Saturday, March 26, 2011

Hockey Minnesota- We begin with our Hero, Herb Brooks

Herbert Brooks  was an American ice hockey coach, best known for coaching the U.S. national team to a gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics in an event known as the "Miracle on Ice".


Herb Brooks was an innovator in U.S. hockey, creating what became known as the "hybrid" style. Mixing a European puck possession style of play with the North American dump-and-chase style of play, he created a fast-paced and creative style which became the cornerstone of his 1980 gold medal team. Part of what made Brooks so successful was his uncanny way of motivating players and getting the most out of them.


In 1980, Sports Illustrated named Brooks and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team the Sportsman of the Year and called Team USA's Olympic performance the "Greatest Sports Moment of the Century" On November 13, 2006, Brooks was posthumously inducted into theHockey Hall of Fame.




  • "You're playing worse and worse every day and right now you're playing like it's next month."
  • "You can't be common, the common man goes nowhere; you have to be uncommon."
  • "Boys, I'm asking you to go to the well again."
  • "You guys are getting bent over and they're not using Vaseline."
  • "You look like a monkey tryin' to hump a football!"
  • "You're looking for players whose name on the front of the sweater is more important than the one on the back. I look for these players to play hard, to play smart and to represent their country.”
  • "Great moments are born from great opportunities."
  • "You know, Willie Wonka said it best: we are the makers of dreams, the dreamers of ."
  • "This team isn't talented enough to win on talent alone."
  • "If you lose this game you'll take it to your grave...your fucking grave."
  • "You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here. This moment is yours."
  • "Write your own book instead of reading someone else's book about success."
  • "Boys, in the front of the net its a bloody nose alley."
  • "Don't dump the puck in. That went out with short pants."
  • "Throw the puck back and weave, weave, weave. But don't just weave for the sake of weaving."
  • "Lets be idealistic, but lets also be practical."

Speech

Great moments are born from great opportunity. And that's what you have here tonight, boys. That's what you've earned here, tonight. One game. If we played 'em ten times, they might win nine. But not this game. Not tonight. Tonight, we skate with 'em. Tonight, we stay with 'em, and we shut them down because we can! Tonight, we are the greatest hockey team in the world. You were born to be hockey players—every one of ya. And you were meant to be here tonight. This is your time. Their time—is done. It's over. I'm sick and tired of hearin' about what a great hockey team the Soviets have. Screw 'em! This is your time!! Now go out there and take it!