The medals will commemorate the hockey team’s historic win in the 1980 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid when the underdog team of mostly amateur collegiate players defeated the Soviet Union team 4-3 at the height of the Cold War between the two nations. The Soviets had won the four previous gold medals — every one since 1964. The U.S. win on Feb. 22 came en route to their gold medal victory two days later, with a 4-2 victory over Finland.

The three gold medals will be displayed at the Lake Placid Olympic Center, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado and the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in Minnesota.

Inside the White House, a majority of the team members attended the signing, decked out in pristine white cowboy hats. 1980 Olympic team captain Mike Eruzione said these were replicas of the hats they wore at the opening ceremony of the 1980 Games. He gave one to Trump and Trump put it on. Stefanik also said she got a hat.

The Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act passed through the House and Senate in September with bipartisan support.

Stefanik initially co-sponsored a bill to do this in 2024, and co-lead the bill that was reintroduced in January and passed in September.

The bill was first introduced in the House by Republican Minnesota Rep. Peter Stauber, a semi-professional hockey player, who played for the now-defunct Adirondack Red Wings based in Glens Falls in the 1990s.

In the Senate, it was introduced by Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota. New York’s Democratic U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer was among the nine original co-sponsors of the bill, later joined by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York.

Trump’s signature on Friday made it official.

“This was one of the biggest moments I’ve ever seen in sports, and I like sports,” he said.

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Team reaction

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“I can’t believe I’m here,” forward Neal Broten said.

“We’re a bunch of proud Americans,” defenseman Jack O’Callahan said.

Tarja Lewis, the daughter of forward Mark Pavelich who died in 2021, said she was “at a loss for words.”

Ryan Suter, the son of defenseman Bob Suter who died in 2014, said it was a “true honor” to be accepted as part of the team by his father’s teammates.

Ryan, who played in the NHL, declined to answer Trump when asked how he thought he compared to his father one the ice. He said his dad was tougher.

“Good genetics,” Trump said.

John Wells, the brother of forward Mark Wells, who died in 2024 said, “I know he’s looking down with a big smile on his face.”

Defenseman Ken Morrow said the 1980 game was where the “U-S-A” chant started. The chant was first documented in 1918 but was not popularized until his team won against Czechoslovakia in the 1980 Games.

“I tried to take credit for that,” Trump said.

Goalie Jim Craig said he was proud of the recognition and thanked Trump for his “courage” in making the country safe again.

Goalie Steve Janaszak, who backed up Craig, described himself as the “luckiest guy on this team.”

“I know goaltending and (Craig) did an awesome job,” Janaszak said.

Forward Dave Silk said he was “honored.”

Forward Rob McClanahan said it was an honor to be on this team.

“This is awesome,” defenseman Mike Ramsey said.

Forward Dave Christian said it was a privilege to be there with “the greatest teammates anyone could have.”

“Well … I didn’t know we had to talk,” forward Phil Verchota said. “The award is beyond what I can imagine.”

Dan Brooks, the son of the team’s coach, Herb Brooks, said his dad believed in his players and his country.

“I knew him a little bit,” Trump said.

Trump was impressed that forward Buzz Schneider made the first goal with a 50-foot slapshot.

“That’s a big slapshot,” Trump exclaimed. “How the hell did that happen?”

“The pass came across the ice, I caught it going the other way, so I just buried it,” Schneider said.

Forwards Mark Johnson, Steve Christoff, Eric Strobel and John Harrington were not in attendance.

The team surrounding Trump spoke one by one in a line, describing how incredible the experience was. When suddenly the order landed on FBI Director Kash Patel, who was in attendance, Trump told him, “I didn’t know you were on that team.”

Twelve of the players on the team hail from Minnesota, which Trump picked up on as they were introducing himself.

“So many people from Minnesota,” he said.

Defenseman Bill Baker said that probably doesn’t ring well to Trump right now.

Recent reports have revealed that around 60 people in Minnesota’s Somalian diaspora store around $1 billion in state funding through companies that received state aid to provide social services, but never actually provided the assistance the money was meant for.

“Do we have any Somalians on the team?” Trump asked.

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Tied forever

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Stefanik, who has been vocal in support of the 1980 players and even referenced the event in her first House floor speech on the 35th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice, said this is a much-deserved recognition for these players.

She has spoken with many of them before. She said the miracle tied this group of people together for life, tied their families together for generations and tied all of them to Lake Placid.

Some of them visit Lake Placid several times a year. On Friday, some of them told her their kids attend local colleges and they spoke about their love of Stewart’s Shops.

Their victory nearly 46 years ago shone a spotlight on the North Country for the world to see, Stefanik said.

Pete Stauber said it changed the game of hockey. His younger brother Rob, who was in the room, was the coach for the 2018 women’s team which won gold at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Eruzione said the gold medal was incredible. This was “frosting on the cake.”

“This is it guys,” he said. “I don’t think there’s anything else we can get.”

Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer said the team “set the tone” for the whole country.

“It was the beginning of the great comeback,” he said.

“Most of these people are too young to remember that,” he said, gesturing to the press pool.

One member of the press said he remembers the game and asked Eruzione what it meant to beat the Soviets in the semifinal game.

Eruzione said they didn’t realize the sociopolitical importance of the game at the time. All they knew is it gave them a shot to play for the gold.

“If we didn’t beat Finland (in the final game), we’re not having this conversation today,” he said, adding that if they lost the gold-medal game, they wouldn’t be there in the White House.

“I would NOT have invited you,” Trump said with a laugh.

In the end, the Soviets took the silver medal, and Swedish team earned the bronze.

“I believe that victory led to geopolitical outcomes with the fall of communism in the Soviet Union, and really epitomizes what it means to be an American,” Stefanik previously said in a statement.

A reporter asked if this game against the odds could be a lesson for Ukraine, which was part of the Soviet Union and is currently being invaded by Russia in a nearly four-year-long war.

Trump said it is similar and said he’s trying to make a deal between the two countries.

A peace plan is being discussed. Trump is pushing for Ukraine to cede more land to Russia in the agreement to end the war. Ukraine is pushing to hold onto land it currently controls, including in the Donbas, in the deal, as well as demanding guarantees of protection from any future Russian aggression.

There’s “a lot of death” there right now, Trump said, adding that, in October alone, 25,000 Russian soldiers were killed.

He campaigned on ending this war “in a day” and admitted on Friday that he thought it would be easier.

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Ceremony in Lake Placid expected

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Bronze duplicates of the medals will also be created by the Treasury to be sold to cover the cost of creating the gold ones.

Earlier this year, Sefanik said the actual minting of the medals can take up to a year. When it is installed, she anticipates there will be another ceremony in Lake Placid.

In a little more than a year, she won’t be the North Country’s congresswoman anymore as she’s running for governor of New York state in the 2026 election. Stefanik said she hopes to be at the ceremony as the governor.

“She’s got a hell of a shot at it,” Trump said.

He said she’s got a little competition against “a very good Republican” — Bruce Blakeman, who announced his candidacy earlier in the week — and added that Stefanik is a “great Republican.”

The explosive reaction to the U.S. victory in 1980 gave the win its infamous name when ABC sportscaster Al Michaels shouted the words, “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” at the end of the game.

The Congressional Gold Medal is the nation’s oldest award for civilians, with the first medal awarded to George Washington in 1776.

They are given to a range of individuals, from soldiers and politicians to inventors and celebrities.

To date, 190 medals have been issued.

In 2024, medals were awarded to the Dustoff Crews of the Vietnam War; tennis player Billie Jean King; the Forgotten Heroes of the Holocaust, Shirley Chrisholm, the first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress; the Army Signal Corps “Hello Girls” who served during World War II and Navy officer Everett Alvarez Jr., who endured one of the longest periods as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War.