Few become heroes.

Even fewer become icons.

Scott Bloom was certainly the former, and now, with his sudden passing at age 58, could be considered the latter as well.

Bloom died Aug. 18 at a hospital after suffering a head injury while walking his dog on Aug. 16 in Prior Lake. Details are still under investigation.

His family released a statement upon his passing:

“On Sunday evening, Scott Bloom suffered a fatal head injury due to an accident, which is still under investigation. The medical team at Hennepin County Medical Center did everything they could, but his injuries were irreversible. We are grateful that Scott was able to hold on long enough for his family to all come together and be with him. He passed Tuesday evening, surrounded by his wife and two children.

“No arrangements have been made yet, but details will be shared when they are available. The family is asking for time and space to be together right now, and they appreciate everyone’s understanding and support.”

Bloom’s name was elevated into local hockey lore after his state tournament heroics in 1985 and 1986.

In March of 1985, the Burnsville Braves were seeking their first state high school championship. Two years prior they had faced the undefeated Hill-Murray Pioneers in the 1983 final. It was their first trip to the state tournament, and despite reaching the state championship game, they fell to the vaunted Pioneers who finished the season 28-0.

In 1985 the Pioneers were as good as ever, and hockey experts had pegged them as a juggernaut that could not be stopped.

“Scouts all said they wouldn’t lose a game,” said Tom Osiecki, who was in his 20^th season as head coach of the Braves. “Everyone else was saying the same thing.”

But with 27 seconds left in a 3-3 game, Scott Bloom found the puck on his stick inside the Pioneer blue line. He skated towards the middle of the ice and from the top of the circle fired a wrist shot past Hill-Murray goaltender Rick Horvath.

The Burnsville bench went bananas as players mauled Bloom, a junior who had burst onto the scene at the state tournament and with that shot suddenly became a household name amongst hockey fans. It was his second goal of the game and third of the tournament.

For those watching at home, Chris Cuthbert provided the call: “Here’s a break. Over the line. Shot, scores! Oh my, what a goal and Burnsville has the lead!”

Lou Nanne provided the commentary on the goal: “I think that was Scott Bloom who got that puck…he’s a fella who can really shoot it. We’ve seen him score goals with that wrist shot last night and tonight …cuts to the middle and unloads a blast…a very dangerous Scott Bloom.”

Nanne called Bloom one of the top players in the state as a junior and a player who would be considered in the NHL draft the following year.

“He’s got such a good shot. A real strong fellow with great quickness and when he unloads that puck he’s really dangerous,” Nanne continued.

Coach Osiecki remembers the moment the puck went in.

“It was surreal,” he said. “I know we were celebrating, but did this really happen, or was I dreaming?”

Said teammate Lance Werness: “It happened so fast. It was unbelievable.”

Those within the Burnsville hockey community knew of Scott Bloom’s talent on the ice. He was just one of those players who knew where to be and knew how to score.

“He just had an incredible ability to shoot the puck,” Tom Osiecki said.

Bloom had scored 110 goals as a squirt, and continued to be Burnsville’s top scorer at every level through high school.

“I remember it like it was yesterday as it made such an impact on me on how good Scott was as a player and a scorer” said Mark Osiecki, Bloom’s teammate throughout their Burnsville careers.

Coach Osiecki could see something special brewing not just with Scott Bloom, but with that group of kids, all who grew up close to each other back when high school teams were made up mostly of neighborhood kids who played with each other from mites through bantams.

“We had so many good athletes in our neighborhood it was unreal,” said Osiecki. “They had a street hockey game in our driveway twice a week because we had the longest driveway.”

Kevin Gorg was the goalie on the 1985 state championship team and was the ringleader for those games.

“Gorg wouldn’t let the game start until they all sang the national anthem,” Osiecki said. “And they had to sing the Canadian one too. And they knew all the words to both of them.”

It was a snapshot of what it was like growing up as a young hockey player in Minnesota in the 80s. Kids in tennis shoes scraping wooden sticks across concrete, chasing a tennis ball while goalies planted themselves in front of plastic nets or a set of cones, sometimes with nothing more than a stick and a baseball glove. Kids got better by having fun, and they had just one hockey goal in life.

To play in the state tournament.

In 1985 the state tournament was in its heyday and was the biggest stage in the state of hockey. The pure jubilation of reaching it came with an enormous amount of pressure in playing it. Some teams and players become overwhelmed with the spectacle of it. Some are content with just getting there.

For someone like Scott Bloom, the stage was never too large, the crowd never too loud, the pressure never too much.

After losing in the ’83 finals and in the quarterfinals in ’84, the Braves were destined to get back to the title game. And the more pressure the better for Bloom. His ability to perform in pressure situations was a unique asset that helped elevate him to star status.

“He was always very intense,” said Coach Osiecki. “His goal was to always win, to be incredibly successful on every shift. It was always to make sure we were taking charge.”

Werness was a teammate of Bloom’s throughout their youth careers. While Bloom was a gifted offensive player, Werness said he was also one of the toughest.

“I just remember him being so strong,” he said. “In peewees and bantams he was the first guy to take on checks and give checks.”

Mark Osiecki saw his toughness not just on the ice, but on the gridiron. In the fall of ’85 the Braves had reached the high school football state championship. Osiecki was the center, hockey teammate Matt Larson the quarterback and Bloom the fullback.

“He was an unreal football player,” Osiecki recalled. “Just a bulldozer. He just ran over everybody, just like in hockey. He relished the contact.”

They lost against Stillwater that year. Bloom didn’t return the following fall and focused on hockey. Part of it was because he didn’t get the ball in the waning moments of the game and the team lost on a fumble.

“He wanted the ball and he wanted the puck,” said Osiecki. “He relished those big moments in games. Those pressure situations.”

Kevin Gorg called him the quintessential power forward.

“If he got the puck on his stick, you weren’t getting it away from him,” he said. “He always seemed to be in the right spot at the right time.”

The other big part of his game was his shot, which became bookmarked in state tournament lore with his game-winner in ’85. Gorg claimed his wrist shot was harder than his slapper.

“I saw a lot of high-end talent,” said Gorg, who went on to play in the USHL and in college at the University of St. Thomas. “I don’t know if he had the hardest shot, but he had the heaviest. It was incredible.”

Mark Osiecki called Bloom’s shot “elite.”

“He was a first-class shooter,” he said.

Coach Osiecki said not only was his shot hard, it was extremely accurate.

“He had that eye,” he said. “He had the incredible ability to shoot he puck. Just the old simple wrist shot. It was incredibly hard and incredibly accurate. Not many guys had that. And I don’t even know if he worked at it. I think it came naturally.”

Bloom’s goal in 1985 introduced him to the state of hockey. When people thought of Burnsville hockey they thought of Scott Bloom and his goal against Hill-Murray. With so many talented players on the roster, many who went on to play college and even professional hockey, Bloom’s name stood out.

All because of that goal.

Because that’s what the state tournament does. It creates big moments. It’s like watching a Hollywood action movie live, on ice, in real time. And every movie has a hero.

When his wrister hit the top corner in 1985, Scott Bloom became the hero.

“It’s one thing to be talented. It’s another to answer the bell,” said Gorg. “He was that player.”

But Bloom wasn’t done. The goal and championship in ’85 was just the introduction. His passion for success, the intensity that drove him to plow through linebackers and defensemen elevated him to captain his senior season, and along with the seven returning players, they set out to prove to people they could do it again.

The Burnsville Braves weren’t the underdog anymore. They had won three straight region titles and were the defending state champions. They went from underdog to becoming a target.

Which was fine for Scott Bloom.

“Even when we were young he was always a target,” said Mark Osiecki. “But he was tough. He was always tough.”

Osiecki and Bloom both captained the Braves back to the state tournament. Osiecki was a stay-at-home defenseman, known as a premier shot blocker, the kind of player who would lay down in front of any shooter and eat a puck. He would eventually play at the University of Wisconsin and in the NHL.

Bloom was the catalyst on offense, coming off a strong junior season and now paired with Werness, who would become one of the top players in the metro. While Osiecki was more of a vocal leader, Bloom led more by example through his toughness, resiliency and refusal to lose something as simple as a puck battle.

“He was pretty quiet, but led through example,” said Werness. “But if he had something to say he would say it to your face. He was just tough. Strong and tough. Nobody could push him around.”

Coach Osiecki agreed that Bloom was a leader through his intensity and skill on the ice.

“He led by his goal scoring ability more than anything else,” he said.

When Gorg was a senior and Bloom a junior, he said he fit in well with the team. His talent was undeniable, and Gorg said the locker room was full of strong personalities.

“Scott fit the bill,” he said. “He was one of the guys you wanted to be around. He was funny. He was engaging. He drew people to him. He was one of those glue guys behind the scenes.”

Mark Osiecki said Bloom was quiet, but sarcastic and liked to joke around and give teammates a hard time.

“He wore his heart on his sleeve,” he said. “He said what he felt and had no problem with how people felt about what he said. He wasn’t worried about what other people felt about him. That’s just who he was.”

Osiecki said those qualities are what helped drive Bloom to the level of excellence he achieved.

That excellence was on display in the ’86 tournament. Burnsville had survived a three-overtime game against Rochester John Marshall in the region semifinals, winning 4-3. They defeated Rochester Mayo 5-1 in the finals.

In the state quarterfinals against South St. Paul, Bloom netted a hat trick and added a pair of assists in a 7-4 win.

They advanced to the semifinals where they faced Duluth Denfeld and goaltender Robb Stauber. They trailed 1-0 heading into the third period, but scored three unanswered goals for a 3-1 win. Bloom assisted on two of those goals.

In the title game they faced their familiar foes in the Pioneers. Once again, Bloom rose to the occasion with two goals and an assist in a 4-1 victory. The win gave the Braves back-to-back titles. It also solidified Bloom as not just a state tournament hero in one game, but in becoming one of the tournament’s most recognizable names. Burnsville was also now considered a premiere hockey program.

Bloom’s first goal in the championship game was the game-winner. Only two players in the history of the tournament have had game-winning goals in two championship games.

Scott Bloom and John Mayasich.

Bloom’s name has since not just been synonymous with Burnsville hockey, but with the state tournament itself. When it comes to state tournament icons, players who made a lasting impact and are remembered many years after their performance, he certainly qualifies.

“He just craved pressure situations and thrived on them,” said Gorg. “He played a different game at a different level.”

At the time of Burnsville’s run and Bloom’s hand in it, he was what every eight to 14-year-old hockey player in Minnesota wanted to be: a state tournament hero who scores the winning goal in the championship game.

He didn’t just do it once. He did it twice.

“I watched him when I was younger every chance I got,” said Tom Pederson, who was a few years younger than Bloom and would go on to star for Bloomington Jefferson and become teammates with Bloom for the Minnesota Gophers. “He was a god in youth hockey.”

Bloom finished the ’86 tournament with five goals and five assists. He was a finalist for Mr. Hockey along with Hill-Murray’s Tom Quinlan, Robbinsdale Armstrong’s Lance Pitlick, Fergus Falls’ Blaine Rude, and Bemidji’s George Pelawa. Pelawa was named Mr. Hockey and became a first round draft pick of the Calgary Flames. He died later that summer in a tragic car accident.

Bloom was chosen in the fifth round by Calgary and went on to play four years at the University of Minnesota. During his junior season he was fighting for playing time after he and coach Doug Woog had butted heads. The pressure mounted and Bloom, as always, responded to the challenge.

“Senior year during camp he was on fire and started scoring goals and making things happen,” recalled Werness. “He was determined.”

Gorg was playing at St. Thomas and would hang out with Gopher players. He said Bloom not playing ignited something inside him.

“When you challenged Scott Bloom he would always find a way to come through,” he said.

As a senior he was second on the team in goals and finished with 24 goals and 28 assists for 52 points.

“Woog never had a chance to sit him,” said Werness.

Bloom never cracked the professional ranks, likely due to his 5’10” stature at a time when NHL teams opted for bigger players in the clutch-and-grab era.

Like most high school teams, players went their separate ways after high school. After playing with Bloom at the University of Minnesota, Werness lost touch after college until recently.

Mark Osiecki and Bloom remained close, and Bloom attended the 40-year reunion events for the championship teams of ’85 and ’86 the past two winters.

Bloom’s death on Aug. 18 rattled the hockey community, especially the Burnsville hockey community.

Werness said Bloom reached out to him last fall.

“I was working a new job in Jordan and he was in Shakopee,” he said. “He gave me a call out of the blue and wanted to catch up. We talked about meeting up for lunch. Unfortunately, we never got the chance.”

Gorg last saw Bloom at Gorg’s father’s funeral in June.

“He looked great,” Gorg said.

Mark Osiecki is a scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins and would contact Bloom when he was in town and attending games.

“I’d reach out to see if he was around,” he said. “The last three years we’ve seen each other quite a bit.”

Upon hearing the news of his injuries, Gorg and Osiecki took to social media asking for prayers and support for their teammate.

“It’s a tough loss for all of us,” said Gorg. “He’s the first player off that team we have lost.”

“It really does hit home,” said Mark Osiecki. “It’s tough news to lose a teammate, but especially a friend who you have known for such a long time.”

Bloom is survived by his wife and their two children. He is also survived by the teammates on those ’85 and ’86 teams, the teams that officially put Burnsville on the map of Minnesota high school hockey, as well as his teammates at the University of Minnesota.

“He means a lot to Burnsville athletics, and a lot to me and my dad,” Mark Osiecki said. “Scott scoring that winning goal elevated Burnsville. He means a lot to all of us.”

Osiecki said the past week has shown him how hockey brings people together and how important relationships are when it comes to the game of hockey. He has received countless texts from former players, coaches and friends.

“It’s pretty special to have people reach out and to ask how the family is doing,” he said. “The support has been pretty overwhelming.”

Bloom is not just remembered by those who shared a locker room with him, but by so many youth hockey players who looked up to him and wanted to be him. Anybody who followed high school hockey in the 80s knew his name.

It is part of what makes the state high school hockey tournament so magical. It creates a bond between young and old. The special part is the memories never leave. High school hockey fans will always remember his iconic goal, and he and his teammates’ follow-up act in leading the Braves to back-to-back titles, even though it was 40 years ago.

“They stay with you,” said Gorg. “Those games last forever.”

When people talk of the state tournament, certain names always come up. There aren’t many of them. But Scott Bloom is one of those names.

The magic of the state tournament has a way in producing heroes.

And sometimes, icons.

Because of that magic, Scott Bloom’s name will forever be remembered and live in the annals of hockey history in this great state of hockey, never to be forgotten.