Herbert Paul "Herb" Brooks, Jr. (August 5, 1937 – August 11, 2003) was an American ice hockey coach (coach (ice hockey)), best known for coaching the U.S. national team (United States mens national ice hockey team) to a gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics in an event known as the "Miracle on Ice".

As a player, Brooks was a member of the U.S. team in the 1964 (1964 Winter Olympics) and 1968 (1968 Winter Olympics) Olympic Games. As a coach, he coached at the college (college hockey), national, European professional, and National Hockey League (NHL) levels. Among other coaching achievements, Brooks won three collegiate championships (NCAA Mens Ice Hockey Championship) at the University of Minnesota (Minnesota Golden Gophers mens ice hockey), turning around a program which finished last before his arrival. Later in his career he worked as a motivational speaker, TV analyst and NHL scout.

Brooks was an innovator in American hockey, creating what became known as the "hybrid" style. Mixing a European puck possession style of play with the North American dump-and-chase style of play, he created a fast-paced and creative style which became the cornerstone of his 1980 gold medal team. Part of what made Brooks so successful was his uncanny way of motivating players and getting the most out of them.

In 1980, Sports Illustrated named Brooks and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team the Sportsman of the Year and called Team USAs Olympic performance the "Greatest Sports Moment of the Century". On November 13, 2006, Brooks was posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.