1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team captain Mike Eruzione looks at the ice in the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, where he and his 19 teammates beat the Soviet Union squad 4-3 on Feb. 22, 1980, in the famed “Miracle on Ice” game, earning them a chance to win a gold medal against Finland during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games. He spent Thursday, July 6 touring the Olympic venues around town, including the Lake Placid Olympic Museum, with his children and grandchildren. He even took time to speak to a group of young hockey players competing in a CAN/AM Hockey Group tournament. The next day, he helped celebrate the opening of the Mike Eruzione Shop on Main Street. The arena is now named after the 1980 hockey team’s coach, Herb Brooks. (News photo — Arthur Maiorella)

LAKE PLACID — For Mike Eruzione’s grandchildren, most of their knowledge of what happened at the Herb Brooks Arena on Feb. 22, 1980, was through the 2004 film “Miracle” — and that’s only for those who have seen it.

Eruzione — the U.S. hockey team captain who scored the final goal to win the famed “Miracle on Ice” game against the Soviet Union during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid — was portrayed by actor Patrick O’Brien Demsey in the film.

Mike’s son, Mike Eruzione Jr., said his kids had seen the movie but hadn’t comprehended that it was about an actual event.

Grandson Michael Callinan said his favorite part was when his grandfather scored the game-winning goal — with 10 minutes left to play in the game.

On Thursday, July 6, the Eruzione took his grandchildren on a tour of Lake Placid, including the arena that still echoes his underdog team’s glorious win over the mighty and heavily-favored Soviet Union squad. That 4-3 win set up the U.S. team’s gold medal 4-2 win over Finland.

Members of 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team captain Mike Eruzione's family skate on the ice at the 1980 Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid on Thursday, July 6. (News photo — Arthur Maiorella)

“When you step into the rink, you can almost still hear the ‘USA, USA’ chants,” Mike said. “When you’re sitting on the bench having a look around, you realize what that moment was like to be on that ice and to accomplish something so special.

“To look out at the (speedskating) oval and to remember what Eric Heiden did and his performance was like mind-boggling, and we’ll never see that again. I think the little things like that I get to see and remember, it puts you kind of right back then at that time.”

Mike has revisited Lake Placid quite a few times in recent years — for the Miracle on Ice Fantasy Camp, anniversaries of the game and other appearances — but his family not so much. They all live in Massachusetts — Mike grew up in Winthrop and played hockey while attending Boston University — and only his two sons and his wife, Donna, had made the trip to Lake Placid.

The last time Donna was here was during the 1980 Winter Olympics.

“I don’t remember much about it,” she said. “I was only here for like three days.”

On July 6, 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team captain Mike Eruzione shows off locker room 5 at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid with his grandchildren, from left, Rayley Eruzione, Trey Eruzione, T.J. Callinan and Leo Callinan. This is where coach Herb Brooks made his inspiring pre-game speech, made famous by actor Kurt Russell in the 2004 movie “Miracle.” (News photo — Arthur Maiorella)

As Mike and his grandchildren walked through the Lake Placid Olympic Museum — with exhibits on the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics — he showed off Olympic medals, pins and torches.

“It’s really cool for them to see all the different artwork everywhere and his name everywhere. They keep yelling it,” Mike’s daughter LeighAnn Eruzione Callinan said. “They are like, ‘That picture is in the living room, and that picture is in the basement.'”

The family also watched highlights from ABC’s broadcast of the 1980 game against the Soviets. The video showed Mike Eruzione rifling the game-winning shot past Soviet goaltender Vladimir Myshkin.

“That’s Papa,” one of the grandchildren said.

Through the years, Mike’s children and grandchildren have met many of his former Olympic teammates, including Jack O’Callahan, Dave Silk and goaltender Jim Craig — “the Boston guys,” Mike said.

1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team captain Mike Eruzione, his children and grandchildren pose with the scoreboard from the “Miracle on Ice” game at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid on July 6. From left, in the front, is Leo Callinan, Michael Callinan, Jax Eruzione, Tyler Eruzione, T.J. Callinan, Rayley Eruzione and Trey Eruzione. In the back are Vinny Crossman, Meghan Eruzione, Mike Eruzione Jr., Donna Eruzione, Mike Eruzione, Paul Eruzione, Marissa Eruzione, LeighAnn Callinan and Tim Callinan. (News photo — Arthur Maiorella)

“My son met a bunch of the guys when we premiered the movie ‘Miracle,'” he said. “Someday they’ll be able to meet the rest of the guys. Hopefully, that’ll be soon.”

The visit came shortly after the Mike Eruzione Team Shop opened on Main Street, Lake Placid, with the Olympic venue tour held a day before his meet-and-greet event at the store on Friday afternoon. Mike planned the trip with his family more than a year ago.

“They get an opportunity to see a special place, which is clearly an important part in my life and an important part of my family’s life,” Mike said. “I was telling someone the other day, if we didn’t win, things would’ve changed drastically. For them to come back here and experience what that moment is like, what this place is like and how special this place is, maybe they’ll get to appreciate it.”

Mike said his grandchildren don’t fully understand the magnitude of its relevance.

“They all play hockey, so they all have an understanding of the game,” he said. “I don’t think they have a full understanding of the impact on the country at that time, because we didn’t even know.”

1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team captain Mike Eruzione and his grandson, Leo Callinan, view Olympic medals in the Lake Placid Olympic Museum on Thursday, July 6. (News photo — Arthur Maiorella)

As usual, when he walked into the Olympic Center on July 6, he was instantly greeted by fans wanting to take a picture with him.

Mike and his 1980 teammates have been described as heroes. For Mike’s family, he’s just “Dad” — or, as seven of his grandchildren call him, “Papa.”

“I used to always tell everybody when they were like, ‘What’s it like having Mike Eruzione as your father?'” Paul Eruzione said. “I would always say, ‘Well I used to see him reading the newspaper in his bathrobe every single morning.'”

Callinan said he was always known as “Big Mike” around their neighborhood when she was growing up.

It took his children some time to understand what the “Miracle on Ice” game meant to people during that time.

Mike Eruzione, laces up his skates, without socks, before taking the ice at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid with his children and grandchildren on July 6. (News photo — Arthur Maiorella)

“As you grow, it kind of grows with you, and there is kind of different stages as you develop to understand,” Callinan said. “Now as adults, we’re at a place of understanding just culturally how important and significant it is. I used to always say you remember where you were during 9/11, you remember where you were when the Oklahoma City bombing happened, but this is always something people remember. No matter who you’re with or where you go, people have stories that are just positive.”

Along with touring the renovated Olympic Center, including the 1980 Herb Brooks Arena and Lake Placid Olympic Museum, the Eruziones visited the upgraded facilities at Mount Van Hoevenberg and the Olympic Jumping Complex.

During the Olympic Center tour, Mike stopped inside locker room No. 5 — the one the 1980 U.S. Olympic team used. His grandchildren sat down in the same spot he did in 1980. The Eruziones were surprised at the small size of the locker rooms.

Mike then showed off a sign outside the locker room, on which was printed the speech coach Herb Brooks gave before the “Miracle on Ice” game — or, as Mike said, “supposedly gave.”

“I don’t remember it being that long,” he said with a chuckle.

The Eruziones then spent around 40 minutes on the Herb Brooks Arena ice. The youngsters showed off their best stick-handling moves alongside their grandfather. They seemed more interested in playing the game they love than looking through the museum.

LeighAnn said it’s going to take them a long time to understand what that hockey game in 1980 truly meant, much like how it was for her.

“We grew up as kids going somewhere and people recognized him all the time and pull him aside, get excited and take photos and videos,” she said. “Now the kids are starting to realize that he is special to other people in a different way that is bigger than just Papa to them.”

Michael and Leo Callinan, grandchildren of 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team captain Mike Eruzione, race each other down the ice in the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid on July 6. (News photo — Arthur Maiorella)

1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team captain Mike Eruzione briefly addresses a young team playing in a CAN/AM Hockey Group tournament on Thursday, July 6 at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid. The group is on the 1980 Olympic ice, where Eruzione famously scored the game-winning goal to beat the Soviet Union 4-3 in what became known as the “Miracle on Ice.” The U.S. went on to beat Finland 4-2 in the gold-medal game. The Soviets earned silver, and Sweden won the bronze. (News photo — Arthur Maiorella)

1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team captain Mike Eruzione signs an autograph for a CAN/AM hockey player on July 6 at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid. (News photo — Arthur Maiorella)

Leo Callinan, a grandchild of 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team captain Mike Eruzione, experiences the Point-of-View Ski Jump in the Lake Placid Olympic Museum on Thursday, July 6. (News photo — Arthur Maiorella)

Jax Eruzione, a grandchild of 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team captain Mike Eruzione, holds a hockey stick on July 6 as he waits to take the ice in the Herb Brooks Arena with his grandfather on Thursday, July 6. (News photo — Arthur Maiorella)

1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team captain Mike Eruzione watches video of himself from the "Miracle on Ice" win over the Soviet Union's hockey team in the Lake Placid Olympic Museum in Lake Placid on Thursday, July 6. (News photo — Arthur Maiorella)