Heart attack kills 'Miracle on Ice' player Bob Suter

Bob Suter
Bob Suter, far right, with U.S. Olympic Ice Hockey teammates (left-right) Michael Eruzione, Phil Verchota, and John Harrington, at the Olympic village on Feb. 10, 1980 in Lake Placid, N.Y.
AP

Bob Suter, a defensemen on the legendary "Miracle on Ice" 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team that defeated the Soviet Union, has died.

Suter, 57, collapsed with a heart attack at a hockey arena in Madison, Wisconsin, according to news reports.

He's the first player on that gold medal Olympic team to have died. Coach Herb Brooks was killed in a car accident in 2003.

Suter was a scout for the Minnesota Wild NHL team. His son, Ryan, plays for the Wild. The team on Tuesday extended its condolences to the Suter family. "Not only was Bob a great hockey ambassador, he was a terrific person off the ice who will be greatly missed by all of us," the team said.

The victory over the Soviet Union led to the U.S. beating Finland for the 1980 Olympic gold medal. It's the defeat of the feared USSR team that made the team famous.

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