That was a team that could beat you nine out of 10 Win that one big game and he had to get them to believe in themselvesĪnd play well.

Them ready, getting them to believe in themselves and getting them to 'He did a phenomenal job of conditioning those players, getting He's also a former coach and executive for the Minnesota North Stars. In fact, he tells the story that I was the first guy he sees when he comes out of the locker room was me and I say 'Can you believe that?'' said Minnesota's head coach and we're going to miss him. It's something that has never been duplicated since and will never be duplicated again.' That was, without question, the greatest upset in the history It was total disbelief from everybody including my teammates because nobody gave the U.S. 'Right before the national anthem they made the announcement that the United States had beaten Russia. It was a Friday Night,' recalls University of Minnesota men's hockey coach Don Lucia. 'I was standing at a blue line at Munn Arena in East Lansing, Michigan when I was at Notre Dame. It was the kind of event where people remember exactly where they were when they heard the news of the upset. And Brooks convinced a rag tag group of college hockey players that they could beat the powerful Soviets. There was an energy crisis and daily updates about the hostage situation in Iran. The United States was in the midst of the Cold War. Herb Brooks stood behind the bench during one of the most famous sporting events in American history. in the gold medal game against Finland in Lake Placid, which the Americans won. team defeated a stronger and faster Soviet Union team. He's best known for using those motivational techniques in the famous 'Miracle on Ice' game in 1980, in which the U.S. Paul native is known throughout hockey circles as an innovator who could get the most out of his players. They say they believe that Brooks, 66, overcorrected his steering while driving on Interstate 35. Olympic coach in 19, died Monday when he was thrown from his car during a one-car rollover just north of the Twin Cities.

Herb Brooks, former men's hockey coach at the University of Minnesota and U.S. But in 2002, as coach of the Olympic team, Brooks, right, won a silver medal, with a team of mostly NHL players.

His charges in 1980 were college players. Herb Brooks' forte was coaching college-level players. News Forum: Share your thoughts about Herb Brooks

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