Herb Brook Biography

Herbert Paul “Herb” Brooks, Jr. (August 5, 1937–August 11, 2003) was an American ice hockey coach, most common for coaching the U.S. national team to a gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics in a event known as the “Miracle on Ice“.

Being player, Herb Brooks would have been 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. Among other coaching achievements, Brooks won three collegiate championships at the University of Minnesota, turning around a program that 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 referred to as the “hybrid” style. Mixing a European type 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. Section of what made Brooks so successful was his uncanny means of motivating players and obtaining the most out of them.

In 1980, Sports Illustrated named Brooks the Sportsman in the Year and called Team USA’s Olympic performance the “Greatest Sports Moment in the Century”. On November 13, 2006, Brooks was posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

For completed story about Herb Brook, like his early life, career, death and legacy, coaching stats, etc you can read at WIKIPEDIA