The $549,000 sale of Herb Brooks' 1980 "Miracle on Ice" coaching ring represents a significant piece of hockey history changing hands. Heritage Auctions facilitated the transaction for the ten-karat yellow gold ring that symbolizes the legendary coach's role in leading the US team to victory over the Soviet Union at Lake Placid.

Brooks' brother David originally purchased the ring in 2015 for just over $113,000 before consigning it once more this year. The ring features five diamonds, Brooks' name, and the results from the Soviet Union match (4-3) and Finland (4-2). As coaches don't receive Olympic medals, this gold ring served as Brooks' only official award for the historic victory.

The auction price fell short of Mike Eruzione's game-winning jersey from the same 1980 Olympics, which holds the record for Olympic hockey memorabilia at $657,250. Brooks, who played on two US Olympic teams before coaching Minnesota to three NCAA championships, died in 2003 and was posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame three years later.