Brooks was killed when his car rolled over at a highway intersection north of the Twin Cities, according to the state official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Weather didn't appear to be a factor.
Brooks coached the Minnesota North Stars (1987-88), the New Jersey Devils (1992-93) and New York Rangers (1981-85), where he reached the 100-victory mark faster than any other coach in franchise history. He also coached the French Olympic team in Nagano 1998.
Born in St. Paul, Brooks played hockey at the University of Minnesota, where he later coached from 1972-79, winning three national titles and left with a 167-99-18 to lead the national team.
He was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990.
In the infamous U.S.-Soviet Union hockey matchup, Brooks told his players: "You're meant to be here. This moment is yours. You're meant to be here at this time."
The U.S. team won 4-3 in a game often referred to as one of the greatest sports moments of the century.
When he decided to coach the U.S. team at Salt Lake City, he was asked why he would return after writing the most improbable story in hockey history,
"Maybe I'm sort of like the players -- there's still a lot of little boy in me," Brooks said then. "And maybe I'm a little smarter now than I was before for all the stupid things I've done."
Brooks was the last player cut on the 1960 U.S. gold medal teams, but made it onto the 1964 and 1968 Olympic teams.
Last season, Brooks was the director of player development for Pittsburgh Penguins. He rejected a multimillion dollar offer to coach the New York Rangers last summer, saying didn't want to be away from his wife and family in Minnesota.
For that reason, the Penguins also couldn't persuade Brooks to return after he was their interim coach during the 1999-2000 season. Brooks, who had replaced Kevin Constantine in December 1999, led the Penguins into the second round of the playoffs.
He had an NHL career coaching record of 219-221-66-2, including a 29-23-5-2 record with Pittsburgh.
"It's a great loss for USA hockey," said Bob Allen, who operated the Olympic Center during the 1980 Winter Games. "He was a master motivator, a great thinker."
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