Penguins Fire Constantine

Penguins roster

Brooks, 62, has spent the last five years as the Penguins scout. His biggest achievement was coaching the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, which won the gold medal upsetting the Soviet Union in the famous 'Miracle On Ice'.

"Herb is a veteran coach who has had success at many different levels of our game," Penguins general manager Craig Patrick said. "He always has been a devoted student of the game, and he is excited about this new challenge he faces in Pittsburgh."

Brooks has also coached in the NHL with a 190-198-61 record at the helm of the NY Rangers, Minnesota and New Jersey.

"I didn't like the direction we were going, and I didn't think we were going to make the playoffs, and that's not acceptable for this organization," said Patrick. "We think we've got a man here who fits what we have here and can take this team to the playoffs."

Brooks' assistant coaches will be Eddie Johnston, who preceded Constantine as the Penguins' head coach, and former Penguin Rick Kehoe, who had been a scout for the team.

"We're going to play an up-tempo, dynamic game," said Brooks. "It's ice out there -- it's not blacktop, wood or dirt. We're in a hole right now. The first thing is to get back to even and play a type of game that fits into the abilities of the players we have here."