August
12, 2003
The
hockey world remembers Herb Brooks
• "He
was a legend – not only the greatest hockey figure in Minnesota,
but internationally. The most success I've had, the best I've
ever played – regardless of the gold medal – was because
of him. He was my mentor." – John Harrington, a
member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic ice hockey team and head coach
at St. John's (Minn.) University since 1993.
• "Without him and his influence, I don't think we
would've become a D-I program and we never would've got the rink.
I remember one time he stayed at my apartment and he got a phone
call from (then-St. Cloud State president) Brendan McDonald saying,
'You've got to go to St. Paul. The committee is meeting right
now.' It was just like Herbie. He got up to go on a moment's notice
and did what needed to be done for St. Cloud State." –
Craig Dahl, St. Cloud State head coach and an assistant under
Brooks at the school during the 1986-87 season.
•
"The strength of hockey in the United States is a testament
to Herb Brooks and the historic Olympic triumph in 1980. It is devastating
to all of us in the hockey world that his passion for the game,
his insight, his foresight have been taken away." – National
Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman.
• "A
lot of people are saying he was a great ambassador for the sport.
But it's more than that. He was the leader, actually. He was the
guy who wasn't afraid to tell USA Hockey if they were missing a
beat...he wasn't afraid to tell the University or the Olympic committee.
He was a man who lived by his convictions. That's a missing link
right now...somebody else has to surface. I really don't know who
that's going to be." – former Gophers player Tom
Vannelli.
• "When it came to hockey, he was ahead of his time.
All of his teams overachieved because Herbie understood how to get
the best out of each player and make him part of a team. And like
everyone who played for him, I became a better person because I
played for Herb Brooks." – former Bowling Green and
New York Islanders star Ken Morrow, who was part of the 1980 Olympic
team.
• "He was never caught up in the afterglow. Here's a
guy that helped do something that galvanized the entire country,
and he wasn't interested in parades or any attention. Just a few
weeks after this, he decides to go and coach in Switzerland."
– broadcaster Al Michaels, who called the semifinal match
between the U.S. team and the Soviets from Lake Placid in 1980.
• "I knew him for 30 years – we played together;
we coached together; we worked together. Herbie lived the game,
and he loved the game." – Pittsburgh general manager
Craig Patrick, a University of Denver graduate who was Brooks' assistant
at Lake Placid and later hired him in various capacities with the
Penguins.
• "Just seeing him behind the bench gave me chills. He
always seemed to be ahead of the play like Scotty Bowman and the
rest of the game's greatest coaches." – Philadelphia
forward Jeremy Roenick, a member of the 2002 U.S. Olympic team.
A variety of sources were used in the compilation
of this piece.
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