Jim Craig

Jim Craig

Keynote Speaker: Gold Medal Olympian, Inspiration for Disney Film "Miracle," Entrepreneur, Sales & Marketing Executive

Jim Craig Biography

Jim Craig is best known as the backbone of the 1980 Olympic Gold Medal Hockey Team, whose ‘Miracle’ win was voted by Sports Illustrated as the greatest moment in sports history of the 20th century. Craig, who started every game in goal, was a leading figure in the team’s success. One of the enduring images of the 1980 Games was of Craig, wrapped in an American flag, searching the stands for his widowed father in order to share the gold-medal-winning victory.

Before the Olympics, Craig was an All-American goalie at Boston University, leading his team to a NCAA national championship. After the ‘Miracle’ game, Craig went on to play professionally for three NHL teams, where he sustained a career-ending injury while playing for the Minnesota North Stars. He is enshrined in the Boston University Hall of Fame, the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame, the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, and the United States Olympic Hall of Fame and is a co-recipient of both the Lester Patrick award and the Sports Illustrated "Sportsman of the Year" award. He is also a graduate of Boston University and earned his doctorate in humane letters from Mercy College.

Following Craig’s professional hockey career, he transitioned his success into the corporate world as a motivational speaker, powerful salesman and corporate consultant. He has been inducted into the Sales Halls of Fame for two different companies, having increased a sales territory from $300,000 to $50 million in annual sales. Following this role, Craig moved on to become the Vice President of a promotional marketing agency. Under his guidance, the agency increased annual dollar sales by 80 percent and its number of clients by 30 percent in just two short years.

For more than 35 years, Craig has inspired, instructed and provided strategic and winning direction to some of the most prestigious companies across the world, including Kellogg's, Bayer, Deloitte, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, and Disney, as the successful owner and president of his company, Gold Medal Strategies. Craig has been selected three times as one of the top five speakers on team building in the United States, and has evolved to not only deliver motivational speeches, but host immersive corporate training programs that teach participants how to think differently and believe in their possibilities. Craig is the co-author of the highly acclaimed business book, "Gold Medal Strategies: Business Lessons from America's Miracle Team" and recently released his newest book and legacy piece, "We Win! Lessons on Life, Business & Building Your Own Miracle Team." In addition to his role with Gold Medal Strategies, Craig serves as a board member of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, and he has a passion for leveraging his athletic and business success to help others achieve their full potential and lives in integrity with his mission every day!

Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Jim Craig and other top speakers and celebrities.

Jim Craig Speaking Topics

Innovation and Strategic Change

  • Always be on the lookout and the hunt for better ways to do things
  • What tools and resources are available to help your team win?
  • How Coach Brooks, a supreme innovator and strategist, taught and mentored us to play a revolutionary type of hockey that would enable us to beat the mighty Soviet machine: a hybrid of the bruising and physical Canadian form of play and the speed, fluidity, and finesse of the Eastern European and Soviet game
  • When needed, abandoning the old, unsuccessful, yet comfortable, for the new and uncomfortable, yet what will eventually enable success

Identifying the Right People for the Right Position

  • As Coach Herb Brooks said when building the U.S. 1980 Olympic hockey team: "I'm not looking for the best players - I'm looking for the right ones."
  • Selecting the type of players so that the whole (team) is greater sum of the parts (employees, players)
  • Being on guard against prima donnas and disruptive influences
  • Finding your captain and team leader

Creating Great Groups

  • Instilling in people a sense of destiny and desire to accomplish greatness
  • Maintaining a competitive edge and a view that the team is an underappreciated underdog that will win, shock, and inspire

Self Reliance and Personal Responsibility

  • How do I strive for and achieve personal excellence?
  • How do I stay committed to my personal goals?
  • How do I condition myself to be professionally tough – better than my competitor?

Building a Winning Team and Corporate Culture

  • Recruiting and selecting the right players
  • Inspiring, guiding, and motivating team members to put "team" in front of individual interests
  • Managing and coaching team members to work efficiently and in synchronicity
  • Identifying "diamonds in the rough"

Jim Craig Videos

Al Michaels & Jim Craig Talk 'Miracle on Ice' Anniversary
Jim Craig Interview
Massachusetts native Jim Craig reflects on leading US to Olympic gold

How do I book Jim Craig to speak at my event?

Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Jim Craig for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Jim Craig, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Jim Craig or any other speaker of your choice.

How much does it cost to book Jim Craig for a speaking engagement?

Speaking fees for Jim Craig, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Jim Craig are $30,000 - $50,000 for live events and $20,000 - $30,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Jim Craig, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.

What topics does Jim Craig speak about?

Jim Craig is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Christian Athletes, Business, Inspirational, Olympic Athlete, Personal Growth, Hockey, Family & Parenting, Health, Overcoming Adversity, Peak Performance, Athlete, Teamwork & Teambuilding, Sports Motivation, Success, Authors, Corporate Culture, Sports, Virtual, Motivational, Innovation, Leadership, Sales, Human Resources and Storytelling.

Where does Jim Craig travel from?

Jim Craig generally travels from Massachusetts, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances.

Who is the agent for Jim Craig?

AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Jim Craig for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Jim Craig for your next private or corporate function.

What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Jim Craig or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.

Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.


Jim Craig is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics including Christian Athletes, Business and Inspirational. The estimated speaking fee range to book Jim Craig for live events is $30,000 - $50,000, and for virtual events $20,000 - $30,000. Jim Craig generally travels from Massachusetts, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Eric Boles, Joe Theismann and Rudy Ruettiger. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Jim Craig for an upcoming event.

Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 02/07/2024.

Jim Craig Speaking Topics

  • Innovation and Strategic Change

    • Always be on the lookout and the hunt for better ways to do things
    • What tools and resources are available to help your team win?
    • How Coach Brooks, a supreme innovator and strategist, taught and mentored us to play a revolutionary type of hockey that would enable us to beat the mighty Soviet machine: a hybrid of the bruising and physical Canadian form of play and the speed, fluidity, and finesse of the Eastern European and Soviet game
    • When needed, abandoning the old, unsuccessful, yet comfortable, for the new and uncomfortable, yet what will eventually enable success

  • Identifying the Right People for the Right Position

    • As Coach Herb Brooks said when building the U.S. 1980 Olympic hockey team: "I'm not looking for the best players - I'm looking for the right ones."
    • Selecting the type of players so that the whole (team) is greater sum of the parts (employees, players)
    • Being on guard against prima donnas and disruptive influences
    • Finding your captain and team leader

  • Creating Great Groups

    • Instilling in people a sense of destiny and desire to accomplish greatness
    • Maintaining a competitive edge and a view that the team is an underappreciated underdog that will win, shock, and inspire

  • Self Reliance and Personal Responsibility

    • How do I strive for and achieve personal excellence?
    • How do I stay committed to my personal goals?
    • How do I condition myself to be professionally tough – better than my competitor?

  • Building a Winning Team and Corporate Culture

    • Recruiting and selecting the right players
    • Inspiring, guiding, and motivating team members to put "team" in front of individual interests
    • Managing and coaching team members to work efficiently and in synchronicity
    • Identifying "diamonds in the rough"

Jim Craig Videos

Al Michaels & Jim Craig Talk 'Miracle on Ice' Anniversary
Jim Craig Interview
Massachusetts native Jim Craig reflects on leading US to Olympic gold
Jim Craig - Gold Medal Strategies
Jim Craig on Winning

Jim Craig Reviews

  • Novolex - Oct 20 2022

  • Ingram Micro - Nov 13 2020

  • My experience was far superior to that of working with a similar company recently, thank you!
    Dell Technologies - Aug 14 2020

  • How do I book Jim Craig to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Jim Craig for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Jim Craig, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Jim Craig or any other speaker of your choice.
  • How much does it cost to book Jim Craig for a speaking engagement?

    Speaking fees for Jim Craig, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Jim Craig are $30,000 - $50,000 for live events and $20,000 - $30,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Jim Craig, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Jim Craig speak about?

  • Where does Jim Craig travel from?

    Jim Craig generally travels from Massachusetts, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances.
  • Who is the agent for Jim Craig?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Jim Craig for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Jim Craig for your next private or corporate function.
  • What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Jim Craig or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
  • Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

    If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.
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