Mourning in America

The untimely death of Herb Brooks, the coach of the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" USA Olympic hockey team, in an auto accident requires we pause and remember one of the true giants in American hockey and a man that gave his nation an improbable gift when it needed it most.

The Cold War and with it the fear of "nuclear winter," hostages in Iran, a severe energy crisis, "stagflation," and a post-Watergate and post-Vietnam hangover were just some of the problems facing the United States of America as Herb Brooks and the USA Olympic hockey team made their way to Lake Placid, NY in February, 1980.

A decade-plus-long period of self-doubt and uncertainty had left the "land of the free and the home of the brave" psychologically battered. In July of 1979, President Jimmy Carter spoke of a national crisis of confidence, a "national malaise." To many, it seemed America's best days were in the past and a slow descent into mediocrity was inevitable. President Carter would come to pay a heavy political price for this negative characterization of the state of the American psyche, but there should be no doubt that many in the nation shared the president's dim view of America's mindset at the time.

For those under the age of 30, it may seem hard to imagine an America suffering from such a severe crisis of confidence, but those who were there and old enough to remember can vouch that it did. Even in the wake of the devastation of September 11, 2001, America is a far more confident and sure-footed nation today than it was those twenty-odd years ago.

Then on a sheet of ice in upstate New York a glimmer of hope for a better future arrived in the guise of Herb Brooks and his college-grown charges. There is no need to go into the details of the USA team's stunning 4-3 victory over the Soviet Olympic team. The tales of that most improbable of outcomes has been told again and again. Mark Johnson, Tikhonov pulls Tretiak, Mike Eruzione, "do you believe in miracles" is all that need be said.

The folk hero status given to Brooks and his team in the aftermath of the victory over the Soviets was well-earned. The team embodied the traditional American values of hard work, determination, and striving for goals. Brooks instilled in the team the will to win and the willingness to dream, even if the dream seemed impossibly out of reach. Although the players may have hated Brooks at the time, he had the 1980 USA Olympic hockey team playing with an obvious love of the game, and visible pride in wearing the red, white and blue. Americans who had never taken hockey seriously became enamored with the dedicated young men Brooks hand-picked to battle for the Gold.

Had Brooks done nothing else in his hockey career, his place in history would rightly be secure. But, Brooks did much more in hockey, and it would be a shame if that fact were lost in the glare of his admittedly spectacular achievement in Lake Placid. With the exception of the legendary Lester Patrick, and the late "Badger Bob" Johnson, no one in history has had a more indisputably positive impact on the growth and health of ice hockey in the United States than Brooks.

Brooks' career in hockey was far more extensive than many may realize. Brooks was a fine player in his own right. He was the last player cut from the 1960 USA Olympic team that captured the Gold Medal in Squaw Valley, and was a member of the 1964 and the 1968 Olympic squads. He began a stellar career as a college coach in 1972, leading the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers to National Championships in 1974, 1976 and 1979.

In Minnesota, those three national titles had already made Coach Brooks a legend before he took the reins of the Olympic team in 1980. In Minnesota, hockey is nearly a religion. The obsession with Gopher hockey shown by the characters in the Coen brothers film "Fargo" is not an invention of the wildly creative filmmakers. It is a fact of life, despite the fact that the Minnesota North Stars never were able to fully capture the hearts of the denizens of the "Land of 1000 Lakes."

As an NHL coach Brooks led an undersized New York Ranger team, known somewhat derisively as the Smurfs, to four straight playoff appearances, and reached 100 wins as Ranger coach more quickly than any coach in franchise history. That Ranger team included Olympic hero Mark Pavelich. The diminutive Pavelich's grit and determination were emblematic of the Rangers of the era. Those Rangers never really challenged for the Stanley Cup, but they were a respected franchise, something the Rangers have not been in recent years. Perhaps that is why Ranger GM Glen Sather offered Brooks a multi-million dollar contract in 2002 to get behind the Ranger bench once again.

Brooks turned down Sather's offer, deciding he didn't want to spend the time away from family being a head coach requires. Instead, Brooks remained in the Pittsburgh Penguins scouting department, working for his Lake Placid assistant Craig Patrick.

In addition to the Rangers, Brooks NHL career included stints with the Minnesota North Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils. While his NHL teams did not perform spectacularly, he was rarely blessed with particularly strong teams in any of his NHL stops, including in New York. Yet, he always seemed to get the most out of the talent he had available.

In 2002, Brooks was back behind the USA bench for an Olympics, after having coached France in Nagano, Japan in 1998. Many questioned why a man that had reached such heights in 1980 would wish to put his legacy on the line by coaching the NHL-star-laden USA team in 2002. He had nothing left to prove; they argued.

Those who made such arguments failed to recognize that Brooks deserved the opportunity to coach a team of top American-born pros in the Olympics. He had earned it 22-years before. It was his 1980 team's success that propelled college-trained American hockey players into the spotlight. It is entirely possible that the NHL might never have been graced by the likes of Brian Leetch, Jeremy Roenick, Tony Amonte and Doug Weight -- just to name a few -- had Brooks and his team of college kids not beaten the Soviets. Brooks and his 2002 team took home the Silver Medal, having been bested by the powerful and NHL-star-laden Canadian Olympic team in the Gold Medal game.

As word of Brooks' death spread, those who played for Brooks praised him for his inventive game plans. Herb Brooks teams were always prepared. He believed preparation and hard work could overcome raw talent. His results proved time and time again that it could, even if sometimes raw talent of an opponent won out in the end.

It is inevitable that most people will think primarily of Lake Placid and the victory over the Soviet Union when they think of Herb Brooks. No amount of reciting his other accomplishments will change that. He was at the center of an event which has no equal in the annals of team sports. It was an event with implications beyond the playing arena, both at home and abroad. Though the link of cause and effect between a hockey victory and a nation coming out of a prolonged funk is highly dubious, there is no doubt that victory over the Soviets was just what the doctor ordered for an America desperate for good news.

Still, was it a coincidence that things did soon begin to improve? Who knows? What is certain: By the end of 1980, Ronald Reagan, who campaigned on the hopeful slogan: "It's Morning in America," was elected to replace Jimmy Carter in the White House. Less than a year after the Miracle on Ice, the hostages in Iran received a ticker-tape homecoming in New York. Slowly America regained much of its lost confidence.

Whether or not the victory in Lake Placid really had wider implications is not important in the end. That victory was still a gift of incalculable value given to the American people by Brooks, Craig Patrick and 20 fresh-faced college kids. That is why, while it may still be "Morning in America," there is also mourning in America. Herb Brooks will be sorely missed, and his gift to America long treasured.