There may be no more iconic sports moment in American history than the Miracle on Ice, when a scrappy crew of college hockey players took down the unbeatable Russian squad in the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid. Now you can own a piece of that history in one of the more unique auction items we have seen, one that will surely make for a fantastic man cave item.
The rink boards from the 1980 Olympics are being auctioned off by Lelands with a reserve price of $25,000, along with the benches and penalty boxes. The auction date is set for June 17 and 9:00 p.m. eastern, so you still have time to place your bid.
Here is the full item description from the team’s auction page;
We offer here the actual Olympic Center hockey rink boards from the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. In the most stunning upset in sports history called the “Miracle On Ice”, the underdog USA squad rolled over the mighty Russians and went on to defeat Finland in the Gold Medal match. The one and only “do you believe in miracles” moment, but the crowd’s rhythmic cries of “USA USA USA” was thought by many to usher in a new era of good feeling in America, putting to rest the years of Vietnam and Watergate, as a surge of patriotism seemed to emerge from that arena that week. This auction lot will include the complete set of boards that encircled the ice surface, the glass that topped it, the benches and the penalty boxes. The boards continued to be used after the 1980 Olympic games and do not bear the original signage, although ample available photo references would make restoration simple. They bear advertising proclaiming “Home of the 1980 Winter Olympic Games.” Lelands will be happy to work with the successful bidder to arrange shipping of the disassembled rink from its present location in Minnesota where it has been stored for the past twenty years. Amazing commercial potential. It could be broken up and sold commercially perhaps as an autograph device or used commercially as a historic never to be duplicated tourist or commercial attraction. The marketing potential is endless.
I don’t know about you, but I just got some chills just reading the item description. Unfortunately, I do not have an extra $25,000 just floating around to bid on a full Olympic hockey rink. It would look pretty sweet in my backyard though. Maybe you can make it a part of your home instead. Personally, I believe this rink belongs in a museum.
The rink is currently residing in a museum, of course. As noted by Puck Daddy, it is sitting unassembled in the Olympic Museum in Lake Placid. So, obviously, some assembly is required. It may be worth it.
