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Mike Eruzione hoping to score cash

YOU DON'T have to believe in miracles to own the jersey Mike Eruzione wore - and the stick he used - in the U.S.'s 4-3 win over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y.

You don't have to believe in miracles to own the jersey Mike Eruzione wore - and the stick he used - in the U.S.'s 4-3 win over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y. (John-Marshall Mantel/AP)
You don't have to believe in miracles to own the jersey Mike Eruzione wore - and the stick he used - in the U.S.'s 4-3 win over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y. (John-Marshall Mantel/AP)Read more
    by TOM MAHON
    Published 

YOU DON'T have to believe in miracles to own the jersey Mike Eruzione wore - and the stick he used - in the U.S.'s 4-3 win over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y.

The items will, according to SportsCollectorsDaily.com, be auctioned at Heritage Auction's Winter Platinum Night in Manhattan in February.

The U.S. captain used the stick to score the game-winner in the medal-round game that has become known as the "Miracle on Ice."

According to the website, the white No. 21 jersey is estimated to be worth $1 million. The stick's estimated value is $100,000.

The 58-year-old Eruzione, now a motivational speaker, is also auctioning the blue jersey he wore in the gold-medal game against Finland. That's estimated at $200,000.

No word on why he's auctioning the items.

Rad pads

When the NFL owners meet in Dallas on Wednesday, they are expected to address an issue they've already voted on: Requiring all players to wear thigh and knee pads next season.

Representatives from Nike and Under Armour will be present to show off the new pads, which are expected to look as good as they feel.

"For some players, they need to pass the mirror test," Ray Anderson, the NFL's executive vice president of football operations, told Fox Sports. "They like to look good, look sleek. They want to move unencumbered. It was important for us to address the performance and the aesthetics of the new pads."

Wonder what Chuck Bednarik thinks about the "aesthetics" of knee pads?

According to Fox Sports, a 2010 survey showed that only 30 percent of players wear the pads, with linebackers, wide receivers, defensive linemen and d-backs the least likely to do so.

"For over a year we have been getting input, including from players, on what the padding will be like," Anderson said. "But starting in 2013, thigh and knee pads will be required, like they were before 1994."