Warren Strelow, goaltending coach of both the 1980 and 2002 U.S. Olympic men’s hockey teams, passed away peacefully last Wednesday morning in Worcester, Mass., after a series of illnesses.

“He’s an American treasure,” Ron DeGregorio, president of USA Hockey, said of Strelow. “He could work with the youngest amateur and the best professional equally well. He had a special gift that only the great have.”

Strelow, under coach Herb Brooks, helped the 1980 U.S. Olympic team to an improbable gold medal in Lake Placid, N.Y. He again joined Brooks for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, where the team captured the silver medal.

“Warren was a true expert on goalkeeping,” said Lou Vairo, director of special projects for USA Hockey and coach of the 1984 U.S. Olympic team. “He was a man that not only trained his pupils, but also loved them. He is someone that American hockey will truly miss.”

In addition to his work with USA Hockey, Strelow spent many years working in the National Hockey League. He was hired by the Washington Capitals in 1983 as the first full-time goalie coach in the NHL and spent six years with the organization before moving on to a similar role with the New Jersey Devils (1990-93). Strelow had spent the past 10 years coaching the goaltenders in the San Jose Sharks organization.

Strelow was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.

My favorite Warren Strelow memory is on the video I have of the Dale Hunter v. Flyers goal in Game 7 (’88). If you watch that tape, from the original HTS feed - you will see him. Right after the goal, HTS goes around the Cap Centre for reaction shots. The camera up in the press box catches Warren standing up and pumping his fists. It’s kind of hard to see - but it is fantastic.

Thanks for the headsup guys. Great work on the blog all season…