'Miracle on Ice' star rips American Olympian over remarks about representing Team USA

Mike Eruzione, an American Olympic golden medalist who played a large relation successful the team’s "Miracle connected Ice" infinitesimal successful 1980, blasted Team USA skier Hunter Hess connected Saturday.

Eruzione responded to Hess’ arguable remarks astir representing the U.S. connected the satellite signifier astatine this year’s Olympic Games. Hess, and teammate Chris Lillis, expressed dismay astir wearing the Stars and Stripes amid contention implicit the Trump administration’s usage of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) successful the country.

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American hockey subordinate Mike Eruzione #21 of Team USA shakes hands with the Russian squad during an 1980 accumulation crippled against the Soviet Union connected Feb. 9, 1980 astatine the Madison Square Garden successful New York, New York. (Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images)

"Hunter Hess US snowboarder saying helium doesn’t correspond his state but his household and friends," Eruzione wrote connected X. "Then don’t enactment connected the USA azygous possibly conscionable enactment for household and friends. Some athletes conscionable don’t get it."

Eruzione aboriginal deleted the post.

Lillis and Hess’ statements caused important backlash connected societal media.

Lillis said that portion helium "would never" privation to correspond different state successful the Games, he’s "heartbroken" implicit the administration’s actions.

"I emotion the USA. I would ne'er privation to correspond a antithetic state successful the Olympics. With that being said, a batch of times, athletes are hesitant to speech astir governmental views and however we consciousness astir things.

Team USA guardant Auston Matthews (34) and erstwhile hockey subordinate Mike Eruzione and erstwhile hockey subordinate Wayne Gretzky and Team Canada guardant Sidney Crosby (87) during the 4 Nations Face-Off crystal hockey title crippled astatine TD Garden connected Feb. 20, 2025. (Brian Fluharty/Imagn Images)

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"I consciousness heartbroken astir what’s happening successful the United States. I’m beauteous definite you’re referencing ICE and immoderate of the protests and things similar that," helium continued. "I deliberation that, arsenic a country, we request to absorption connected respecting everybody’s rights and making definite that we’re treating our citizens arsenic good arsenic anybody, with emotion and respect. I anticipation that erstwhile radical look astatine athletes vie successful the Olympics, they recognize that that’s the America we’re trying to represent."

Hess echoed that sentiment but took it further, saying helium has "mixed emotions" astir representing the U.S. successful these Games.

"It brings up mixed emotions to correspond the U.S. close now, I think. It’s a small hard. There’s evidently a batch going connected that I’m not the biggest instrumentality of, and I deliberation a batch of radical aren’t.

"I think, for me, it’s much I’m representing my friends and household backmost home, the radical that represented it earlier me, each the things that I judge are bully astir the U.S. If it aligns with my motivation values, I consciousness similar I’m representing it. Just due to the fact that I’m wearing the emblem doesn't mean I correspond everything that’s going connected successful the U.S.

Hunter Hess reacts during the men’s skis halfpipe last astatine the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix astatine Aspen Snowmass Ski Resort successful Aspen, Colorado. It happened connected Jan. 9, 2026. (Dustin Satloff/U.S. Ski and Snowboard/Getty Images)

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"I conscionable benignant of privation to bash it for my friends and my household and the radical that enactment maine getting here."

Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.

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