One Goal: A Chronicle of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team

A great chronicle of those heady days in Lake Placid nearly 25 years ago. Everyone seemed to find something they liked in this improbable victory. For me it was the coaching job turned in by Herb Brooks. It may be the greatest coaching job in the history of sports. Here are excerpts from an AP article about the late Coach Brooks which says it all: Herb Brooks was behind the bench when the American Olympic Hockey team pulled off the greatest upset ever at Lake Placid NY in 1980, beating the mighty Soviets with a squad of mostly college players.That shocking victory, plus beating Finland for the gold medal, assured the team a place in immortality. The young U.S. team was given no chance against a veteran Soviet squad that had dominated international hockey for years and had routed the Americans 10-3 in an exhibition game at Madison Square Garden the week before the Olympics. On Feb. 22, 1980, the U.S. team scored with 10 minutes to play to take a 4-3 lead against the Soviets. As the final seconds ticked away, announcer Al Michaels exclaimed, "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" It remains one of the most famous calls in history. Brooks' leadership helped turn a ragtag team into champions. He had hand picked each player. "You're looking for players whose name on the front of the sweater is more important than the one on the back," Brooks once said. "I look for these players to play hard, to play smart and to represent their country." Interviewed years later on why he headed to the locker room shortly after the Miracle on Ice, he said he wanted to leave the ice to his players, who deserved it. Players kept a notebook of "Brooksisms," sayings the coach used for motivation, such as: "You're playing worse and worse every day and right now you're playing like it's next month." But, before playing the Soviets, Brooks told his players: "You're meant to be here. This moment is yours. You're meant to be here at this time." "He was ahead of his time," team member Ken Morrow said. "All of his teams overachieved because Herbie understood how to get the best out of each player and make him part of a team. And like everyone who played for him, I became a better person because I played for Herb Brooks." Born in St. Paul, Brooks played hockey at the University of Minnesota, where he later coached from 1972 to 1979, winning three national titles. He was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990. When Brooks decided to coach the 2002 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team at Salt Lake City, he was asked why he would return after writing the most improbable story in hockey. "Maybe I'm sort of like the players -- there's still a lot of little boy in me," Brooks said. "And maybe I'm a little smarter now than I was before for all the stupid things I've done." Brooks was the last player cut on the 1960 U.S. gold medal team, and unfairly so, the victim of favoritism by his coach. But he persevered, and played on the United States Olympic Hockey Team in

I bought this book 25 years ago and loved it. It is much more accurate than the other stories/movies because the authors discribe the contributions of ALL of the teamates and not just the media favorites. Mark Johnson actually gets recognition in this book. It also does a great job of showing how Herb Brooks did the coaching job of his life. The players bonded because they all hated the way Herb worked them. They won just to show him they could. Now if I could just remember who I lent my copy to......

Very well written. The "insider's" story on how the team was put together.

IF YOU LOVED THE U.S.A. BOYS WINNING THE GOLD YOU MUST GET THIS BOOK. THE ONLY THING I DID NOT LIKE ABOUT THE BOOK IS THAT I WAS DONE READING IT. ONCE YOU START YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN TRUST ME IT IS THAT GOOD.