Neal Broten

Neal Broten was only a sophomore at the University of Minnesota when he played for the 1980 Olympic team. Minnesota and Olympic coach, Herb Brooks, called Broten, “The best freshman to ever play for the Gophers” – quite an accolade in view of their hockey tradition. After the Olympics, Broten played only one more year of college hockey but in that year he was named first-team All-America, all-NCAA Tournament, and was the first winner of the Hobey Baker Trophy ice hockey’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy After that year, Broten signed with the Minnesota North Stars and had a great rookie year. His 98-point season was the third highest total ever by an NHL rookie and, in addition, he set an NHL record for the most goals scored by an American-born player with 38. Broten later scored 105 points in the 1986-97 season. He had a long NHL career, playing thru 1997, with the North Stars thru 1993, and finishing his career with the Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils, and Los Angeles Kings. He played in two NHL All-Star Games (1983, 1986), and finished his career with 289 goals and 923 points. In 1999 he came out of retirement and played for Team USA in the World Championships, helping the team to retain Pool A status. His brothers Aaron and Paul also played in the NHL.