Jim Craig was one of the heroes of the 1980 United States Olympic hockey team, which captured the spirit of a nation in defeating the Soviet Union at that year’s Winter Games in Lake Placid.
35 years later, Craig is doing what several of his teammates before him have already done: selling his ‘Miracle on Ice’ memorabilia. Unlike several of his teammates before him, though, he’s not doing because he needs the money. He has a successful motivational speaking business called Gold Medal Strategies, and he charges upwards of $20,000 to appear. He’s probably doing OK.
Instead, he’s asking for $5.7 million for the lot of his Olympic memorabilia — including the jersey he wore during the ‘Miracle’ and his gold medal — to help his children and grandchildren in their financial security (like Mike Eruzione did), and he hopes that whoever buys the items will continue to display them to the public as he has. Via CBS:
“I’ve decided to sell my ‘Miracle on Ice’ collection so my children and grandchildren will be financially secure in the future,” Craig said in a statement through Lelands. “Additionally, proceeds from the sale will also benefit several charities that are close to my heart. Over the years I’ve loaned my Olympic memorabilia to museums and other venues so it could be accessible to fans to enjoy and it is my hope that whoever purchases this will do the same.”
Let’s take a look at what Craig has up for sale.
- Jim Craig’s 980 Olympic Gold Medal: $1.5 million
- The flag Craig wrapped around himself after winning gold: $1 million
- Uniform from the win against the Soviet Union: $1 million
- Uniform from the win against Finland for gold: $500,000
- Jim Craig’s goalie mask from the 1980 Olympics: $250,000
In total there are 19 items, and you can see the whole collection over at Lelands. You can also buy it there if you have way too much money.
