who was the coach of the 1980 usa olympic hockey team
Herb Brooks Herbert Paul Brooks Jr. (August 5, 1937 â€“ August 11, 2003) was an American ice hockey player and coach. His most notable achievement came in 1980 as head coach of the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic hockey team at Lake Placid. At the games, Brooks' US team upset the heavily favored Soviet team in a match that came to be known as the 'Miracle on Ice'. Brooks would go on to coach multiple NHL teams, as well as the French hockey team at the 1998 Winter Olympics, and ultimately returned to coach the US men's team to a silver medal at the 2002 games in Salt Lake City. Brooks was killed in a 2003 car accident. At the time of his death, Brooks was the Pittsburgh Penguins' director of player personnel.
Hockey helmet In August 1979, then President of the National Hockey League (NHL), John Ziegler, announced that protective helmets would become mandatory for incoming players in the NHL. "The introduction of the helmet rule will be an additional safety factor," he said. The rule allowed players who signed professional contracts prior to June 1, 1979 to continue to not wear a helmet provided a liability waiver was signed, if they so desired. The last player to play without a helmet was Craig MacTavish, who played his final game during the 1996–97 season for the St. Louis Blues.