Neal Broten

Neal Broten
Neal Broten
Born	November 29, 1959 (age 66); Roseau, Minnesota, U.S.
Occupation	Professional ice hockey player (retired)
Years active	1981–1997
Known for	Member of 1980 US Olympic gold medal hockey team; NHL player for Minnesota North Stars, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils, Los Angeles Kings; 1995 Stanley Cup winner

Neal LaMoy Broten (born November 29, 1959) is a retired American professional ice hockey athlete. He was part of the 1980 US Olympic hockey squad that secured the gold medal at the Lake Placid Games and was honored with induction into the US Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000. Over his NHL career spanning from 1981 to 1997, Broten played in 1,099 regular season contests representing the Minnesota North Stars, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils, and Los Angeles Kings. He is the elder sibling of fellow players Aaron and Paul Broten.

Early career

Broten attended Roseau High School, a dominant hockey program in Minnesota, where he participated in the state tournament for three straight years (1977–79). His achievement of four assists within a single period in 1978 still stands as a record for the Roseau Rams.

In his freshman year at college, playing under coach Herb Brooks, Broten tallied 21 goals and 50 assists for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, earning recognition as the WCHA Rookie of the Year. He netted the decisive goal to secure the 1979 NCAA Championship against the University of North Dakota. In 1981, he became the first recipient of the Hobey Baker award given to the top collegiate ice hockey player in the United States.

Broten shares with Ed Belfour the distinction of winning an NCAA title (with Minnesota in 1979), Olympic gold (1980), and a Stanley Cup (with New Jersey Devils in 1995). He remains unique as the only player to have earned all three honors: Hobey Baker, Olympic gold medal, and Stanley Cup. Alongside Ken Morrow, he is one of just two American athletes to have captured both Olympic gold and a Stanley Cup championship.

NHL/International career

Broten played an instrumental role on the United States Olympic team that achieved gold during the 1980 Winter Olympics in what is famously known as the Miracle on Ice. He also represented Team USA in international competitions such as the 1981 and 1984 Canada Cup tournaments, as well as the 1990 Ice Hockey World Championship.

Throughout his 17 seasons in the NHL, Broten reached several notable milestones, including becoming the first American player to surpass 100 points in a single campaign (1985–86) and earning selections to two NHL All-Star Games (1983 and 1986).

In 1995, Broten captured the Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils, scoring the championship-clinching goal in Game Four against the Detroit Red Wings. This achievement made him the inaugural American to net a Cup-winning goal—a feat later matched by players such as Brett Hull and Patrick Kane. During that decisive game, his opponent included Soviet star Viacheslav Fetisov.

During the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season, Broten briefly assumed captaincy duties for the Dallas Stars following Mark Tinordi’s trade before being dealt to New Jersey. Throughout his tenure, he also served as an alternate captain on multiple occasions.

In an uncommon event during the 1982–83 season, Broten fought Wayne Gretzky—one of only a few fights involving either player during their careers. He later reflected on contending with Gretzky’s enforcers Marty McSorley and Dave Semenko.

Due to a contract disagreement with the North Stars in 1991–92, Broten spent part of that season playing in Germany with BSC Preussen Berlin, temporarily filling in for his former U.S. Olympic teammate Dave Silk.

Post-retirement activities

In 1999, Broten made a brief comeback from retirement to represent the United States at the qualifying rounds of the 1999 Ice Hockey World Championship, where he tallied six points across three games, aiding the U.S. team in securing the tournament victory. Following this, he retired from professional play for good and currently lives in River Falls, Wisconsin. Notably, in 2014, his nephew, Shane Gersich, was selected by the Washington Capitals in the NHL Draft.

Representation in media

Broten is featured solely through archival footage during the gold medal ceremony in the 1981 television film Miracle on Ice. In the 2004 Disney production Miracle, actor Trevor Alto—formerly a collegiate hockey player with the UBC Thunderbirds—portrays him. Additionally, Broten shares reflections on his early hockey experiences growing up in Roseau, Minnesota, in the 2008 documentary Pond Hockey.

Honors and distinctions

Award	Year
All-WCHA First Team	1980–81
AHCA West All-American	1980–81

NCAA Champion with Minnesota Golden Gophers (1979)
WCHA Rookie of the Year (1979)
Gold Medalist at XIII Olympic Winter Games, Lake Placid (1980)
Recipient of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award (1981)
NHL All-Star selection (1983, 1986)
Stanley Cup winner with New Jersey Devils (1995)
Awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy (1998)
Inducted into United States Hockey Hall of Fame (2000)
Jersey number 7 retired by Dallas Stars (1998)
Voted Minnesota's greatest hockey player by Minnesota Wild supporters (2009)

Career transactions

Selected by Minnesota North Stars in second round (42nd overall) of 1979 NHL Entry Draft; pick obtained through trade involving Dave Semenko to Edmonton Oilers
Traded to New Jersey Devils in exchange for Corey Millen, February 27, 1995
Moved from New Jersey Devils to Los Angeles Kings for future considerations on November 22, 1996
Claimed off waivers by Dallas Stars from Los Angeles Kings on January 28, 1997

Regular season and playoff performance

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1977–78	Roseau High School	HS-MN	26	43	77	120	—	—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	University of Minnesota	WCHA	40	21	50	71	18	—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	United States National Team	Intl	55	25	30	55	20	—	—	—	—	—
1980–81	University of Minnesota	WCHA	36	17	54	71	56	—	—	—	—	—
1980–81	Minnesota North Stars	NHL	3	2	0	2	12	19	1	7	8	9
1981–82	Minnesota North Stars	NHL	73	38	60	98	42	4	0	2	2	0
1982–83	Minnesota North Stars	NHL	79	32	45	77	43	9	1	6	7	10
1983–84	Minnesota North Stars	NHL	76	28	61	89	43	16	5	5	10	4
1984–85	Minnesota North Stars	NHL	80	19	37	56	39	9	2	5	7	10
1985–86	Minnesota North Stars	NHL	80	29	76	105	47	5	3	2	5	2
1986–87	Minnesota North Stars	NHL	46	18	35	53	33	—	—	—	—	—
1987–88	Minnesota North Stars	NHL	54	9	30	39	32	—	—	—	—	—
1988–89	Minnesota North Stars	NHL	68	18	38	56	57	5	2	2	4	4
1989–90	Minnesota North Stars	NHL	80	23	62	85	45	7	2	2	4	18
1990–91	Minnesota North Stars	NHL	79	13	56	69	26	23	9	13	22	6
1991–92	BSC Preussen	Eishockey-Bundesliga (GER)	8	3	5	8	2
1991–92	Minnesota North Stars	NHL	76	8	26	34	16	7	1	5	6	2
1992–93	Minnesota North Stars	NHL	82	12	21	33	22
1993–94	Dallas Stars	NHL	79	17	35	52	62	9	2	1	3	6
1994–95	Dallas Stars	NHL	17	0	4	4	4
1994–95	New Jersey Devils	NHL	30	8	20	28	20	20	7	12	19	6
1995–96	New Jersey Devils	NHL	55	7	16	23	14
1996–97	New Jersey Devils	NHL	3	0	1	1	0
1996–97	Los Angeles Kings	NHL	19	0	4	4	0
1996–97	Phoenix Roadrunners (IHL)	International Hockey League (1945–2001) (IHL)	11	3	3	6	4
1996–97	Dallas Stars	NHL	20	8	7	15	12	2	0	1	1	0
NHL career totals			1,099	289	634	923	569	135	35	63	98	77

International

Year	Team	Tournament	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	Penalty Minutes
1979	United States	WJC	5	2	4	6	10
1980	United States	OG	7	2	1	3	2
1981	United States	CC	6	3	2	5	0
1984	United States	CC	6	3	1	4	4
1990	United States	WC	8	1	5	6	4
Junior career totals			5	2	4	6	10
Senior career totals			27	9	9	18	10