'Miracle On Ice' Coach Brooks Dead At 66
UPDATED: 12:03 p.m. EDT August 12, 2003
MINNEAPOLIS -- Former U.S. Olympic and NHL hockey coach Herb Brooks died Monday afternoon in a car accident near Forest Lake, Minnesota. He was 66 years old.
Brooks (pictured, right), the coach of the "Miracle on Ice" U.S. Olympic hockey team in 1980, also guided the Americans to a silver medal in the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.
"The passing of Herb Brooks is a tragic moment for the entire USA Hockey family," said USA Hockey Executive Director Doug Palazzari. "The contributions he made as a coach to American hockey and the incredible impact he had on our teams and players were unmatched. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his entire family."
The St. Paul native played for the University of Minnesota from 1955-59 and was a member of the 1964 and 1968 U.S. Olympic teams. He then coached his alma mater from 1972-79, leading the Gophers to three NCAA titles.
However, Brooks will always be known best for leading the U.S. national team to a seemingly impossible victory over the Soviet Union in the semifinals at the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid.
The 1980 American team, which consisted mainly of college students, defeated the powerful Russians, 4-3, in what is widely considered one of the greatest upsets in sports history. The Soviet team had won eight of the nine previous gold medals. The U.S. then beat Finland in the Gold Medal game.
Brooks also coached the New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Minnesota North Stars after the 1980 Olympic gold medal run. He had an NHL career coaching record of 219-221-66-2. His last season as an NHL coach came with the Penguins in 1999-00, when he led Pittsburgh to a 29-23-5-2 mark. Last season, Brooks was the director of player development for the Penguins.
He was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990.
A hockey jersey and hat were on the side of the road Tuesday morning as a makeshift memorial. Commuters slowed to pay their respects to Brooks and get a look at the memorial.
Investigators hope to know within a few weeks what caused the accident.
Witnesses said it appeared that Brooks started to veer off the right side of the road, then overcorrected to the left. He crossed all three lanes of traffic, spinning counterclockwise, and crashed into the center median.
Brooks was not wearing his seat belt and was found about 40 yards from the van.
Brooks (pictured, right), the coach of the "Miracle on Ice" U.S. Olympic hockey team in 1980, also guided the Americans to a silver medal in the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.
"The passing of Herb Brooks is a tragic moment for the entire USA Hockey family," said USA Hockey Executive Director Doug Palazzari. "The contributions he made as a coach to American hockey and the incredible impact he had on our teams and players were unmatched. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his entire family."
The St. Paul native played for the University of Minnesota from 1955-59 and was a member of the 1964 and 1968 U.S. Olympic teams. He then coached his alma mater from 1972-79, leading the Gophers to three NCAA titles.
However, Brooks will always be known best for leading the U.S. national team to a seemingly impossible victory over the Soviet Union in the semifinals at the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid.
The 1980 American team, which consisted mainly of college students, defeated the powerful Russians, 4-3, in what is widely considered one of the greatest upsets in sports history. The Soviet team had won eight of the nine previous gold medals. The U.S. then beat Finland in the Gold Medal game.
Brooks also coached the New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Minnesota North Stars after the 1980 Olympic gold medal run. He had an NHL career coaching record of 219-221-66-2. His last season as an NHL coach came with the Penguins in 1999-00, when he led Pittsburgh to a 29-23-5-2 mark. Last season, Brooks was the director of player development for the Penguins.
He was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990.
A hockey jersey and hat were on the side of the road Tuesday morning as a makeshift memorial. Commuters slowed to pay their respects to Brooks and get a look at the memorial.
Investigators hope to know within a few weeks what caused the accident.
Witnesses said it appeared that Brooks started to veer off the right side of the road, then overcorrected to the left. He crossed all three lanes of traffic, spinning counterclockwise, and crashed into the center median.
Brooks was not wearing his seat belt and was found about 40 yards from the van.Copyright 2003. Courtesy of SportsNetwork.
