Origins & Early Life

Herbert Paul Brooks (August 5, 1937 – August 11, 2003) was an American ice hockey player and coach. His most notable achievement came in 1980 as head coach of the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic team at Lake Placid. Brooks' team upset the heavily favored Soviet team in a match that came to be known as the "Miracle on Ice".

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Brooks also coached multiple National Hockey League (NHL) teams, and the French team at the 1998 Winter Olympics. He returned to coach the U.S. men's team to a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. When Brooks died in a car accident in 2003, he was the director of player personnel for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Brooks was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990 and the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1999.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

He was honored posthumously with the Wayne Gretzky International Award in 2004 and inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2006. Brooks was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, to Pauline and Herbert David Brooks. He attended Johnson High School, where his team won the 1955 state ice hockey championship. Brooks continued his ice hockey career with the University of Minnesota Gophers from 1955 to 1959. He was a member of...

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