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FSN will run the HBF Segment from 3:15 - 4:30
pm Jan. 17, 2009.
On December 9th, 2008, Darby Hendrickson and
Dan Brooks met with five Minneapolis middle schools (85 youth) and
participated in the new Rink Rats floor hockey program. Fox Sports
Network (FSN) covered the event which will be aired January 17, 2009 as
part of Hockey Day in Minnesota. The Rink Rat program is being funded by
the Jay and Rose Phillips Foundation and the HBF. There are currently
five Minneapolis schools registered for the winter program which began
January 8th. Larry Hendrickson and Janet Marvin are the Rink Rat program
directors.
Program Description:
The Rink Rats Program provides Twin Cities' youth with regular, positive
activity under the supervision of caring adults. The program engages
youth through the sport of hockey, by introducing youth ages 5 to 12
years old to the game, along with three-on-three leagues designed to
further interest in the game through a safe, friendly environment.
Fall program: November - December kids learn lead up skills for hockey
by playing floor hockey, learning the lead up skills to take their game
to the ice in January - March.
Winter program: January - February kids enroll in the learn to skate and
play program. Kids participating in the program learn to skate and work
on individual skills of stick-handling, shooting in unstructured play
progressing to two-on-two and later three-on-three small games.
Spring program: March - April kids will be bused to the Herb Brooks
Training Center in Blaine for dry-land hockey individual skill
development.
Summer program: 50 inner city youth will head to Spooner Wisconsin for a
one week live in hockey school. Time will be spent doing on and off ice
training, small games and non-hockey activities like cook outs, camp
fires and swimming.
How does it fit our mission?
The Rink Rats program is a huge step towards, as Herb said it, "widening
the pyramid." Meaning, the sport of hockey is not considered by many
young people because of the over-organization and emphasis on
ultra-competitive play – especially for inner-city youth. The Herb
Brooks Foundation wants to let kids living in the Twin Cities reap the
wonderful benefits of playing in a very friendly environment that
focuses on the positive development of the youth – not creating future
elite hockey stars.
For many youth living in urban Minneapolis, positive use of out of
school time is not easy. And, finding a positive place with caring
adults can be even more difficult. These kids need an activity that will
allow them to develop the positive character traits they need to become
productive adults. Search Institute published a study that confirms that
the number one contributing factor to the successful development of
individuals is their consistent involvement in a certain activity,
program, or sport – like hockey. The Herb Brooks Foundation will provide
youth with a way to stay positive and develop into young adults in the
future.
Program goals:
Overall, the program offers at-risk youth with a positive choice for use
of after school time, and teaches them the basics in order to play on
their own and use their out of school time in a positive manner.
Meaning, youth will head down to the park to play hockey will fellow
neighborhood youth rather than engage in negative, potential harmful
behavior. Participants will also experience character-building benefits
such as skill development, teamwork, and commitment.
Another benefit of the Rink Rats Program is the widening of the base of
the "pyramid" of hockey players in Minneapolis. Current youth hockey
programs such as the Minneapolis Storm, Minneapolis East, and
Minneapolis West will see more kids participating as a result of being
introduced to the game a fun, safe environment.
The long-term benefit of the Rink Rats Program is preparing youth will
become actively involved in teams in the future. If a young man or woman
has the desire to be a part of a team, use out of school time
positively, and practice to achieve success, they are on the right path
to a positive future.
When will program be offered?
October 23, 2008 through March 26, 2009
How will we measure our success?
Success of the program is gauged by the regular attendance of the youth
participants. If one youth attends at least 70% of the twelve-week
session, (s)he will have gained an understanding of positive use of out
of school time. Their regular attendance and participation shows that
they will engage in safe, positive activities - opposed to engaging in
negative behavior. Program participants are also surveyed on what they
learned as a result of the Rink Rats Program and how it impacted their
lives
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Herb Brooks and the 1980 Olympic Hockey Team
will be included in the Minnesota Historical Society's "Minnesota 150"
exhibit at the Minnesota History Center on October 13, 2007.
Place: Minnesota History Center
Address: 345 Kellogg Blvd W., St. Paul MN 55102-1903
Cost: $8 adults, $6 seniors and college students, and $4 children ages 6
to 17. Free for children age 5 and under and MHS members.
Phone: 651-259-3000, 800-657-3773, 651-282-6073 (tty)
Website:
http://www.minnesotahistorycenter.org
MINNESOTA WOULDN'T BE MINNESOTA WITHOUT_______! 'MN150' EXHIBIT TO OPEN
AT THE HISTORY CENTER OCT. 13
What do Prince, the GPS system, Hubert H.
Humphrey and the 1980 Olympic Hockey Team have in common? They all
changed Minnesota.
The new exhibit “MN150,” presented by Best Buy and opening Oct. 13 at
the Minnesota History Center, launches the 2008 celebration of 150 years
of Minnesota statehood by exploring changes – changes wrought by
powerful people and by ordinary citizens, sparked by something as simple
as a hockey game or as broad as a new political party – changes ranging
from those that have shaken up Minnesota to those that have rocked the
world. One hundred fifty people, places and things are presented and
interpreted in the “MN150” exhibit, through a variety of public programs
and on the web site.
READ MORE HERE!
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Blaine, Minn. (December 15, 2006) – The
National Sports Center (NSC) announced that the official dedication of
the newly expanded Schwan Super Rink was held on Friday, January 19,
2007.
Two sheets of ice were opened on October 1 and the final two sheets came
on line on December 16. The addition of the four new rinks, called rinks
5-8, bring the Schwan Super Rink's capacity to eight sheets of ice in a
single facility, making it the largest ice arena of its kind in the
world.
The Herb Brooks Training Center is a year-round state-of-the-art 12,500
square foot training center made possible by the work of the Herb Brooks
Foundation and will utilize the Total Hockey Training System, featuring
strength training and goaltending development.
Here is the time schedule for the dedication ceremony:
4:30 pm: Ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Herb Brooks Training Center,
adjacent to the Herb Brooks Rink (rink #6).
5:00 – 6:00 pm: Tours, refreshments, figure skating exhibition, Bethel
University Rink (rink #5). Book signing by Ross Bernstein, author of
America's Coach.
6:00 – 7:00 pm: Free public skating, Herb Brooks Rink.
7:00 – 9:30 pm: Bethel vs. St. John's men's college hockey game, Rink #5.
The new sheets of ice are part of a 128,000-square-foot four-hockey rink
addition, which brings the size of the facility to 300,000 square feet.
The addition was designed by Rozeboom Miller Architects and constructed
by Kraus-Anderson Construction Company. The four new sheets are NHL-size
ice. The original Schwan Super Rink, which opened in 1998, featured four
Olympic-size rinks. In addition to the skating surfaces, the arena
offers the Herb Brooks Center training facility, a figure skating
training room, the Hat Trick Café, and 32 locker rooms.
From ground breaking to opening, the new arena was built in just over a
year. Construction began in early December of 2005.
"The new Herb Books Training Center is dedicated to hockey players to help
move their game from good to great and develop a lifetime love for the
game," said Skip Peltier, Executive Director of The Herb Brooks
Foundation. "We are carrying forward Herbie's beliefs, vision, and
commitment to better the game of hockey. The Herb Brooks Training Center
is the first part of a $7 million multi-phase commitment by the
Foundation and was designed as a part of "The Four Pillars of Program
Development & Training:" dryland training, on-ice training,
character/leadership/officials training, and unstructured play in a
'pond-hockey' environment.
"We are actively working with leading companies, former players and others
to sponsor and bring to reality this commitment to better the game,"
said Peltier.
"My dad loved the game of hockey and committed his life to making it
better for all," said Dan Brooks, son of Herb Brooks and a member of the
Foundation board. "Read his comments; they are what the Herb Brooks
Foundation is committed to doing."
"Herbie envisioned what is now the Herb Brooks Training Center when he
first developed the original Super Rink plans in 1998, but the concept
was cut off the final budget," said Dean Talafous Herb Brooks Training
Center Program Director. "This training center, is just the kind of
facility Herbie envisioned. Training programs for all ages and skill
levels will be conducted both in the training center and on the ice
year-round at the Schwan Super Rink".
Well-known Minnesota sports author Ross Bernstein will sign copies of his
new book, America's Coach. The book profiles the life of Herb Brooks and
the leadership messages Brooks used in his career of coaching. Bernstein
had been working with Brooks on writing a series of motivational books
at the time of his passing in 2003,
The new Schwan Super Rink addition was built without any money from the
State of Minnesota. The proceeds from the sale of Columbia Arena were
applied to the new construction. Building partners include Blaine,
Centennial, Forest Lake and Tri-City Youth Hockey, Bethel University and
the Herb Brooks Foundation, who committed to be long-term tenants of the
facility. This allowed Anoka County to sell construction bonds to
finance the remainder of the construction costs, which will be paid for
by ice-rental revenues. The cities of Blaine, Circle Pines, Centerville
and Lino Lakes are also partners in the new expansion.
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 View
the PHOTO Gallery from the Hockey Hall of Fame Ceremony
TORONTO — Jim Gregory, Chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame Selection
Committee, announced that Terrance 'Dick' Duff and Patrick Roy have been
elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Player Category. In the
Builder Category, former coach Herbert Brooks and NHL Chairman of the
Board, Harley Hotchkiss were elected. The vote took place in June at the
annual meeting of the Selection Committee in Toronto. All four were
inducted on November 13th, 2006.
Brooks led an Olympic team of college players
from the United States to the greatest upset in hockey history, the
"Miracle on Ice" victory over the mighty Soviet machine in the 1980
semifinals. The Americans went on to win the gold medal, their only one
since 1960
"I just wish my father was still alive to
enjoy this moment," son Dan Brooks said. "I know he's looking down and
is very proud of this honor. ... He felt the U.S. player could compete
at all levels of hockey, especially the NHL."
Download Dan
Brooks speech (pdf)
Brooks led the University of Minnesota to
three NCAA titles and also coached the New York Rangers, Minnesota North
Stars, New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins.
 Roy
won four Stanley Cup championships and three Vezina Trophies as the
NHL's top goalie in 19 seasons with the Montreal Canadians and Colorado
Avalanche. He retired in 2003 as the league's career leader with 551
regular-season victories.
"It was a great career," the 40-year-old Roy
said. "It was fun, every minute of it, and I'm happy to still be
involved in hockey today. Hockey is my passion."
Duff played with Toronto, Montreal, Los Angeles, Buffalo and the New
York Rangers during an 18-year career that ended in 1972. He won a total
of six Stanley Cups with the Maple Leafs and the Canadians, was a
seven-time All-Star and finished his career with 283 goals and 572
points in 1,030 games.
Hotchkiss was part of the group that moved
the Flames to Calgary from Atlanta. He's still a part owner of the team,
and is the chairman of the NHL's Board of Governors.
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The Wall of Discovery, a 253-foot display
featuring the work of 99 distinguished University of Minnesota alumni
and professors was unveiled September 29, 2006. This is a $4.5 million
privately funded landscaped walkway featuring monuments to the U of M’s
most distinguished scholars.
Designed to look like a long chalkboard, the
Wall of Discovery runs along the north wall of the U of M’s Electrical
Engineering and Computer Science Building and brightens up an alleyway
once considered one of the bleakest stretches of the U's Minneapolis
campus. It cost upwards of $300,000 in donated funds.
It took designer Drew Sternal more than 1˝ years to find the documents,
which he calls "moments in time from genius at work."
Though inventors and academic researchers are
widely represented, the display is leavened with others: writers,
musicians and more.
"The breadth of the disciplines at the U are
well covered," Sternal said. Hockey coach Herb Brooks is there,
represented by a page from his journal representing thoughts about the
1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team's "Miracle on Ice." This transcends sports
in my eyes," Sternal said.
Others include novelist Saul Bellow, Gore-Tex
fabric inventor Robert Gore, astronaut Donald (Deke) Slayton, poet John
Berryman, Bob Dylan, and Hubert Humphrey.
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The late Herb Brooks, who coached the American
hockey team to victory over the Soviet Union in 1980, was inducted into
the United States Olympic Hall of Fame.
Brooks also led the U.S. to a silver medal at
the 2002 Olympics and played on the 1964 and '68 teams. But the 4-3
victory over Russia in the semifinals, known as the "Miracle on Ice," is
widely regarded as the greatest upset in Olympic history, if not in all
of modern sports. The Associated Press and Sports Illustrated voted it
the top sports story of the 20th century.
''Herb is the architect of the most famous
achievement in American hockey history and we are extremely pleased to
learn that he will be inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame,''
Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey, said in a statement .
"Quite simply," he said, "he is one of the greatest hockey coaches who
ever lived."
Other inductees included the 1984 U.S., men's
gymnastics team, Olympians Evelyn Ashford (track and field), Rowdy
Gaines (swimming), Bob Hayes (track and field), Shannon Miller
(gymnastics) and Kristi Yamaguchi (figure skating) and Paralympian Diana
Golden-Brosnihan (skiing). Speed skater Jack Shea will be inducted in
the veterans category and NBC executive Dick Ebersol is going in as a
special contributor. The group was honored during a ceremony Dec. 8 at
the Harris Theater in Chicago. The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame was
established in 1979 and honors 182 athletes, coaches and special
contributors. The 2005 class is the first after a 12-year hiatus.
Click on this collage to see the
full picture...
Brooks’ continued recognition well deserved
By Chuck Grillo
Another honor was bestowed on Herb Brooks recently with his induction ...
(full
article)
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The Herb Brooks Foundation was very excited to
announce our involvement with the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships
(USPHC), an event that shared our goal of upholding the noble traditions
of outdoor hockey.
It was set for January 20-22, 2006 on the frozen waters of Lake Calhoun in
Minneapolis, the USPHC (www.uspondhockey.com) was a three-day, 128-team,
four-on-four competition for men and women, and called on outdoor hockey
enthusiasts nationwide to participate.
Developed by a group of passionate pond hockey enthusiasts from Minnesota
with a sincere appreciation and respect for the purity of the game, the
USPHC sought to draw attention to the traditions of outdoor hockey while
giving back to the hockey community. A percentage of proceeds went to
benefit the Herb Brooks Foundation and DinoMights Inner City Youth
Hockey.
Click thumbnails below for
fuller views of these pictures
The USPHC was officially launched Oct. 18 in a press conference at Lake
Calhoun. Herb Brooks Foundation co-director Danny Brooks was honored to
share the stage with other pond hockey enthusiasts including: Minnesota
Governor Tim Pawlenty; former Minnesota Governor and 1956 U.S. Olympic
Hockey Team player Wendell Anderson; Phil Housley, the NHL’s all-time
U.S.-born lead scorer; Fred Haberman, event co-organizer, president of
Haberman & Associates; Paul Ridgeway, event co-organizer, president of
Ridgeway International; John Foley, Director and Coach, DinoMights
Inner-City Youth Hockey; and other legends in their own right.
Click the link below to see photos from the press conference launch:
US Pond Hockey Website Pictures
“It’s hockey as nature intended: on the pond, outside in the elements and
during the absolute coldest time of year,” said Fred Haberman,
co-founder of the tournament and president of Haberman & Associates
public relations. “We hope the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships will
provide the community a weekend to pay tribute to a true Minnesota
tradition, while bringing nationwide attention to the purity that still
exists in sport.”
The tournament featured 25 rinks on the west side of Lake Calhoun and a
field of 128 teams competing in open, women’s, and senior men’s
divisions. There were openings for 96 open teams, 16 women’s teams, and
16 senior men’s teams.
The ice site featured 24 150-by-75 foot hockey rinks “Calhoun Gardens,” a
25th and central rink, was surrounded by bleachers and lights for
night-time exhibition and notable games.
Teams carried six players, with games being played in a four-on-four, no
goalie format. Games will be two 17.5-minute halves with a two-minute
intermission. Rinks will be cleared in true pond fashion — shoveled off
prior to games by the two teams on deck. Official rules will be no
checking or lifting the puck, and goals must be scored on the attacking
side of center ice.
Opening ceremonies were held Friday night with a series of pond hockey
exhibition games featuring NHL, Olympic and college Alumni facing off
under the lights. After the games a musical guest perfored in the
warming house tent for a night of celebration and camaraderie.
Saturday was the qualifying round tournament play, with each team
guaranteed three games. Sunday featured the medal round, where the
divisions will be whittled down to the top team, who will receive “The
Golden Shovel.”
What the Stanley Cup is to the NHL, the Golden Shovel is to the USPHC. It
will be awarded to tournament winners each year, and they will be
inscribed on the shovel as U.S. Pond Hockey Championship champions.
Sponsors included Volvo Cars of North America, Rider Bennett Law, Haberman
& Associates Public Relations, Ridgeway International Events,
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, KFAN-AM and KARE-TV.
For more information, visit www.uspondhockey.com or call 612.372.6471.
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LAKE PLACID, N.Y. The rink where Herb Brooks
coached the U.S. Olympic hockey team to its stunning gold-medal victory
25 years ago now bears his name. It was renamed February 23, 2005 at a
special 25th Anniversary celebration in Lake Placid.
The announcement capped a celebration of the 1980 Lake Placid Winter
Games, and it came 25 years and a day after Team USA's miraculous 4-3
victory over the Soviet Union.''
The ceremony featured 35 members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic team and
included 18 of the 20 members of the hockey team, skier Phil Mahre, and
figure skaters Linda Fratianne, Tai Babilonia, Randy Gardner, Peter
Carruthers and Scott Hamilton, who is recovering from a brain tumor. New
York Gov. George Pataki also attended the event. “You need the
dedication of good players, but you need the vision of a coach to win.”
Just over 6,000 people attended the ceremony, which was capacity because
several sections of seats were blocked off for the production. Normal
capacity for hockey is 7,700, except 25 years ago when nearly 11,000
crammed every corner of the arena to see a miracle unfold.
Click on images below for
full view
``Herb used to tell us that there was a method to his madness, and at
times we kind of wondered,'' Mike Eruzione said. ``And when the smoke
cleared and the victory was done, I think we looked back and went, `Wow!
The guy was right.'
``He believed in us and we believed in each other. It was a special
time. It started a journey for us that we never would have imagined 25
years later would have taken us back here. Who'd ever have thought that
25 years later we'd come back here and share in the joy?''
The Herb Brooks Arena will host countless local and high school leagues,
CanAm tournaments, USA Hockey Men’s and Women’s training camps and
international events. It is also the home for the USA Hockey Women’s
National Team.
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Feeling locked out? Satisfy your urge to see NHL
players on the ice at the Hockey for Heroes for American Heroes
competition. The game took place at the University of Minnesota’s
Mariucci Arena. Local professional hockey players will face off against
MN Governor Tim Pawlenty and ringers from the Minnesota National Guard
and St. Paul Police hockey teams. It’s not being done just for the love
of the game. “Dwayne Roloson and I thoroughly enjoy our opportunity to
play hockey in Minnesota in large part because of the fans,” says
professional hockey left winger Andrew Brunette. “We wanted to share our
love of hockey with our fans and give back to local charities at the
same time. We came up with this idea and are excited that hockey lovers
have come together to support it.”
Proceeds from the game were donated to several charities, including the
primary beneficiary Herb Brooks Foundation, the National Guard’s
Minnesota Military Family Foundation and the Shjon Podein Children’s
Foundation.
“This is a way for us to say thank-you to important causes in the way that
we know best — by playing hockey,” says Brunette. “It was important to
us to honor our nation’s heroes who face-off with danger every day along
with a couple of our local hockey heroes: Herb Brooks and Shjon Podein,
who give a lot to hockey and their home state.” The Herb Brooks
Foundation is carrying on the ideals of Herb Brooks and will focus its
efforts on helping to make youth hockey and youth sports of all kinds
the type of environment that nurtures our young people and helps to make
them better adults.
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SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS,
Minn. – The Minnesota Wild 10,000 Rinks Foundation and the Herb
Brooks Foundation in partnership with the National Hockey League (NHL)
had put together a raffle that was held in conjunction with the
USA vs. Russia World Cup of Hockey game on Thursday, September 2nd at
Xcel Energy Center at 6:00 PM.
The raffle featured USA Hockey and World Cup
autographed memorabilia including a Herb Brooks signed print, a Jim
Craig signed print, a signed Brian Rolston USA jersey and a signed
Marian Gaborik Slovakian jersey. The foundations will be located at the
Community Relations Center, located at Section 124 of the Xcel Energy
Center. All money raised from the raffle was split evenly between the
two foundations and was used to support youth hockey associations in
Minnesota.
In addition to the raffle, Jim Craig, Buzzy
Schnieder, Mike Ramsey and John Harrington of the 1980 USA Gold Medal
Olympic team signed autographs at the booth. Jim Craig signed
before the game and John Harrington signed between the first and second
intermissions. The Herb Brooks Foundation had their booth set up at all
the World Cup games at the Excel Center, St. Paul, Minn.
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The Wayne Gretzky International Award was presented
posthumously by the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame to Herb Brooks as part of
the hall of fame's annual celebrity golf classic fund-raiser tournament
on July 25 in Red Wing, Minn. It was presented to Wayne Gretzky in
2001, the Gordie Howe family in 2002, and Bobby Hull in 2003.
The award went to Danny Brooks in honor of his
father, a 1990 inductee into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. The Gretzky
award is given annually to an international citizen who has made a major
contribution to the growth and advancement of American hockey.
Brooks was an advocate of American hockey through his college and
amateur career and coaching stints at the University of Minnesota and
St. Cloud State University, as well as in the NHL.
The golf tournament took place at Mississippi
National Golf Links, MN and the awards ceremony at Treasure Island
Resort & Casino.
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On May 11, 2004, the Minnesota State High School
League inducted Herb Brooks along with other outstanding leaders in the
community, into their Hall of Fame. This year's honorees believe in
sportsmanship, honesty, teamwork, self-discipline, loyalty, and
cooperation. They have personified those values, which the League holds
as fundamental to the education of younge people, in thier exemplary
careers as teachers, coaches, and directors.
Herb was an outstanding leader who had shown the way to a pinnacle of
achievement. "For Herb Brooks, nothing could replace the neighborhood
unity, the friendships and the bonds that were formed on outdoor ice
rinks, in warming houses, and in the Johnson High School hallways,"
stated David Stead, Executive Director, Minnesota State High School
League.
The most often repeated quote from Herb is: "Winning the state
championship, that represented your neighborhood...I would have to say
that was my biggest thrill ever. It was just the guys in neighborhood
and that was special." This quote stands as testimony to the value of
high school sports.
Accepting the award was his wife, Patti Brooks: "Herbie would be honored
and yet humbled to be included with this year's Hall of Fame inductees.
He was always grateful for the opportunity to work with young people, to
instill values that would serve them for a lifetime. In his mind,
character was just as important as talent. Herbie always said that the
highlight of his sports career was winning the 1955 Minnesota Hockey
Tournament. This ignited his desire to help young people pursue their
goals and become the best person they could be. He would want to share
this honor with all the young people who enriched his life."
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St. Cloud, Minn.
-- St. Cloud State University honored the late Herb Brooks with a
special ceremony between the first and second period of the SCSU men’s
hockey game against Northern Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 16. At that
time, SCSU formally dedicated Herb Brooks Way that is located adjacent
to the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
Earlier this year, the city of St. Cloud approved the change of 13th
Street S. east of 4th Ave. S. (the street just south of the SCSU’s
National Hockey Center) to Herb Brooks Way. The street name change was
done to recognize the contributions that Brooks made to the sport of
hockey, and in particular, his help in bringing NCAA Division I hockey
to St. Cloud State and obtaining funding for the National Hockey Center
-- home of SCSU Husky hockey.
Brooks served for one season as the Huskies’ head coach in 1986-87, as
SCSU posted a 25-10-1 record during that season and placed third in the
nation at the NCAA Division III level. The following season, thanks in
part to the groundwork laid by Brooks, SCSU made the move to the NCAA
Division I level. Since that time, SCSU has become a college hockey
power under the direction of head coach Craig Dahl. An assistant coach
for Brooks during the 1986-87 season, Dahl has served as head coach for
the Huskies since 1987-88 and he will begin his 18th season as head
coach in 2004-05.
“Herb (Brooks) did so many things to promote the sport of hockey during
his lifetime, and a great example of that were his contributions to the
Husky hockey program,” SCSU Director of Athletics Dr. Morris Kurtz said.
“He played an integral role in our move to the NCAA Division I level and
was instrumental in helping us gain the funding for the National Hockey
Center. Herb Brooks Way is a fitting tribute to the memory of Herb and
all the great things he did for hockey at St. Cloud State.”
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 April 25, 2004, about
500 people gathered at St. Paul Johnson High School, where the hockey
jersey of the late Herb Brooks was retired. From a bronze sculpture to
"Miracle", the celebrations of hockey legend Herb Brooks have been
plenty. Herb got his first taste of championship hockey when he led his
St. Paul Johnson squad to the Minnesota high school title in 1955.
But it was Sunday morning's pancake feed and
retirement of his Johnson High School hockey number at the East Side
school that would have made Brooks, feel most at home. He never forgot
his roots.
Local sports personality John Henk, also a
Johnson graduate, took the podium and addressed the crowd that gathered
in the auditorium about how Herbie would have felt on this day. The
audience included his wife, Patti, son Danny, daughter Kelly, and his
five grandchildren along with the Johnson High School hockey team —
conference and Twin Cities champs this year — sitting in rows behind the
proud 1955 championship team on which Brooks played.
On the dais sat Mayor Randy Kelly and a line of
hockey greats from long ago, including Herb's brother Dave Brooks,
National Hockey League veteran Bobby Paradise and former North Stars
owner and USA Hockey president Walter Bush.
 There
was little talk of the Americans' "miracle" victory over the Russians in
1980 that paved the way for the U.S. to win Olympic gold. Rather, much
of the 1-1/2-hour ceremony included recollections of friends and family
about how hockey touched the East Side in the 1950s and 1960s, when
fathers and sons spent bitterly cold nights "pouring" a rink, and kids
learned and played the game outside.
After the school presented the Brooks family
with a framed No. 5 jersey, senior hockey player Pat Conrad considered
the mark Brooks had made on so many lives. "It nice to hear how much
someone from here did for people. It made me realize there's a lot more,
after high school, that you can become," he said.
Herb Brooks is "Pride of the East Side"...
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No matter where his hockey career took him, Herb
Brooks’ heart always remained in his home city of Saint Paul, Minn.
With the focus of the hockey world on St. Paul for
the 2004 NHL All-Star Weekend, city fathers used the occasion to unveil
a permanent bronze statue of Brooks outside the Rivercentre’s east
entrance, which is next door to the Xcel Energy Center.
Brooks’ family and friends, along with other
celebrity guests, were on hand for the unveiling on Feb. 5. The event
also marked the kick off of the Herb Brooks Foundation, which is
dedicated to providing more opportunities for kids to play hockey.
True to Brooks’ words, the foundation will assist in
“making hockey fun for kids and letting them learn to love the game the
way we did.”
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