It’s hard to put into words exactly what Herb Brooks meant to hockey in Minnesota and the United States.

He brought glory to the University of Minnesota, leading the school’s hockey team to three national championships. He helped make the WCHA and Minnesota High School League what they are today. He coached three National Hockey League teams, including the Minnesota North Stars. He is credited with helping change the playing style of American hockey. And in the feat for which he will most be remembered, he helped a team of amateurs beat the best hockey machine in the world in the 1980 Olympic Games.

When that American team beat the heavily favored Soviets and went on to take the gold medal, it provided not only a sports moment like no other, but a human story that thrilled the whole nation. Brooks made a team of inexperienced underdogs believe they could win, despite facing incredibly long odds against a Russian team that didn’t even know what losing was. And with Brooks looking on, they pulled off the upset, providing one of the most memorable moments in modern Olympic history.

Off the ice, Brooks was always known as a man who said what was on his mind, whether it was popular or not, and who stuck to his guns. For many, that made him all the easier to admire.

Anybody who is involved in hockey in Minnesota will probably be touched in some way by the legacy of Herb Brooks. In a state that is the hockey capital of the nation, that’s something special.