Olympic hockey great Mike Eruzione slammed US skier Hunter Hess for dissing the Stars and Stripes while on the press podium in Milan.
Hess, 27, sparked fury when he said he had “mixed emotions” about representing the US at the Olympics on Friday, which didn’t sit well with the captain of the legendary 1980 US Olympic hockey team, which shockingly upset Russia at the height of the Cold War.
“Hunter Hess US snowboarder saying he doesn’t represent his country but his family and friends. Then don’t put on the USA uniform maybe just put for family and friends,” Eruzione wrote on X Saturday.
“Some athletes just don’t get it.”
Eruzione, nicknamed “Rizzo,” scored the game-winning goal in the historic game dubbed the “Miracle on Ice.”
Hess’ remarks roiled tons of patriots across social media, some of whom vowed to boycott the Winter Games.
Rep. Byron Donalds also sounded off on the mealy-mouthed diss of Uncle Sam.
Hunter Hess US snowboarder saying he doesn’t represent his country but his family and friends. Then don’t put on the USA uniform maybe just put for family and friends some athletes just don’t get it
— MIKE ERUZIONE (@MERUZIONE) February 7, 2026
“YOU chose to wear our flag. YOU chose to represent our country. YOU chose to compete at the @Olympics,” Donalds (R-Fla.) wrote on X. “If that’s too hard for you, then GO HOME. Some things are bigger than politics. You just don’t get it.”
Hess, an Oregon native, has been a member of the US national team since 2017.
“It’s a little hard, there’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of and I think a lot of people aren’t,” he said during the Friday presser.
“Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the US.”
