NBC's Tom Brokaw to air exclusive story on Brooks family

NBC’s Tom Brokaw, one of the most respected figures in broadcast journalism, made a special trip to Minnesota this week for an exclusive interview with the Brooks family.

The story will air Tuesday, February 16 on NBC’s Today Show, commemorating Herb’s life, legacy and the continuing efforts to grow hockey through the Herb Brooks Foundation.

With the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver rapidly approaching, the former anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News said it was perfect timing.

“It’s been 30 years since the Miracle on Ice and it still resonates with the American people,” Brokaw said, in the warming house at Mahtomedi Outdoor Ice Rink.

After interviewing Herb’s son, Dan Brooks, in Saint Paul at the Minnesota Wild’s headquarters, Brokaw decided to lace up a pair of skates for some outdoor hockey with Herb’s grandkids.

Admittedly not much of a hockey player, he couldn’t stress enough the impact and importance of Herb and the 1980 Olympic Team during a critical point in American history.

“That moment was a kind of important metaphor for the country: that we can do things if we get properly motivated and pull ourselves together,” Brokaw said. “And folks forget how difficult times were. We had an energy crisis, we had Iranian hostages – the country was down itself. They got such a lift out of a sporting event, and Herb was the big driver of all that.”