> > EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (UPI) -- The New Jersey Devils Friday fired > coach Tom McVie and replaced him with Herb Brooks, who led the 1980 U.S. > hockey team to a gold medal and coached the New York Rangers and > Minnesota North Stars of the NHL. > Brooks, 54, coached the Devils' Utica farm club of the American > Hockey League last season. His three-year contract is the longest New > Jersey has ever given a coach. > Brooks said the long-term contract gives him time to install his > motion offense. > ``It shows they will let me put my system in and I belive in a > motion-created system,'' he said. ``Every team that has won the Stanley > Cup since the 1980s has used that, plus a tough defense in the playoffs. > ``I think the right pieces are here to eventually win the Stanley > Cup, but there's work to be done. I don't necessarily disagree with > everything Tom Mcvie did. In fact, I agree with much of it. But there > are areas I want to change.'' > Brooks said he thought the Devils have the deepest goaltending in the > NHL, with Chris Terreri, Craig Billington, Michael Dunham and Sean > Burke, who sat out last season because of a contract dispute. > The Devils' front office hopes Brooks can give the team an identity > it has lacked while sharing the New York metropolitan area with the > Rangers and New York Islanders. > ``I have a strong belief that Herb Brooks can lead the Devils to the > next level of success,'' Devils General Manager Lou Lamoriello said. > ``He has demonstrated over and over his motivational skills and the > ability to incorporate a high level of imagination into his coaching > philosophy. > ``This coaching change should not be construed as an indictment of > the job Tom McVie did for us. He served the Devils' organization well > for a long period of time, but at present, with the type of talent our > team possesses, we feel that Herb Brooks is the man best suited to take > our team to the top.'' > New Jersey finished 38-31-11 under McVie, finishing fourth in the > Patrick Division and losing to the Rangers in the first round of the > playoffs. McVie also coached the Devils for 60 games in 1983-84, and > spent nine seasons coaching their AHL farm club in Maine and Utica. > Brooks led the University of Minnesota to three NCAA championships in > the 1970s, then coached the ``Miracle On Ice'' the 1980 Olympic team > pulled off by winning the gold medal at Lake Placid, N.Y. The United > States scored a semifinal upset over a heavily-favored Soviet team that > included current Devils defensemen Viacheslav Fetisov and Alexei > Kasatonov. > After coaching the Swiss team Davos for a season, Brooks took over > the Rangers and had a 131-113-41 record over three-and-a-half seasons. > Brooks coached Division III St. Cloud (Minn.) in 1986-87, then > returned to the NHL for one season, coaching the North Stars to a 19-48- > 13 mark. Brooks' career NHL record is 150-161-54 > > -- Dave [log in to unmask] Cornell '91 OSU Med '95 Far above Cayuga's waters.....