NYR TODAY SUNDAY 8/5: Alumni Birthdays, Remembering Herb Broks

NYR Alumni Birthday 8/5:

Gord Davidson D (1942-1944) Jack McCartan G (1959-1960) Mike Siltala RW (1986-1988) Dale Weise RW (2010-2011)

REMEMBERING HERB BROOKS

On this day August 8, 1937 Herb Brooks is born in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The coach of the "Miracle on Ice" United States team that won gold at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.

Brooks plays college hockey at the University of Minnesota, returns as coach in 1972 and guides the Golden Gophers to three NCAA championships. That leads to him being named to coach the U.S. Olympic Team in 1980, 20 years after he's the last player cut from the 1960 team that won gold at Lake Tahoe.

Though the U.S. is comprised entirely of nonprofessionals, it goes 4-0-1 in the first round, then shocks the Soviet Union in its first final-round game, rallying for a 4-3 victory. Two days later, a come-from-behind 4-2 win against Finland gives the U.S. the gold medal.

After his Olympic gold medal win, Brooks moved to Switzerland for a year to coach HC Davos in the National League A. From 1981 to 1985, he coached in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers, where he became the first American-born coach in Rangers' team history to win 100 games. In 282 regular season games Brooks coached the Rangers to a record of 138 wins, 113 losses and 41 ties. In his first two seasons the Rangers made it to the second round of the palyoffs twice and into the first round in his final full season as coach.

After his three year stint in New york, Brooks went on to coach Saint Cloud State of the NCAA for one season before returning to the NHL to coach the Minnesota North Stars for the 1987-88 season. He went on to coach the Utica Devils of the AHL for one season and again returning to the NHL to coach both the New Jersey Devila and Pittsburgh Penguins for one season each before retiring from coaching after the 199-2000 season.

At the age of 66, Brooks died in a single-car accident on the afternoon of August 11, 2003, near Forest Lake, Minnesota, on Interstate 35. It is believed that he fell asleep behind the wheel before the accident after driving all night, and neither drugs nor alcohol was responsible. Brooks was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash, and according to the Minnesota State Patrol it is likely he would have survived the crash if he had been.

He is posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2006.