Hockey Legend Herb Brooks Honored With New Statue In St. Paul

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A gold medal coach and Minnesota hockey legend is being celebrated and honored Wednesday night in St. Paul.

Herb Brooks is synonymous with hockey. Wednesday, his family is debuting a new statue in his honor.

The statue replaces the old, life-sized statue of Brooks, which sits in front of the newly opened restaurant inspired by Brooks – Herbie's On The Park.

Herb Brooks was bigger than life, and so was the desire to make a much bigger statue of him than the one which has occupied this spot near Rice Park and the Xcel Energy Center.

A number of members of the 1980 Olympic gold medal winning team, from Neal Broten to Rob McClanahan and Buzz Schneider, will be at the ceremony to help unveil the statue.

Herb Brooks became a hockey hero, naturally for what happened in Lake Placid, New York, in 1980. That's where he led Team USA to the "Miracle on Ice," largely a team of college kids that went onto stun the Russians in the Olympic semifinal game. Brooks' squad not only shocked the Russians, they finished the job by beating Finland in the gold medal game.

Brooks continued to have a big voice in all things hockey in Minnesota, until his voice was silenced when Herb died in a one car accident in August of 2003.

Brooks also won three NCAA titles coaching at the University of Minnesota. He was instrumental in taking St. Cloud State to the Division I level.