Eric Strobel

Eric Martin Strobel (born June 5, 1958) is an American former ice hockey forward who was a member of the "Miracle on Ice" 1980 gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic hockey team.

Amateur career Strobel attended Rochester Mayo High School where he earned all-conference honors in 1973-74, 1974–75 and 1975–76 before moving on to the University of Minnesota. He was a member of the 1979 University of Minnesota Golden Gophers NCAA championship team.

International Strobel first played for Team USA at the 1979 Ice Hockey World Championships in Moscow. His coach from Minnesota, Herb Brooks, was the coach for the U.S. for the 1980 Winter Olympics.

Professional career Drafted 133rd overall in the 1978 NHL entry draft by the Buffalo Sabres, Strobel never played with the parent club. He managed only half a season as a professional playing for their top minor league team, the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL), before he broke his ankle during an AHL playoff game in the spring of 1980, and retired from hockey.

Post-playing career Strobel returned to Minnesota after his retirement and became a telephone sales executive in Apple Valley, Minnesota.

He previously coached the Peewee A team for the Eastview Athletic Association in Apple Valley.

Personal Strobel met his future wife Kim when he returned to university after his playing career ended,

Eric Strobel suffered a minor stroke on October 31, 2006 and recovered in the hospital. He leads a normal life after undergoing physical therapy.

In popular culture Strobel was not featured in Miracle on Ice, a 1981 TV movie, but appears in archival footage of the gold medal ceremony.

Robbie MacGregor portrayed Strobel in the 2004 film Miracle.

Awards and honors Award Year All-NCAA All-Tournament Team 1979

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1973–74 Mayo High School HS-MN 1974–75 Mayo High School HS-MN 1975–76 Mayo High School HS-MN 1976–77 University of Minnesota WCHA 39 11 14 25 12 — — — — — 1977–78 University of Minnesota WCHA 38 11 18 29 30 — — — — — 1978–79 University of Minnesota WCHA 44 30 22 52 34 — — — — — 1979–80 United States Intl 49 14 24 38 22 — — — — — 1979–80 Rochester Americans AHL 13 4 4 8 4 3 0 2 2 2 WCHA totals 121 52 54 106 76 — — — — —

International Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 1979 United States WC 8 3 3 6 2 1980 United States OG 7 1 2 3 2 Senior totals 15 4 5 9 4