Coaches/Staff
Herb Brooks - Head Coach In 1972, Brooks became hockey coach at his alma mater. He guided Minnesota to NCAA Division I championships in 1974, 1976, and 1979 and then became coach of the U. S. national team. A tough disciplinarian, Brooks was also an excellent organizer and motivator. Entering the 1980 Olympic hockey tournament, Brooks told his team, "You're meant to be here. This moment is yours. You're meant to be here at this time." The team upset the Soviet Union 4-3 and beat Finland 4-2 in its final game to take the gold medal. Brooks turned down several NHL offers and coached a Swiss team in 1980/81, then returned to the U. S. to take over the New York Rangers of the NHL. He was named coach of the year by The Sporting News after the Rangers had a 39-27-14 record in his first season, but he was fired in January of 1985. He coached St. Cloud State University in 1986-87
and was then named coach of the NHL's Minnesota North Stars. The
team won only 19 games and he was replaced after the season. Brooks
coached the New Jersey Devils to a 40-37-7 record in 1992/93,
then resigned because of a dispute with management. In 5½
NHL seasons, he had a record of 190 wins, 198 losses, and 61 ties.
Strelow spent 10 seasons in the NHL as a full-time goaltender coach. Working with the New Jersey Devils from 1990-93 and the Washington Capitals from 1983-89, Strelow tutored an impressive list of netminders: Burke, Al Jensen, Pat Riggin, Pete Peeters, Clint Malarchuk, Bob Mason, Craig Billington, ex-Sharks goalie Chris Terreri, Corey Schwab and Martin Brodeur, one of his three All-Star proteges. During a six-year period as an NHL coach, Strelow's goalies with the Capitals posted the lowest composite goals-against average in the League, including winning one Jennings Trophy, emblematic of the goaltending tandem with the lowest goals-against average in a season. Two of his goaltenders were named to the NHL All-Star Team and the Caps won the 1988-89 Patrick Division Championship. Strelow served as the goaltender coach for the University of Minnesota from 1974-83. During Strelow's eight seasons at Minnesota, the Golden Gophers won three NCAA Division I hockey championships and twice finished runner-up. For the past 27 years, players of all ages have attended the Strelow Goalie School in Minnesota during the summer. These camps work on developing all phases of the game. Before entering a career in professional hockey,
Strelow taught English and social studies at Mahtomedi High School
in Minnesota. In 1996, he was inducted into the Minnesota High
School Hockey Coaches Hall of Fame.
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Brooks
played hockey at the University of Minnesota, graduating in 1959,
and tried out for the 1960 U. S. Olympic team but was the last
player cut from the squad. However, he played for the 1964 and
1968 Olympic teams and was also a member of the 1961, 1962, 1965,
1967, and 1970 national teams. 
Patrick's
playing and coaching experiences allowed him to be the buffer
between the distant Brooks-- who several players loved to hate--
and the young players of the U.S. team. Interstingly, Patrick
and Brooks (along with several of the Olympic players) would be
reunited with the New York Rangers. Patrick, who had become the
Rangers' general manager, hired Brooks as coach in 1981 after
Brooks' disappointing stint coaching a European semi-pro team.
Mark Pavelich, Rob McClanahan, and Bill Baker also found their
way to New York, as did Mike Eruzione-- as the Rangers' television
color commentator.
In
January 2001, USA Hockey named Strelow as goaltending coach for
the 2002 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team at the Olympic Winter
Games, where his team captured a silver medal. Strelow previously
coached the United States goaltenders during the 1980 Olympics
in Lake Placid, where the United States pulled off the "Miracle
On Ice" victory against the former Soviet Union and later
won the gold medal against Finland. Jim Craig, who backstopped
Team USA to those impressive victories, credited Strelow as one
of the main reasons for his success.