Herb Brooks - Brooksisms

Brooksisms

Brooks' original expressions were known by his players as "Brooksisms." According to Olympians John Harrington, Dave Silk, and Mike Eruzione, these are a few.

• "You're playing worse and worse every day and right now you're playing like it's next month."
• "You can't be common, the common man goes nowhere; you have to be uncommon."
• "Boys, I'm asking you to go to the well again."
• "You look like you have a five pound fart on your head."
• "You guys are getting bent over and they're not using Vaseline."
• "You look like a monkey tryin' to hump a football!"
• "You're looking for players whose name on the front of the sweater is more important than the one on the back. I look for these players to play hard, to play smart and to represent their country.”
• "Great moments are born from great opportunities."
• "You know, Willie Wonka said it best: we are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams."
• "This team isn't talented enough to win on talent alone."
• "If you lose this game you'll take it to your grave...your fucking grave."
• "You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here. This moment is yours."
• "Write your own book instead of reading someone else's book about success."
• "Boys, in the front of the net its a bloody nose alley."
• "Don't dump the puck in. That went out with short pants."
• "Throw the puck back and weave, weave, weave. But don't just weave for the sake of weaving."
• "Let's be idealistic, but let's also be practical."
• "You guys don't want to work during the game?"
• "The legs feed the wolf."