Rice Park Statue

Picture
www.herbbrooksfoundation.com
On August 11, 2003, Herb Brooks was killed in a car accident near Forest Lake, Minnesota. To commemorate Herb’s unexpected death, a bronze statue of Brooks with his arms lifted in permanent celebration of the clinching goal in the gold medal game against Finland, was presented to the people of St. Paul at the Winter Carnival in Rice Park. Former Minnesota North Star, Lou Nanna, revealed and presented the bronze statue of Brooks: “ Although the idea of a permanent bronze statue of this man could have been placed anywhere in the country, it is St. Paul that holds the most memories of Herb Brooks. His accomplishments have inspired a nation, as many of you will see shortly tonight in a Disney movie called Miracle” (Wilcoxen). The same night that the statue was shown to fellow Minnesotans, the movie Miracle, had entered the theaters. The 1980 Olympic team that Herb coached held practices at the St. Paul Civic Center, which today is known as the River Center and out front of the complex is the place where the bronze statue of Herb now stands.