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Brooks during practice for the 1980 Olympic team. www.herbbrooksfoundation.com
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Brooks during a press conference for the North Stars. www.herbbrooksfoundation.
After Brooks' playing career ended he had a prolific career as a coach; coaching is what he is most famous for in the hockey world. He coached college, Olympic, and professional teams. 

No matter what team he coached, Brooks always approached his players with the same attitude. He demanded the best out of each one; he famously told the players trying out for the 1980 Olympic team that, "if you give 99% you'll make my job a hell of a lot easier." 

Brooks believed in "the family concept" and did not support the idea of dream teams or super stars. No player was more important than the next and each was treated fairly and equally. This concept was more difficult while coaching professional teams but he used it to great effect with his Olympic team, telling his assistant coach that he wasn't necessarily looking for the best players, he wanted the right ones who would play his game and work well with each other. 

Some in the media criticized Brooks idea of a team family, especially with the 1980 team, believing that he was shielding the players from the spotlight in order to soak up his own fifteen minutes of fame.Clearly, Brooks paid little attention to this criticism and strove to protect his players from the news, allowing them to focus only on their game. 


Brooks was a famously stoic coach, showing little emotion in the most harrowing games and never allowing his feelings to color the way he coached his team. Brooks' players from the 1980 team said "Miracle" was an accurate portrayal of his relationship with the players; he tried to keep them at a distance and maintain a professional distance from them. Mike Eruzione, the captain of the 1980 team, remembers that Brooks, "kept to himself off the ice, but he was the best coach I ever had." In a rare moment after that historic Olympics, Brooks displayed his true feelings, claiming, "Father and mothers love their children as I love this hockey team," (Cabio).