H.R. 452: Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act
Sponsor
Pete Stauber
Republican · MN-8
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Dec 12, 2025
Became Public Law No: 119-53.
College kids beat the Soviets. Congress made it official.
Why it matters
34.2 million Americans watched a team of amateur college players beat the Soviet Union in 1980, according to the bill's findings. H.R. 452 turns that upset into three Congressional Gold Medals you can go see in Lake Placid, Minnesota, and Colorado.
H.R. 452 awards 3 Congressional Gold Medals to the 1980 U.S. Olympic men's ice hockey team. According to the bill's findings, that roster of amateur college players beat the defending champion Soviet Union 4–3 on February 22, 1980, then beat Finland 4–2 to win America's first men's Olympic hockey gold since 1960.
This is a ceremonial bill, but it makes a bigger case for why the moment stuck. The bill's findings cite 34.2 million average TV viewers for the Soviet game, note the Soviets had won four straight Olympic golds dating to 1964, and argue the win lifted American spirits during a rough Cold War stretch of gas lines, hostages in Iran, and high inflation.
The findings also tie that night to how the sport grew. They say USA Hockey registrations climbed nearly 400%, from 136,000 in 1980 to more than 564,000, and that the number of American-born NHL players rose from 72 in 1980 to 245 in 2024.
The medals don't stay in Washington. One goes to the Lake Placid Olympic Center in New York, one to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame Museum in Eveleth, Minnesota, and one to the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs. Each site has to display its medal and make it available for research.
The Treasury Department designs and strikes the medals. It can also sell bronze copies to the public, but the price has to cover production costs, and that money flows back into the U.S. Mint fund that pays for the whole thing.
H.R. 452 Bill Summary
What H.R. 452 actually does.
Three gold medals for the 1980 team
Congress awards 3 Congressional Gold Medals to the members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic men's ice hockey team for their run at the Lake Placid Winter Games.
The medals go where fans can see them
One medal goes to the Lake Placid Olympic Center, one to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame Museum in Eveleth, Minnesota, and one to the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs. Each site has to display it and make it available for research.
The honor centers on one famous upset
The bill's findings build the case around Team USA's 4–3 win over the Soviet Union, a game the findings say drew 34.2 million average viewers against a team that had won four straight Olympic golds.
The bill argues the game changed the sport
According to the bill's findings, USA Hockey registrations rose from 136,000 to more than 564,000 after 1980, and the number of American-born NHL players grew from 72 in 1980 to 245 in 2024.
You can buy a bronze copy
Treasury may strike and sell bronze duplicates of the gold medals to the public. The sale price has to cover labor, materials, dies, machinery use, and overhead.
The Mint fund covers the cost
The bill sets no fixed dollar amount. It lets the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund pay for the medals, with any bronze-copy revenue deposited back into that same fund.
Who benefits from H.R. 452?
The 20 players on the 1980 roster
The team of college players — Mike Eruzione, Jim Craig, Mark Johnson, Neal Broten, Phil Verchota and 15 teammates — receives one of Congress's highest honors for the Lake Placid gold medal.
Anyone who can visit one of the sites
Rather than keep the tribute in Washington, H.R. 452 places all three medals in public sports institutions in New York, Minnesota, and Colorado where you can go see them in person.
The three museums getting a medal
The Lake Placid Olympic Center, the Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, and the Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs each gain a permanent artifact tied to one of the best-known moments in American sports.
Researchers and hockey historians
All three medals have to be displayed and made available for research, turning the honor into public artifacts connected to a game the bill's findings say drew 34.2 million viewers.
Who is affected by H.R. 452?
The Treasury Department and U.S. Mint
Treasury designs and strikes the medals, and the Mint handles production costs and any bronze-copy sales through its Public Enterprise Fund.
The three display sites
Each location takes on an ongoing duty to keep its medal on display and available for research, not tucked away in storage.
Collectors who want a version of the medal
You can't buy one of the three gold medals. If Treasury strikes bronze copies, those are priced to fully cover production costs — no subsidy.
Congressional leadership
The Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate arrange the formal award on behalf of Congress.
What Congress Is Saying
H.R. 452 cleared both chambers and was presented to the President on Dec 1, 2025.
H.R. 452 also appeared in 1 more House floor reference and 21 routine cosponsor filings.
HR452 Legislative Journey
Signed into Law
Dec 12, 2025
Became Public Law No: 119-53.
+3 more actions this day
Action Taken
Dec 1, 2025
Presented to President.
House: Vote Held
Sep 15, 2025
On motion that the House suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to by voice vote.
Action Taken
Sep 9, 2025
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Passed
Sep 8, 2025
Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR S6439)
+4 more actions this day
Committee Action
Apr 29, 2025
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
House: Vote: 1633-1634
Apr 28, 2025
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H1633-1634)
House: Committee Action
Jan 15, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
About the Sponsor
Pete Stauber
Republican, Minnesota's 8th congressional district · 7 years in Congress
Committees: Small Business, Natural Resources, Transportation and Infrastructure
View full profile →
Cosponsors at time of passage (299)
This bill has 299 cosponsors: 107 Democrats, 193 Republicans, reflecting bipartisan support. Cosponsors represent 48 states: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, and 45 more.
Lisa McClain
Republican · MI
Mike Quigley
Democrat · IL
William Keating
Democrat · MA
Warren Davidson
Republican · OH
Jeff Crank
Republican · CO
Ralph Norman
Republican · SC
Charles Fleischmann
Republican · TN
Mike Bost
Republican · IL
Julie Fedorchak
Republican · ND
Troy Nehls
Republican · TX
Brian Babin
Republican · TX
Ken Calvert
Republican · CA
Cosponsor Coverage Map
Committee Sponsors
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee
0 of 24 committee members cosponsored at the time
No committee members have cosponsored this bill
Financial Services Committee
39 of 53 committee members cosponsored at the time
H.R. 452 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Sports and Recreation
- Introduced
- Jan 15, 2025
Became Public Law No: 119-53.
Dec 12, 2025
Official Sources
Official Congress.gov page for the Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act, including status, actions, text, and Public Law information.
Official GovInfo record for the enacted law version of H.R. 452.
The U.S. Mint page explaining the Congressional Gold Medal program and the bronze duplicates the Mint strikes and sells to the public, as authorized in Section 4 of the bill.
Official U.S. Code chapter referenced by the bill for the legal status of the medals as national medals and numismatic items.
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H.R. 452 Common Questions
What does H.R. 452 do?
It awards 3 Congressional Gold Medals to the 1980 U.S. Olympic men's hockey team — the Miracle on Ice team — and puts each one on public display at a museum or sports site.
Did H.R. 452 become law?
Yes. It became Public Law 119-53 on December 12, 2025, after clearing the House and Senate.
Where will the Miracle on Ice gold medals go?
One goes to the Lake Placid Olympic Center in New York, one to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum in Eveleth, Minnesota, and one to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs.
Can you buy a Miracle on Ice medal?
Not the gold ones. But H.R. 452 lets Treasury strike and sell bronze copies to the public, priced to cover what they cost to make.
Who was on the 1980 Miracle on Ice team?
The bill lists all 20 players, including Mike Eruzione, goalie Jim Craig, Mark Johnson, Neal Broten, and Ken Morrow — a roster of college players coached by Herb Brooks.
Why does the bill say the 1980 team mattered so much?
The bill's findings say the Soviet game drew 34.2 million average viewers, came against a team with four straight Olympic golds, and lifted the country during a tense Cold War stretch.
How much did hockey grow after the Miracle on Ice?
The bill's findings say USA Hockey registrations rose from 136,000 in 1980 to more than 564,000, and American-born NHL players grew from 72 in 1980 to 245 in 2024.
Who pays for the medals in H.R. 452?
The U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund covers the cost, and any money from bronze-copy sales flows back into it. The bill sets no fixed dollar amount.
Based on H.R. 452 bill text
H.R. 452 Bill Text
“To award 3 Congressional Gold Medals to the members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team, in recognition of their extraordinary achievement at the 1980 Winter Olympics where, being comprised of amateur collegiate players, they defeated the dominant Soviet hockey team in the historic “Miracle on Ice”, revitalizing American morale at the height of the Cold War, inspiring generations and transforming the sport of hockey in the United States.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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