A vacationer made a first time stop at the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth last week and came away reminiscing about an old friend, Herb Brooks. The visit came a few days before the public opening of a new Brooks exhibit. A Hall of Fame spokesperson said the exhibit was scheduled to open last Friday.
The new exhibit has “never seen before hockey artifacts,” according to www.ushockeyhall.com. What we saw about Brooks during our visit included a video of the famous 1980 “Miracle on Ice” game and an HBO special documenting the people and events involved with the U.S. hockey team winning the gold medal that year.
To know Brooks was to understand his devotion to detail and will to win. The HBO show told of how Brooks kept his team on the ice practicing in a darkened arena after a pre-Olympic game displeased him.
He was a master of hockey tactics, and an extraordinary head doctor. He tore his team down in the months leading up to the Olympics but it was a different approach when the Americans prepared to play the Soviet Union team in the semi-final game of the Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. The Soviets were recognized as the best hockey team in the world, pro or amateur, but Brooks told his team the Soviets were ripe for an upset.
In the hall of fame his famous quote made to the team prior to the game says in part: “This is your moment. You’re meant to be here.”
I met Brooks when he was winning national championships with the Gophers in the 1970s. Then I knew him when he worked for the North Stars and also Jostens. There were other stops for him including coaching the Rangers, Devils and Penguins. Brooks thrived on challenges and was curious to try different things. His name was even rumored to be a possibility for Minnesota governor.
On February 22 of next year it will be 30 years since the U.S., an improbable collection of amateurs, shocked the world beating the Soviets, 4-3, and later winning the gold medal game against Finland. This was America’s first gold medal in hockey since 1960 and it all came against a backdrop of sagging American morale that included gas shortages, the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan and the taking of US. hostages by Iran. The 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey glory is recognized by many as the greatest sports story of the 20th century.
Brooks was killed six years ago this August in an auto accident. Because of places like the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame and the extraordinary accomplishments of his career, he will long remain a Minnesota legend and among the true heroes of 20th century American sports.