Voting Station

Herb Brooks

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Hockey Coach

The Resume

    (August 5, 1937-August 11, 2003)
    Died at 66 in an auto accident
    Coached U.S. Olympic Hockey team to a gold medal (1980)
    Coached U.S. Olympic Hockey team to a silver medal (2002)
    Played for the U.S. Olympic hockey team (1964 and 1968)
    Coached and played for University of Minnesota
    Coached the New York Rangers (1981-85), Minnesota North Stars (1987-88), New Jersey Devils (1992-93) and Pittsburgh Penguins (1999-2000)
    United States Hockey Hall of Fame (1990)
    International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame (1999)
    Sporting News Coach of the Year (1981-82)
    Won the Lester Patrick Award (1980)

Why he might be annoying:

    He died when he was tossed from his mini-van; he was not wearing his seat belt.
    His way of motivating the team was to treat them badly, so they would team up against him.
    He was the last player to be cut on the 1960 gold medal U.S. Olympic hockey team.
    His NHL coach record was below .500 (219 wins 222 loses 66 ties).
    He coached France's Olympic ice hockey team (1998).
    He once berated his team with: 'You're playing worse and worse every day and right now you're playing like it's next month.'
    He wore a 'gold' sports jacket while coaching the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team.

Why he might not be annoying:

    His 1980 U.S. Winter Olympic Hockey team is called the 'Miracle on Ice.'
    He picked every player on the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team.
    To build the 1980 team, he scouted rival hockey teams primarily from the New England and Minnesota area.
    Although hockey experts thought that the Minnesota and New England rivalry would prevent them from playing as a team, he was able to get them to work together.
    He showed no favoritism by picking Mike Eruzione of Boston University to captain the team and Boston University's Jim Craig as his #1 goalie.
    He decided to go primarily with a youthful squad to play against the more experienced Olympic teams.
    His speech prior to the US-USSR game to his players was just one line: 'You were born to be here.'
    When the team beat the heavily favored Soviet Union to get into the gold medal game, he left his position for the locker room, so as not to steal any of the glory from his players.
    He reflected: 'It was not my spot, I always say sort of flippantly, I had to go to the bathroom.'
    He helped raise money for the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.
    He pioneered getting U.S. college hockey players into the NHL.
    He is the only coach to win the NCAA Division I Ice Hockey National Championship with a team made up of only U.S. born players.
    His NCAA tournament record of 8-1-0 (.889) is the highest all-time winning percentage.
    He graduated the University of Minnesota (1959).
    He was extremely focused.
    Al Michaels, who made the famous 'Do you believe in miracles' call, said: 'He was very single-minded - a person who looked right down the tunnel and knew exactly what he had to do. 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.'

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 5 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 10 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 268 Votes: 46.27% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 8 Votes: 37.50% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 15 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 14 Votes: 28.57% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 18 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 11 Votes: 27.27% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 19 Votes: 42.11% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 31 Votes: 48.39% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 283 Votes: 59.36% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 110 Votes: 35.45% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 76 Votes: 32.89% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 201 Votes: 45.27% Annoying
    In 2006, Out of 237 Votes: 42.62% Annoying
    In 2005, Out of 233 Votes: 44.64% Annoying
    In 2004, Out of 392 Votes: 46.68% Annoying
    In 2003, Out of 571 Votes: 44.13% Annoying