Herb Brooks

Book excerpt: The U. S. hockey team’s victory at the 1980 Olympics was a “Miracle on Ice”--a miracle largely brought about by Herb Brooks, the legendary coach who forged that invincible team. Famously antagonistic toward the press at Lake Placid, Brooks nonetheless turned to sportswriter John Gilbert after each game, giving his longtime friend and confidant what became the most comprehensive coverage of the ’80 team. This book is Gilbert’s memoir of Brooks. Neither strictly biography or tell-all exposé, Herb Brooks: The Inside Story of a Hockey Mastermind is the story of an extraordinary man as it emerged in the course of a remarkable friendship.