From left, sculptor Rob Eccleston, Friends of the 1980 Miracle on Ice Hockey Team Corp. Chair Jeff Potter and Vice Chair Katie Million, and Uihlein Foundation CEO James McKenna pose during a check presentation at the Olympic Center on Friday. (Enterprise photo — Grace McIntyre)

LAKE PLACID — For those who were there, the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” was an unforgettable moment. Many of those people are working to make sure it stays that way for generations to come.

Lake Placid Deputy Mayor Jackie Kelly, who was in the building but not at the game, still gets emotional just thinking about that night. It’s hard to even think of a word to capture the feeling.

“Excitement doesn’t even do it. It was monumental,” she said. “It was a moment in history that needs to be commemorated for every generation. And it’s become the lifeblood of Lake Placid.”

A long-awaited effort to memorialize the 1980 Miracle on Ice in sculpture form is now underway, and fundraising for the project launched on Friday with the announcement of the Uihlein Foundation as the first major donor.

The project is a collaboration between the Olympic Regional Development Authority and the volunteer-based nonprofit Friends of the 1980 Miracle on Ice Hockey Team Corp., which is leading the fundraising. The organization is looking to raise $5.2 million to fund the sculpture, with the goal of completing it for the 50th anniversary of the 1980 Olympic Winter Games, which will be in February 2023.

The sculpture is being created by Rob Eccleston, who is currently based in Colorado but has lived in Lake Placid and worked as a resident sculptor here. Jeff Potter, president of the Friends of the 1980 Miracle on Ice Hockey Team Corp., said part of the reason they chose Eccleston, in addition to his local connection, was his attention to detail.

The design for the statue was decided in collaboration with the members of the 1980 team, Eccleston said. They put forward two options. One was to depict the team in their hockey jerseys — so that their names could be shown — and the other design was based on the famous photo of the team crowding onto the podium. They chose the latter.

“They unanimously said, ‘It’s not about us, it’s about the team,'” Eccleston said. “‘It’s about the United States Olympic team, and we want the USA to be highlighted, not our individual names.'”

In this same spirit of humility, he said the team insisted that there be a sculpture honoring Eric Heiden. There are also plans for a Herb Brooks statue.

The life-size sculpture will be prominently featured in front of the Olympic Center, in the location of the historic Arena Grill, where the crowd celebrated the defeat of the Soviet team by climbing on the roof. The sculpture will include the full podium, which is expected to be a popular photo opportunity for hockey teams and other visitors.

Uihlein Foundation CEO James McKenna said this project fits underneath one of the foundation’s overarching goals, which is to support winter sports in the area. Henry Uihlein was passionate about winter sports and played a key role in bringing them to the area, sponsoring both events and individual athletes.

“The foundation has done many things over the years to reaffirm that and continue the legacy of Henry Uihlein,” McKenna said. “He would be quite happy today seeing this happen.”

Katie Million, vice chair of the friends group, said they welcome gifts of all sizes and hope the fundraising effort will draw support from around the country. The project website, 1980miraclemonument.org, includes updates on the project, links to the PayPal account and contact information to inquire about donations or sponsorship.

It’s not just the fundraising process that will take five years. The sculpture itself is being created with a long process that includes meticulous attention to detail. Eccleston just finished the fourth figure out of the 20 total team members, which will then be digitally processed and cast in bronze.

“Of course, they didn’t win a bronze medal,” Eccleston said, adding that the ultimate goal would be to cover the sculpture in gold patina or gold leaf.

Former ORDA CEO Ted Blazer hopes the statue will be a tangible, enduring reminder of that moment, which came at another difficult time in the U.S.

“It just brought so much unity, and you can’t forget that,” he said. “We don’t want any more generations to go by and not realize the significance of that moment … it’s not going to go away.”