MILAN (AP) — Dave Christian got emotional throughout the Winter Olympics watching nephew Brock Nelson play for the U.S., just like he did during the magical run in 1980.
Then it got even better: He got to congratulate Nelson after he became a gold medalist, just like him.
Click to Gallery
United States' hockey players Mark Johnson, left and Bill Baker, right, battle Soviet Union's Vladimir Petrov (16) for the puck during a medal round match at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y., Feb. 22, 1980. (AP Photo/File)
United States players celebrate after scoring during a men's ice hockey gold medal game between Canada and the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
FILE - United States' hockey team pounces on goalie Jim Craig after a 4-3 victory against the Soviet Union in a medal round match at the the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y., Feb. 22, 1980. (AP Photo/File)
United States' Jack Hughes (86) poses with teammates after a men's ice hockey gold medal game between Canada and the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
“Fun to share this with him,” Nelson said after the U.S. beat Canada in overtime 46 years to the day of Christian and his teammates pulling off the “Miracle on Ice” by defeating the heavily favored Soviet Union on the way to gold in Lake Placid in upstate New York.
Christian and Mike Eruzione, the captain of the 1980 team, were in attendance at Milano Santagiulia Arena to witness just the third U.S. men's hockey gold medal in history. Eruzione had been around the team before, including a dinner at the 4 Nations Face-Off a year ago in Montreal, and has been willing to dole out advice whenever current players ask.
He just doesn't want their accomplishment to be overshadowed too much by looking back nearly a half-century to what Eruzione and Co. did.
“I’m happy for them,” Eruzione told The Associated Press by phone. “It’s got nothing to do with me or the 1980 Olympic team. I think my teammates and I are just proud at what these guys did and congratulations to them. They’re part of the family. They joined the gold medal club.”
It's a different time than 1980, and the game is viewed very differently in the U.S. Back then, on Feb. 22, 1980, the U.S. win over the Soviets was aired on tape-delay. This win, on Feb. 22, 2026, was aired live, though the broadcast started at 8 a.m. Eastern on a Sunday.
Doesn't matter. America was awake for it. Many bars and restaurants around the country were jammed, including in Lake Placid. America wanted to see 1980 happen again — and while this was no miracle, the drama delivered.
“I think every single person in that game can be proud,” said Jack Hughes, who scored the winning goal like Eruzione did. "Just a great game between USA and Canada.”
Milan is obviously also a different setting than Lake Placid, but U.S. players stayed in the athletes' village in Italy — unlike Canada, which moved to a hotel — and soaked up the full experience of the NHL being in the Olympics for the first time since 2014.
“We just really embraced the full Olympic aspect of it,” captain Auston Matthews said. “From the village to everything, we just had a blast for two weeks. To come out with a gold medal it’s obviously an incredible feeling but I'll definitely remember the whole two weeks.”
That 1980 team was famously made up of players largely from Minnesota and Boston. This team showed how much the game has grown in the U.S.
This team had plenty of players with Massachusetts and Minnesota ties, sure, but there were players from Missouri, New York, Ohio, Connecticut, Alaska, Colorado, Montana and more.
“Auston Matthews is from Arizona,” Eruzione said. “That wouldn’t have happened in ’80.”
He’s certain the 1980 team sparked growth within the game in the U.S. He’s just as certain that the two golds in Milan -- “the ladies, too,” Eruzione said -- will get even more kids to say they want to play hockey.
“Dating back to 1980, it’s been a long time,” center Jack Eichel said. "I know the 1980 team did and what that meant for generations that came after in USA Hockey. We wrote our own story here. It’s a really proud moment for every guy in that room, every person that’s a part of the team.’’
Reynolds reported from Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
United States' hockey players Mark Johnson, left and Bill Baker, right, battle Soviet Union's Vladimir Petrov (16) for the puck during a medal round match at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y., Feb. 22, 1980. (AP Photo/File)
United States players celebrate after scoring during a men's ice hockey gold medal game between Canada and the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
FILE - United States' hockey team pounces on goalie Jim Craig after a 4-3 victory against the Soviet Union in a medal round match at the the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y., Feb. 22, 1980. (AP Photo/File)
United States' Jack Hughes (86) poses with teammates after a men's ice hockey gold medal game between Canada and the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump arrived at Madison Square Garden prior to Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to attend a game in the basketball league's championship series.
Trump’s Marine One helicopter flew from his home in New Jersey and landed near Wall Street before his motorcade made its way up through Manhattan and to the arena roughly an hour before tipoff. He encountered a handful of people making rude gestures, and outside the area, one group held signs saying “Trump must go.”
He settled into a suite shortly afterward.
During the afternoon before Trump's arrival, the New York Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service set up a large perimeter surrounding Madison Square Garden. Fans lined up to get inside the arena more than four hours before tipoff, in a scene more closely resembling New Year’s Eve in Times Square than the usual leadup to a basketball game.
They were required to provide a ticket or pass to get past various checkpoints, along with passing through a Transportation Security Administration-style magnetometer. Secret Service personnel and police were positioned at every corner and in large numbers. Daily commuters, tourists visiting Manhattan and fans were all confounded at various times as they tried to maneuver the security.
After traveling from his new home in Florida for the game, Knicks fan Greg Weldon said the main inconvenience faced so far has been the lack of information.
“We’ve asked so many cops, secret service, guys with machine guns, what to do, where should we go,” he said. “Nobody knows.”
Knicks coach Mike Brown and Spurs counterpart Mitch Johnson downplayed any concept of being inconvenienced by the closures and enhanced security because of Trump.
“There’s a lot going on, and I’d much rather be a part of it than not,” Johnson said.
With security stepped up, a watch party outside was canceled, and ticket-holders were not allowed to bring bags inside the Garden. Fans had gathered near the arena to watch games during this playoff run, during which the Knicks have won 13 games in a row to reach the final for the first time since 1999 and move two victories from their first NBA title since 1973.
“We are looking forward to bringing back watch parties for Game 4,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference Monday. "But I think New Yorkers are used to presidents coming to town, and they understand that that generally means lockdowns of areas and that’s what you’re going to see tonight at the Garden.”
This is the latest in major sporting event Trump has attended during his time as president, and the security measures have created major hassles for fans.
Thousands of fans missed the start of last year’s U.S. Open men’s singles final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner because of lengthy security lines. Even though the U.S. Tennis Association pushed back the start of the match by a half-hour, many fans still couldn’t get in because added measures meant that they had to go through screening not only when they arrived at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center but again in front of the steps into Arthur Ashe Stadium, where Trump watched from a suite.
Asked Sunday his thoughts on Trump attending, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson said: “Cool, I guess. We can still get out there and play (no matter) who’s here and who’s not.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other dignitaries are also expected to be at the game.
It was already hard enough for Knicks fans to get inside Madison Square Garden because of astronomical ticket prices. The get-in price for a ticket is higher than the average cost of monthly rent in New York, surging over $5,000. The best seats are tens of thousands of dollars. Mamdani said he bought his ticket, which he said was standing-room-only, for about $1,000 directly from Madison Square Garden.
The difficulty of seeing the game in-person has prompted fans to crowd bars, streets and watch parties all over the city. The watch party near the Garden has become a major event all through the playoffs, but with Trump attending, that event was moved a few blocks away outside the security perimeter, at Bryant Park.
“We improvise,” said Knicks guard Jose Alvarado, who is a New York native. "We're New Yorkers. We’re going to find a way to watch a game, and that’s what we’re doing.”
AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney contributed to this report.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
NYPD officers escort the motorcade of President Donald Trump outside of Madison Square Garden ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
New York Knicks fans wait in line to enter Madison Square Garden ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Monday, June 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Madison Square Garden ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Monday, June 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Secret Service agents stand guard in front of Madison Square Garden ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Monday, June 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
The motorcade of President Donald Trump arrives to Madison Square Garden ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
A Secret Service agent stands watch outside Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, June 8, 2026, as President Donald Trump is set to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)
Security fencing is set up outside of Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, June 8, 2026, as President Donald Trump is set to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)
Security is set up outside of Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, June 8, 2026, as President Donald Trump is set to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)
FILE - President Donald Trump, center, attends the men's singles final at the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Sept. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
A traveler tries to navigate the area as stringent security measures are set up outside of Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, June 8, 2026, as President Donald Trump is set to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)
FILE - Donald Trump, right, talks to an unidentified man from the stands at Madison Square Garden during the New York Knicks game against the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 11, 2006, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
President Donald Trump speaks at Custer Farms in Chippewa Falls, Wis., Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Glen Stubbe)
