Herbert Paul "Herb" Brooks, Jr. (August 5, 1937–August 11, 2003) was an American ice hockey coach, best known for coaching the U.S. national team to a gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics in an event known as the "Miracle on Ice", forever placing him in sports immortality.
As a player, Brooks was a member of the U.S. team in the 1964 and 1968 Olympic Games. As a coach, he coached at the college, national, European professional, and National Hockey League (NHL) levels.[1] Among other coaching achievements, Brooks won three collegiate championships at the University of Minnesota, turning around a program which finished last before his arrival. Later on in his coaching career Brooks got away from coaching to pursue other interests, which included motivational speaking, TV analysis, and NHL scouting.
Brooks was an innovator in American hockey, creating what became known as the "hybrid" style. Mixing a European style of play with the American style of play, he created a fast-paced and creative style which became the cornerstone of his 1980 gold medal team.[2] Part of what made Brooks so successful was his uncanny way of motivating players and getting the most out of them.
In 1980, Sports Illustrated named Brooks the Sportsman of the Year and called the 1981 gold medal game the "Greatest Sports Moment of the Century".[3] On November 13, 2006, Brooks was posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.[4]
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Biography
Early life
Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, to Herbert Brooks, Sr. and Pauline Brooks, he played on the Johnson High School hockey team that won the 1955 state hockey championship.[5] Brooks also played Baseball during the summer.
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Brooks later played hockey at the University of Minnesota from 1955-1959[6]. He almost made the 1960 Olympic team, only to be cut the week before the games started. Some time later, Brooks sat at home with his father and watched the team he almost made win gold. That night Herb Sr. told his son, "looks like Coach Riley cut the right guy"; this humbling moment served as motivation for an already self-driven person.
From 1960-1970 Brooks set a record, playing on a total of eight U.S National and Olympic teams, including the 1964 and 1968 Olympic squads.[7] Later, he coached the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers hockey team to three NCAA championships (1974, 1976, and 1979). After being approached by Michigan Tech when head coach John MacInnes died, Brooks turned the offer down to coach St. Cloud State University in the mid-1980s, later leading them to become a Division I hockey school. Brooks finished his collegiate coaching with a record of 175 wins, 101 lossed and 20 ties. In 1980, he became the first coach of the United States to lead his hand-picked team to victory against the USSR in 20 years. The "miracle" team mostly consisted of University of Minnesota players and their rival Boston University players.
Later career
After his Olympic gold medal win, Brooks moved to Switzerland for a year to coach HC Davos in the National League A. From 1981-85, he coached in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers, where he became the first coach in Rangers' team history to win 100 games. He also coached the Minnesota North Stars (from 1987-88), New Jersey Devils (1992-93), and Pittsburgh Penguins (1999-2000). He was a long-time head scout for the Penguins from the mid-1990s until the day of his death.
He also coached France in the 1998 Winter Olympics. He again coached the U.S. hockey team at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, this time winning a silver medal.
He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990,[8] International Hockey Hall of Fame in 1999, and the Hockey Hall of Fame (posthumously) in 2006.
Death and legacy
At the age of 66, Brooks died in a single car accident on the afternoon of August 11, 2003, near Forest Lake, Minnesota, on Interstate 35.[9] It is believed that he fell asleep behind the wheel before the accident after driving all night, and neither drugs nor alcohol was responsible. Brooks was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash, and according to the Minnesota State Patrol it is likely he would have survived the crash if he had been.[10]
Disney released a film about the 1980 Olympic team in 2004 called Miracle featuring Kurt Russell playing the part of Brooks (Karl Malden had previously played Brooks in a 1981 television film called Miracle on Ice). Brooks served as a consultant during principal photography, which was completed shortly before his death. At the end of the movie there is a dedication to Brooks. It states at the end, "He never saw it. He lived it."
Upon the 25th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice, the Olympic ice arena in Lake Placid, New York, where the United States won their gold medal, was renamed Herb Brooks Arena. A statue of Brooks depicting his reaction to the victory in the "Miracle" game was erected in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 2003.
An award was created in Herb Brooks name, the Herb Brooks Award, is awarded at the conclusion of the Minnesota State High School League's state hockey tournament to "the most qualified hockey player in the state tournament who strongly represents the values, characteristics, and traits that defined Herb Brooks."[11]
In Blaine, Minnesota, there is a training center called Herb Brooks Training Center.
The road that surrounds the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minnesota is called Herb Brooks Way.
In 2006, Brooks was posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Builders category. "A man of passion and dedication, Herb Brooks inspired a generation of Americans to pursue any and all dreams."[8]
Personal
Brooks was married to his wife Patti in 1965, and they had two children, Danny and Kelly. All three survive Brooks.[12]
Brooksisms
Herb Brooks was full of original sayings, or "Brooksisms". According to former Olympians, John Harrington, Dave Silk and Mike Eruzione, these are a few.[13]
- "You're playing worse every day, and right now you're playing like it is next week...".
- "You can't be common, the common man goes nowhere; you have to be uncommon...
- "Boys, i'm asking you to go to the well again...".
- "You look like you have a five pound fart on your head...".
- "You guys are getting bent over and their not using vasoline..."
Coaching statistics
Note: GC = Games coached, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OL = Overtime loss, Pts = Points, Pct = Winning percentage
| Season | Team | League | GC | W | L | T | OL | Pts | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972–73 | Minnesota Golden Gophers | NCAA | 34 | 15 | 16 | 3 | — | 33 | 0.485 |
| 1973–74 | Minnesota Golden Gophers | NCAA | 34 | 17 | 12 | 5 | — | 39 | 0.574 |
| 1974–75 | Minnesota Golden Gophers | NCAA | 42 | 31 | 10 | 1 | — | 63 | 0.750 |
| 1975-76 | Minnesota Golden Gophers | NCAA | 38 | 23 | 14 | 1 | — | 47 | 0.618 |
| 1976–77 | Minnesota Golden Gophers | NCAA | 42 | 17 | 22 | 3 | — | 37 | 0.440 |
| 1977–78 | Minnesota Golden Gophers | NCAA | 38 | 22 | 14 | 2 | — | 46 | 0.605 |
| 1978–79 | Minnesota Golden Gophers | NCAA | 44 | 32 | 11 | 1 | — | 65 | 0.739 |
| 1980 | USA Olympic Men's Team | IIHF | Olympic Gold Medal Team | ||||||
| 1980–81 | HC Davos | Swiss-A | 28 | 11 | 16 | 1 | — | 23 | 0.411 |
| 1981–82 | New York Rangers | NHL | 80 | 39 | 27 | 14 | — | 92 | 0.575 (Lost Second Round) |
| 1982–83 | New York Rangers | NHL | 80 | 35 | 35 | 10 | — | 80 | 0.500 (Lost Second Round) |
| 1983–84 | New York Rangers | NHL | 80 | 42 | 29 | 9 | — | 93 | 0.581 (Lost First Round) |
| 1984–85 | New York Rangers | NHL | 45 | 15 | 22 | 8 | — | 38 | 0.422 (fired) |
| 1986–87 | St. Cloud State Huskies | NCAA | 36 | 25 | 10 | 1 | — | 51 | 0.708 |
| 1987–88 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL (missed playoffs) | 80 | 19 | 48 | 13 | — | 51 | 0.319 |
| 1991–92 | Utica Devils | AHL | 80 | 34 | 40 | 6 | — | 74 | 0.463 |
| 1992–93 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 84 | 40 | 37 | 7 | — | 87 | 0.518 (Lost First Round) |
| 1998 | France Olympic Men's Team | IIHF | 11th-place finish | ||||||
| 1999–2000 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 58 | 29 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 63 | 0.543 (Lost Second Round) |
| 2002 | USA Olympic Men's Team | IIHF | Olympic Silver Medal Team | ||||||
| NCAA career totals | 308 | 182 | 109 | 17 | — | 381 | 0.619 | ||
| NHL career totals | 507 | 219 | 222 | 66 | 0 | 504 | 0.497 | ||
See also
References
- ^ Americas Coach By Ross Bernstein, 35-37
- ^ Remembering Herbie by Ross Bernstein, 30
- ^ [1] wcha.com/sports
- ^ "Roy tops 2006 Hall of Fame class". CBC.ca/Sports Online. 2006-06-28. http://www.cbc.ca/story/sports/national/2006/06/28/hhof-inductions.html. Retrieved 2006-06-28.
- ^ Dohrmann, George (2004-03-22). "High School Heaven: Never mind the Twins, Vikings, T-Wolves and Wild — there's nothing in Minnesota to match the state hockey tournament". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/magazine/features/si50/states/minnesota/story/. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
- ^ America's Coach,Ross Bernstein 28
- ^ America's Coach, Ross Bernstein 33-34
- ^ a b "Hockey Hall of Fame: Herb Brooks". http://www.legendsofhockey.net/html/ind06Brooks.htm.
- ^ America's coach, Ross Bernstein 159
- ^ http://www.startribune.com/cars/11355856.html
- ^ "2006–2007 MSHSL Athletic Rules and Policies Manual". Minnesota State High School League. 2006-12-06. http://www.mshsl.org/mshsl/publications/code/athletic/Hockey.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-11.
- ^ "Herb Brooks Foundation". http://www.herbbrooksfoundation.com/pdfs/brooks_essay.pdf.
- ^ America's Coach, Ross Bernstein 77
External links
- Herb Brooks's biography at Legends of Hockey
- Biography – The Herb Brooks Foundation
- Miracle (2004) Movie Origins
- Coach known best for 1980 hockey gold – ESPN Classic
- Herb Brooks killed in car accident – Sports Illustrated
- Herb Brooks' U.S. Olympic Team bio
- Herb Brooks at Find a Grave
- Gopher Hockey History Player Info
- The Herb Brooks Foundation
- wcha.com
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Fred Shero |
Head Coach of the New York Rangers 1981–1985 |
Succeeded by Ted Sator |
| Preceded by Tom McVie |
Head Coach of the New Jersey Devils 1992–93 |
Succeeded by Jacques Lemaire |
| Preceded by Kevin Constantine |
Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins 1999–2000 |
Succeeded by Ivan Hlinka |
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