Iconic ‘Miracle on Ice’ Lensman Heinz Kluetmeier Passes Away at 82

Renowned and impactful Sports Illustrated photographer Heinz Kluetmeier passed away on January 14, 2025, at the age of 82 due to complications from Parkinson’s disease.

Kluetmeier is best recognized for capturing an iconic photograph of the “Miracle on Ice” during the 1980 Winter Olympics held in Lake Placid, New York—an event regarded as a pivotal moment in American sports history.

His extraordinary image stands out as the only one to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated without any accompanying caption, and in 2014, readers voted it the publication’s most iconic cover ever.

Team USA’s unlikely 4-3 triumph over the mighty Soviet Union hockey squad on February 22, 1980, at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, New York, is still one of the most astounding upsets in not just American sports history, but in the history of sports overall. The victory resonated deeply during the Cold War era, uniting Americans in pride.

“For millions, the image that will linger from the Lake Placid Games is the uncontainable joy of the U.S. hockey team after their 4-3 victory over the Soviet Union last Friday night,” noted E.M. Swift for SI in 1980. The enduring image referred to by Swift? Heinz Kluetmeier was the one who captured it.

In 2008, when asked about his most unforgettable Olympic photograph, Kluetmeier answered, “I would say it has to be the Olympic hockey image from Lake Placid. That’s the only cover we ever published without any cover text. It was unnecessary. Everyone in America understood what occurred.”

The German-born photographer, who was raised in Milwaukee, covered nearly every Olympic Games from 1972 up until his retirement in 2016. He achieved over a hundred covers for Sports Illustrated and had two separate terms as the magazine’s director of photography.

In addition to being widely recognized for capturing the Miracle on Ice, Kluetmeier was also acclaimed for his innovative photographic methods and gear. He established remote cameras at the finish line during the 1980 Moscow Olympics—both summer and winter games were held in that same year. At that point, he was the sole photographer with such a remote camera system. He was also the first to deploy underwater cameras for swimming events during the 1992 Olympics.

Heinz Kluetmeier received a Lifetime Achievement award at the Lucie Awards in 2007. The Lucie Awards highlight that Kluetmeier nurtured his passion for photography from a very early age, beginning his career with the Associated Press at just 15 years old.

“I believe the technique and technical aspects are entirely irrelevant to the image regarding what you accomplish as a photographer. The key element is to possess a vision, to feel emotionally invested, to care about your subject, and to already have something in your heart and eye,” Kluetmeier expressed.