There have been many inspirational figures in American history, some better known than others. When you think of inspirational Americans most name Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, or John F. Kennedy; but not many would mention Herb Brooks. Herb Brooks inspired a nation in defeating the Soviet Union during the heat of the cold war, not in a bloody battle, but in the most important hockey game in U.S history.
Herb Brooks was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where he went to school at Johnson High School. His team went on to win the 1955 Minnesota state hockey championship.
Brooks then attended the University of Minnesota and played hockey as a Gopher from 1955 to 1959. In 1960 he was asked to join the US Olympic team, but was cut a week before the start of the games. The 1960 team went on to win gold and Brooks later told head coach Jack Riley that he “must have made the right decision- you won.” Brooks went on to set a record by playing on a total of eight US National and Olympic teams, winning bronze in the 1962 world championship.
While his playing career is very impressive, his coaching career is where he made the biggest affect. He coached the Minnesota Gophers to three NCAA championships in 1974, 1976, and 1979. After the Gophers won their 1979 championship Brooks was selected as the head coach of the 1980 Olympic men’s team. He chose his team carefully, choosing several players from Minnesota and also several from Minnesota rivals, Boston College. The tryouts were held in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team chosen had an average age of 21 years old, making it the youngest team in U.S Olympic team history.
During this time the Soviets were dominating hockey at an international level, outscoring their opponents 175 to 44, a...
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...ports Illustrated she had never seen so many American flags since the sixties, “And we were burning them then.”
In 1980, there were 10,490 hockey teams in the United States. In 1990, the total was 14,969. The game really took off after this. By 1997, U.S.A Hockey had registered 29,479 teams and 449,168 players. Players are still inspired to this day by the feat. Herb Brooks was what held the team together. He is the reason the Americans won against the “unbeatable” Soviets.
Herb Brooks inspired a nation. He helped give hope to a group of people who haven’t been hopeful for a decade. He gave Americans an excuse to look away from the filth in the world and chant “U.S.A” at their television screens. There is no doubt that Americans were touched deeply by a hockey team as never before. The U.S.A will never forget this moment, nor will they forget the name Herb Brooks.
A main part of this story is about picking the Olympic team and how they became as strong as they were. Before beginning the tryouts, coach Herb Brooks scouted every player that was trying out. He watched film on them, talked to old coaches, and in some cases watched them play in a game or practice. It is important that he did this because then he did not come in to the tryouts not knowing any player and it showed that he already had in mind who he wanted for his team. As tryouts approached all the players and coaches were preparing for a week long tryout. Herb Brooks sat by himself in a booth and watched the first day of tryouts and picked his team on the very first day. This stunned all the othe...
being a coach, he loved the game. He has the same posters, and the same dreams and
Our nation had many great people who have changed our nation’s fate throughout the history. These people may not be remembered but have changed our nation’s direction. People like John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln, John Adams, George Washington, and etc. were remembered. But a person like John Hancock, about 1/300 of the population of Unites States of America knows about him. Even though he is not remembered, John Hancock is one of the most extraordinary people who have change the fate of our nation.
The most memorable moment in hockey history came thirty-four years ago with the 1980 Miracle on Ice. The Americans defeating the dominant Soviet team at the Olympics was not only an important triumph for USA Hockey, but for the entire nation. Contrary to popular belief, the underdog win was not only the result of a miracle; it was also the result of a hard-working team led by Coach Herb Brooks. With increasingly negative views on the position of the United States in the Cold War, the Miracle on Ice and the gold medal win lifted the spirits of the nation and brought hockey into the American spotlight.
As he moved onto college, his accomplishments certainly did not cease. Coach Wooden played basketball at Purdue University where he was coached by Ward “Piggy” Lambert who Wooden called “the greatest influence” he had (coachwooden.com). In 1932, the Purdue Boilermakers basketball team won the Helms Athletic Foundation National Champio...
Notable role models were born out of this war for Canadians. Sir Isaac Brock was a prominent figure. He was “Commander of Forces in Upper Canada” and later added Administrator to his title. Being engulfed by politics proved too much for Brock, who left to join forces in the march upon Detroit (August 1812). He led troops to victory here, but lost his life in the Battle of Queenston Heights in October 1812. To this day, Brock is well renowned throughout Canada as a fearless leader and important to the history of the country. Another...
If you ask any Canadian what they were doing on september 28 1972, there it a good chance they will say watching the Canadians and soviets battling it out for the title of the summit series. It was one of the largest rivalry games in Canadian history. Kids in school watched the games during class, People across the nation sat on the edge of their seats for the month of september and were thrilled when Canada pulled off the victory. All of the hype leading up to the event made people wonder if the summit series was the biggest event in Canadian sports history or even Canadian history in general.There is no doubt that the summit series was a huge milestone for Canada and brought the nation together for an exciting ride, even to this day we still see the effects of this great event, it sculpted the game of hockey that we know and love today.
By 1940, he had moved up to the Canadians senior team in the Quebec league. Due to his fractures, he returned and played the whole 1941-42 season for the senior Canadia...
Professional Football Player. For eight seasons (1972 to 1973, 1974, 1975, and 1976 to 1979) he played at the linebacker, defensive end, and defensive tackle positions in the Canadian Football League with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Edmonton Eskimos, Ottawa Rough Riders, and the Toronto Argonauts. Born Robert Bruce Smith in Huntsville, Texas, he played collegiate football at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado. After graduating from college he relocated to Canada to play football professionally. He signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as a rookie and was later named Team Captain. With the Tiger-Cats he was one of the members of the famed "Dirty Dozen" defence that won the Grey Cup Championship in 1972. His teammates at the time included
Miracle shows us the true story of the 1980 United States Men’s Hockey team as they prepare and compete in the Winter Olympics. Herb Brooks, the head coach, along with his assistant coach Craig Patrick, attempt to prepare young men to compete against the world’s toughest competition. Their leadership styles help lead the team to a victory over the favored Soviet Union and to Olympic gold at the 1980 Olympics. The movie starts with Herb arguing his case for the head coaching position, as well as him picking his team to compete at the Olympics. The tryout scene involves Herb choosing his team without consulting anyone after watching the players for only one day. Once Herb chooses his team, we get to meet the players as they start practicing. The Linear perspective of
Before Brooks became head coach of the Gophers they went 8-24-0, but Brooks was there to revive them. Two years after becoming head coach he led them to their first national championship and won. Between the years of 1972-79 Brooks led the Gophers to three national titles with a total record of 167-97-18, he had brought them back from the dead. This was his first big accomplishment which made him a big name throughout the hockey community and all the recent success led to him getting the coaching job of the Olympic Hockey
In 1990 women’s hockey had its first World Championship. Team Canada was made to wear pink jerseys as described in Hockey: A People’s History which showed a clear difference in the opinions of men playing versus women, as the women did not get to wear the red and white that the men wore to represent their country. However, this was still an important step. Men’s hockey was introduced to the Olympic Games in 1920. Women’s hockey was not included until 1998. It took 78 years for female hockey players to get to the same level on an international scale that men had been welcomed to. Olympic competition is arguably the best of the best; as countries send their most successful athletes to compete against the best from countries that they may not have the opportunity to play against in regular competition. While it may have taken many years, the introduction of women’s hockey into the Olympics was a clear display of the legitimization of the game. Thanks to the addition, many girls in Canada and around the world have had more exposure to women playing hockey. Especially for Canadian’s, seeing Team Canada dominate so frequently on the world stage has helped the growth of the game for women and has helped with the acceptance of female
“‘They score! Henderson has scored for Canada!’” Foster Hewitt wordlessly described” (Pelletier) when Paul Henderson scored the series-winning goal. This allowed Canada to win the 1972 Summit Series, a moment that no one would ever forget since it all happened during the climax of the Cold War. Prior to this, the Soviets had won the previous three Olympic gold metals since Canada could not use its NHL players. Thus, this provided Canada with the chance to play hockey against the USSR using its best players. This raised the question: if Canada were able to send its best players, would it still be enough to beat the Soviets? Everyone in Canada was certain that the Soviets would not win a single game, but little did they know they underestimated the extent of the Soviets abilities. Tied in the last few minutes of game eight, Canada had to score or they would lose the series. However, when Paul Henderson scored the game-winning goal, never before had a single sporting event meant so much to Canadians. Therefore, Paul Henderson’s goal is a defining moment for Canada in the twentieth century becauseit provided Canada with the opportunity to evolve hockey, proved that Canada and our democratic society were superior to the USSR and their communist society, and brought citizens together to unify Canada as a nation.
In the 1920's womens ice hockey began to pick up again. Amateur, college and junior level teams were formed and the women's sport became much more organized. In 1924 the Ladies Ontario Hockey Association was formed and would for years be the benchmark of women's ice hockey. Bonnie Rosenfield, a tremendous Canadien athlete who won Olympic medals in Track and Field would be the sports first true superstar. Bonnie grew up in a hockey family and became a very skilled player at a young age. She became irritated with the lack of opportunity for women and took up track were she excelled on an international level. She returned to hockey though with the formation of the LOHA. She became the leagues first star and became a role model for young women who also wanted to play the game.
Michael Jordan played for the Chicago Bulls from 1984 to 1998 winning six NBA championships from 1991-1993 and 1996-1998. He was also awarded the Most Valuable