He also wanted young men who could take advantage of opportunities. Herb wanted players who could deal with pressure and embrace the total shift in playing style he would teach them over seven months. None of the questions had anything to do with sports, but more about how they could handle stress and change. In my teambuilding sessions forĬollege programs, I share in depth how he did it, and one of the things he did was go to the head of the Psychology Dept at the University of Minnesota and have him prepare a 300 question questionaire for the prospective players. players would have made the Soviet roster, yet Herb won with them. In sports history, Tarasov is like John Wooden. team this time was its coach Herb Brooks.” A couple of classy defensemen, about five individually strong forwards – and that is all. It is often said that you cannot win without outstanding athletes, but never underestimate the importance of coaching and recruiting.Īfter Herb Brooks led the 1980 Miracle on Ice hockey team past the Soviets 4-3 and to the gold, the legendary Anatoli Tarasov – one of the founders of the Soviet hockey dynasty – said this: “The line up of the 1980 Olympic champions – not so impressive.
