Eddie Shore And That Old Time Hockey

Eddie Shore was the Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb of hockey, a brilliant player with an unmatched temper. Emerging from the Canadian prairie to become a member of the Boston Bruins in 1926, the man from Saskatchewan invaded every circuit in the NHL like a runaway locomotive on a downgrade. Hostile fans turned out in droves with a wish to see him killed, but in Boston he could do no wrong. During his twenty-year professional career, the controversial Shore personified "that old time hockey" like no other, playing the game with complete disregard for his own safety. Shore was one of the most penalized men in the NHL, and also a perennial member of its All Star Team. A dedicated athlete, Shore won the Hart Trophy for the league’s most valuable player four times — a record for a defenseman not since matched — and led Boston to two Stanley Cups in 1929 and 1939. In 1933, Shore was the instigator of hockey’s most infamous event, the tragic "Ace Bailey Incident," and during his subsequent sixteen-game suspension the fans chanted, "We want Shore!" After retiring from the NHL in 1940, Shore’s passion for the game remained undiminished, and as owner and tyrant of the AHL Springfield Indians, he won championship after championship. This is an action-packed and full-throated celebration of the "mighty Eddie Shore" — and also of the sport of hockey as it was gloriously played in a bygone age.

Eddie Shore was no simple enforcer. In his heyday, "the Edmonton Express" was beloved by Boston Bruins fans and respected throughout the league for his exceptional skill on the ice as much as for his ferocity. Eddie Shore and That Old Time Hockey is an exciting and long-overdue biography of this hockey superstar. Eddie Shore was one tough hockey player. He could dish it out like few others (even Don Cherry calls him "a mean, nasty guy"), but he could take it as well, suffering by one count more than 80 injuries, including concussions, and 978 stiches in his long career. His motto seems to have been "Never go around them, always run over them." But Shore was no goon. He was a brilliant hockey player, arguably the best of his era. Dubbed the "Babe Ruth of hockey" by fans, he was the first four-time winner of the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player. To put it mildly, he dominated hockey in his years as a defenseman with the Boston Bruins from 1926 to 1940. The NHL has not seen his like since.

An intimate, humorous look at Brian Kilrea's 60-year career in junior hockey With more wins than any coach in junior hockey history, and a personality as large as his winning record, Brian Kilrea is more than a hockey legend, he's one of the most beloved figures in the game. With veteran sportswriter, James Duthie, Kilrea gives fans a rink-side view of his twenty-nine plus seasons as head coach and now general manager of the Ottawa 67s. With stories and comments from famous NHLers who played for Killer, readers will get a taste of Kilrea's hardnosed coaching style, the gritty often humorous reality of his life as a coach, riding on buses and in the locker room, as well as the knowledge and dedication that has made him last so long. They Call Me Killer sheds light on Kilrea's early life as a centre for the Red Wings, what it was like to score the first-ever goal in the history of the L.A. Kings, and his two years with the New York Islanders. Loaded with anecdotes from a true hockey insider, the book offers fans an unvarnished look at the world of junior hockey—as it's played and lived, including its brutal practices, broken curfews, trades, and tirades. Details Kilrea's role as a coach for the Ottawa 67s, how they won the Memorial Cup twice, and how he's been a mentor to young stars of the future Includes anecdotes and interviews from coaches, trainers, and general managers, and NHLers like Bryan Trottier, Dennis Potvin, Mike Peca, Gary Roberts, Doug Wilson, Brian Campbell, Darren Pang, and many others Brian Kilrea was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003 James Duthie is best known for his work on TSN's The NHL on TSN and his coverage of the World Junior Championships With a Foreword by lifelong friend, Don Cherry, They Call Me Killer is a fascinating, unforgettable look at the world of junior hockey and the man known as the most successful coach in junior hockey history.

George Plimpton takes to the ice with the Boston Bruins in this memorable portrait of the rough-and-tumble world of professional hockey, repackaged and now featuring a foreword from Denis Leary and never-before-seen content from the Plimpton Archives. In OPEN NET, George Plimpton takes to the ice as goalie for his beloved Boston Bruins. After signing a release holding the Bruins blameless if he should meet with injury or death, he survives a harrowing, seemingly eternal five minutes in an exhibition game against the always-tough Philadelphia Flyers. With reflections on such hockey greats as Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, and Eddie Shore, OPEN NET is at once a celebration of the thrills and grace of the greatest sport on ice and a probing meditation into the hopes and fears of every man.

A Wild Look at Life in Hockey...To millions of Canadians, Don "Grapes" Cherry is the irascible co-host of "Molson Hockey Night's Coach's Corner," whose controversial, candid and highly spirited commentary has endeared him to hockey fans throughout the provinces. A larger-than-life figure in the annals of hockey, Cherry has done it all-from minor league player to head coach of the Boston Bruins to gregarious commentator. His is a story that only he could tell-because no one else could do him justice. BY THE MAN WHO'S SEEN IT ALL! Favorite of the fans, players and press, Cherry takes you battling through the bush leagues, where the stick-swinging defenseman put up with the bus rides and burgers-while the NHL live like kings. You'll relive his glory days in Boston, where he clicked as coach until teh Bruins blew the Stanley Cup-and Cherry got blamed. You'll find out why he had to say :no" to teh dream chance of coaching the Maple leafs. You'll meet players like Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky...the managers and owners who blackballed him...and Blue, the white bull terrier reputedly the brains behind his coaching success. Undoubtedly the most colorful character who ever laced up a pair of skates, Cherry offers a no-holes-barred account of his triumphs, his defeats and his remarkable comeback.

The second in a series of books written by hockey's most authoritative author, Stan Fischler, examines the storied history of the Boston Bruins. Formatted like his first book for SPI, The Greatest Players and Moments of the Philadelphia Flyers, Fischler's Bruins book contains all of Boston hockey's most famous names -- Phil Esposito, Bobby Orr, Eddie Shore, Milt, Schmidt, John Bucyk, and many others. Of the Original Six NHL clubs, only the Montreal Canadiens have a better all-time winning percentage than the Boston Bruins. Stories and trivia about all five of the Bruins' Stanley Cup championship teams are also included.

Professional hockey enforcers—popularly known as “goons”—finally get their due in this rollicking look at the players who have perfected the art of making mayhem. Whether they are called upon to duke it out with a fellow troublemaker or intimidate an opponent’s top scorer, these are the men who get the crowds to their feet, the sports radio shows buzzing, and the TV audience spilling their beers in excitement. Old timers like Joe Hall and Red Horner are profiled here, along with legendary heavy hitters Tiger Williams, Stu Grimson, and Bob Probert, fan favorites Tie Domi and Georges Laroque, and contemporary hockey stars Arron Asham and Brian McGrattan. The book also delves into the intense debate over the issue of violence on the ice as well as the personal and professional dramas of the NHL’s bad boys: the suspensions, the concussions, and the constant controversy of their role in the game.

The first authorized biography of Art Ross, Hockey Hall of Famer, founding father of the NHL, and long-time member of the Boston Bruins. Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, and Sidney Crosbie have all hoisted the trophy that bears his name. Learn about Ross's early crusade for players' rights, and why he was a key to the NHL's success.