Former U.S. Olympic and Minnesota Gopher hockey coach Herb Brooks died this afternoon in a car accident north of the Twin Cities. Brooks coached the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" Olympic team that won the gold medal after defeating Russia in Lake Placid, NewYork. He returned to lead the 2002 U.S. Olympic hockey team to a silver medal. Brooks also coached the Minnesota North Stars, New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers, where he reached the 100-victory mark faster than any other coach in franchise history. Of all the levels of hockey Brooks coached, he told MPR sports commentator Jay Weiner in a 2002 interview that he most enjoyed the Olympic experience: