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Herb Brooks Foundation Golf Classic will be at Victory Links at the National Sports Center August 12

By Barclay Kruse, Herb Brooks Foundation , 08/08/19, 5:00PM CDT

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The Foundation will present its 2019 Hall of Fame Award to Matt Olson

Blaine, Minn. (August 8, 2019) -- The Herb Brooks Foundation’s (HBF) annual Celebrity Golf Classic will be held on Monday, August 12 at the Victory Links golf course at the National Sports Center in Blaine.

The event is the major annual fund-raising event for the HBF, and is instrumental in providing financial resources to help the Foundation advance its mission to grow the game of hockey, especially among young athletes who would not otherwise have access to coaching, equipment and ice time.

The Herb Brooks Youth Hockey Hall of Fame Award will be presented to Matt Olson, from Isanti, Minn. Olson, 23, suffered a spinal-cord injury three years ago that ended his playing career and confined him to a wheelchair.


Matt Olson (left) with Herb Brooks Foundation board member Doug Johnson.

Olson is being honored for his dedication, inspiration, high moral character, and perseverance in rebounding from his injury and continuing his positive contributions to the hockey community. He has maintained a close relationship with the Herb Brooks Foundation. HBF board member Doug Johnson is a close friend, and Olson studied the Foundation as a case study for a college research project. He is an annual attendee at the Golf Classic, and will be accepting his award in person on Monday.

Past Hall of Fame award winners are Janet Marvin; Jim McDonough; Cal, Tut, and Jack Marvin; Rudy Krampotich; Stan Hubbard; Wes Barette; Larry Hendrickson; Chuck Grillo; Bill Butters; the Brodt family; and the late 1980 Olympian Bob Suter, who received the award posthumously. Bob’s son, Ryan Suter, accepted the award in honor of his father at last year’s Celebrity Golf Classic.

The Herb Brooks Golf Classic annually draws an illustrious list of Minnesota hockey stars, past and present. Among those attending this year will be 1980 Miracle on Ice veterans Buzz Schneider and Rob McClanahan; Gophers’ head hockey coach Bob Motzko and St. Cloud State head coach Brett Larson; current NHL players Anders Lee (New York Islanders), Jonny Brodzinski (San Jose Sharks), Jake Guentzel (Pittsburgh Penguins), Luke Kunin (Minnesota Wild), Casey Nelson (Buffalo Sabres), Alex Goligoski (Arizona Coyotes), Travis Boyd (Washington Capitals), Brady Skjei (New York Rangers), and Derek Stepan (Arizona Coyotes). Retired NHL players attending will include Ryan Carter, Mark Parrish, Joe Dziedzic, Mike Antonovich, Bob Paradise and Neil Sheehy.