System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!Herb Brooks, Hockey Coach
August 05, 1937 - August 11, 2003
Herb Brooks, the man who coached the U.S. Olympic hockey team to the “Miracle on Ice” victory over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics, died Monday, August 11, 2003, in a car crash, in Minnesota. He was 66.
Born on August 5, 1937, in St. Paul, Minnesota, Brooks played hockey at the University of Minnesota, where he later coached from 1972-79, winning three national titles and left with a 167-99-18 record. Brooks then coached the 1980 Olympic team that won the gold medal in Lake Placid, N.Y. Ironically, Brooks was the last player cut on the 1960 U.S. gold medal teams, but made it onto the 1964 and 1968 Olympic teams.
After moving to the NHL, Brooks coached the Minnesota North Stars (1987-88), the New Jersey Devils (1992-93) and New York Rangers (1981-85), where he reached the 100-victory mark faster than any other coach in franchise history. While coaching the New York Rangers, he was named NHL Coach of the Year. He also coached the French Olympic team in Nagano in 1998. He returned to lead the 2002 U.S. Olympic hockey team to a silver medal.
Last season (2002-2003), Brooks was the director of player development for Pittsburgh Penguins. He rejected a multi-million-dollar offer to coach the New York Rangers last summer, saying didn't want to be away from his wife and family in Minnesota. For that reason, the Penguins also couldn't persuade Brooks to return after he was their interim coach during the 1999-2000 season. Brooks, who had replaced Kevin Constantine in December 1999, led the Penguins into the second round of the playoffs. He had an NHL career coaching record of 219-221-66-2, including a 29-23-5-2 record with Pittsburgh.
Brooks was the recipient of numerous awards, including Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year. He was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990 and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Hall of Fame. He served as a commentator for NHL broadcasts on Sports Channel America and was a frequent speaker on team building and goal setting.
Brooks was killed when his car rolled over at a highway intersection north of the Twin Cities.
