Alan Bass: The Hidden Side of Coaching
It is well known that Brooks gave his players psychological tests before ultimately choosing his team for the 1980 Olympics. These tests allowed Brooks to understand each of his players, how they thought, what irked them, and what motivated them to perform at their very best. This is why Brooks chose so many players from the University of Minnesota and Boston University for that 1980 team – he was familiar with them and knew that he would have a better chance of understanding these players whom he had histories with in the short amount of time he would have with the team. This, along with his brilliant hockey mind, allowed his team to achieve ultimate success.