by Charlie Adams, StokeTheFireWithin.com
I have always encouraged college coaches to not only get the movie Miracle on DVD but to make sure it has the extras on it. On the second disc is a war-room type conversation the producers of the movie and actor Kurt Russell had with coach Herb Brooks in 2002. It was less than a year before Brooks would be killed in a car accident.
They asked Herb to share behind the scenes information on how he built the 1980 US Olympic hockey team and led it to the greatest sports moment of the 20th century – the stunning 4-3 upset of the Soviets and the gold medal two days later in Lake Placid, NY.
Here is what Herb had to say on a variety of topics.
On his approach: “A lot of the players have said they have never been pushed as hard. I wasn’t trying to put greatness into them. I was trying to pull it out. I have never agreed with coaches that are trying to put greatness into players because the coaches think they have all the right answers. I believed in setting very high standards for them and pulling it out. I think my favorite coach John Wooden would concur with that approach.”
On how badly he wanted to coach the 1980 US Olympic hockey team: “How bad? Really bad. The main reason I coached seven seasons at the University of Minnesota was to hopefully coach in the Olympics. That was my passion.”
On how they were successful: “I had to steal from the style of play the Soviets, Czechs and Swedes were doing. Their style of hockey was better than ours. Out of the top ten NHL players today (this interview was done in 2002) nine are European. We also had to focus on conditioning. In the past US teams could play with them for two periods and then hit the wall. We were not going to hit the wall.”
On his mind games and keeping 26 players almost to the end knowing 20 would go to Lake Placid: “I kept them on the bubble up until the end. I played mind games with (goalie) Jim Craig up until the Olympics. We played the Soviets in an exhibition three days before the Games. I said, ‘Jimmy I have played you too long over the last few months. Your curve ball is hanging. Gotta play Janny (the backup). I see flaws with you. It’s not your fault. It’s mine. I played you too long.’ Well, Jim got right up next to me and said ‘I’ll show you.’ Halfway through the Soviet exhibition game I yanked him in front of 18,000 (at Madison Square Garden). He was livid. I didn’t sit him in the Olympics. I played him right through, the whole time. After we won gold he put his finger in my chest and said ‘I showed you.’ I told him that yes he did.”
On keeping defenseman Jack O’Callahan on the 20 man roster even though he hurt his knee three days before the Olympics and was questionable to play: “I kept him because he was very important to the chemistry of the team. His passion, even his spirit during the playing of the National Anthem. I even went to him during our training season and said ‘if I say OC (his nickname) when I yell at you during practice I am yelling at you because I want the team to get the point. If I call you Jack while yelling it is about you.’ He was just so good.” (Mike Eruzione has said since that Herb keeping O’Callahan on the roster rather than replacing him was huge)
On the exhibition game vs Norway in September where he put them through Herbies for an hour after an exhibition game: “They were individuals at that time (September of 1979). They were listening to their agents about turning pro. I had to draw the line. They didn’t take the Norway team serious and didn’t respect the opposition. I told them we would get our work done in the game or after the game. Would I do it again? Probably not, but I think it was the moment when they realized they had to come to work every day and there would be no nights off.” (goalie Jim Craig has said the team had flown to Europe that day and already had a two hour practice before playing the game and then an hour of Herbies)
At the Univ of Minnesota Herb had a strict no facial hair policy. During Olympic training he really wanted Ken Morrow out of Bowling Green (who would later play on four straight Stanley Cup winning NY Islander teams). Well, Morrow had a full beard: “Other guys started growing a beard because he had one. I posted a rule that said if you had a beard when you showed up, you could keep it. Otherwise, no! I never had curfews. You know why? Because the best player always gets caught!”
On what the gold medal meant to him: “That it was a TEAM accomplishment. That was voted the top sports accomplishment of the century and won all the sports awards. That was what I was trying to build the whole time, that a team could accomplish such a big thing. What was most gratifying was that the top sports moment of the century was a group, not an individual like Michael Jordan.”