.’ I truly deliberation present erstwhile they spell into the Olympic Games, it isn't who the highest scorer is. They're truly looking for thing that's going to beryllium helping them win, and that's thing Herb did a agelong clip ago."

United States' Tage Thompson, 2nd right, celebrates with his teammates aft scoring his side's 4th extremity during a preliminary circular crippled of men's crystal hockey betwixt the United States and Germany astatine the 2026 Winter Olympics, successful Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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The puck volition driblet for golden astatine 8:10 a.m ET connected Sunday — the 46th day of the "Miracle connected Ice."

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