They Call Me Killer


Book Description

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 early days as a player with the Red Wings and what it was like to score the first-ever goal in the history of the L.A. Kings; as well as his role as a coach for the Ottawa 67s and as a mentor to young stars of the future. With stories and comments from famous NHLers who played for Killer, including Bryan Trottier and Dennis Potvin, as well as coaches, trainers, and general managers, readers will get a taste of Kilrea's hardnosed coaching style, as well as the knowledge and dedication that has made him last so long. Anecdotes from NHLers like Mike Peca, Gary Roberts, Doug Wilson, Brian Campbell, Darren Pang, and many others An inside look at the day-to-day life in the world of junior hockey, including brutal practices, broken curfews, trades, and tirades With a Foreword by lifelong friend, Don Cherry, They Call Me Killer is a fascinating, real-life look at the world of junior hockey and the man who has meant so much to the sport.




Grapes:


Book Description

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.




Tales of a First-Round Nothing


Book Description

Terry Ryan was poised to take the hockey world by storm when he was selected eighth overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1995 NHL draft, their highest draft pick in a decade. Expected to go on to become a hockey star, Ryan played a total of eight NHL games for the Canadiens, scoring no goals and no assists: not exactly the career he, or anyone else, was expecting. Though Terry's NHL career wasn't long, he experienced a lot and has no shortage of hilarious and fascinating revelations about life in pro hockey on and off the ice. In Tales of a First-Round Nothing, he recounts fighting with Tie Domi, partying with rock stars, and everything in between. Ryan tells it like it is, detailing his rocky relationship with Michel Therrien, head coach of the Canadiens, and explaining what life is like for a man who was unprepared to have his career over so soon.




Don't Call Me Goon


Book Description

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.




Hockey Night in Canada


Book Description

Hockey Night in Canada has reached a great age (and for television, practically an immortal one) because it made itself into something that Canada couldn't live without. It is this surge of emotion that connected us all each week, and which connects us through the years to now. Hockey Night in Canada didn't just aim a camera at a game and observe what happened-it actively gave the country a prism through which it could see itself and its evolving diversity. We look where the eye of Hockey Night in Canada looks, and it looks at us. We remember what it remembers. We feel what it feels. That is the dynamic that has made the show much more than a long-lived TV success; it is a cultural juggernaut. Ask fans where they saw their first hockey game, and chances are it was on Hockey Night in Canada. Ask the players-male or female-what first got them into the rink, and the answer will be the same: they wanted to be like the players on Hockey Night in Canada.




Don Cherry's Hockey Stories and Stuff


Book Description

#1 National Bestseller Don Cherry has been named a National Hockey League Coach of the Year with a winning percentage of over .600 and also received Coach of the Year honours in the American Hockey League. His comments on Hockey Night in Canada’s "Coach's Corner" routinely make headlines as they entertain, educate, and often upset some fans throughout North America. He may be controversial, but no one can deny the popularity he enjoys; popularity that was reflected in his top 10 ranking in the competition to determine "The Greatest Canadian." Now from Grapes himself comes the book that hockey fans of all ages have been waiting for. Written with veteran sports journalist Al Strachan, here are Don Cherry's favourite stories from his career in hockey. And you can imagine the stories he has to tell.




Hockey For Dummies


Book Description

"Gives die-hard fans and newcomers to the sport the inside edge!" —Scotty Bowman, NHL's winningest coach and former coach of the Detroit Red Wings "Nothing gets by John Davidson. If the first edition didn’t already make you a fan, then this edition will!" —Mark Messier, NHL All-Star "My dog, Blue, and I ran out to get Hockey For Dummies, 2nd Edition. We give it two paws up!" —Don Cherry, former NHL coach and “Coaches Corner” commentator for Hockey Night in Canada "...a must read for all hockey fans!" —John Vanbiesbrouck, former goaltender, New York Islanders "...the most comprehensive, easily understood source of hockey history and instruction I've ever come across. Not only was 'JD' a superb player in the NHL, he is also an extremely skilled commentator sharing his knowledge of the game with fans all over North America. From hat tricks to power plays, Hockey For Dummies provides the reader with the wisdom of an expert. —From the Foreword by Wayne Gretzky This updated edition of the bestselling guide to all things hockey is packed with illustrations and play-by-play descriptions, diagrams, and photos of the NHL’s greatest players. It tells you how to: Gear up safely with the right equipment Improve your skills with drills Warm up mentally—and physically—before hitting the ice Respect rules and good sportsmanship Find US and Canadian leagues and camps Former New York Ranger, John Davidson offers you plays only the pros know and tips for playing hockey at any level. And he fills you in on: Hockey ABCs, its origins, positions, gear, rules, and more The complete NHL—explores the various leagues, greatest players, training, and tons of fascinating facts, figures, and priceless trivia The best ways to follow the game from the stands or on TV How the pros do it—includes tips from Gretzky on passing, Messier on winning face-offs, and other star players on how to play like a pro From youth leagues to the secrets of the NHL greats, Hockey For Dummies, is your total guide to this cool sport.




Tough Guy


Book Description

Documenting his notorious career with the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks, Bob Probert details in this autobiography how he racked up points, penalty minutes, and bar bills, establishing himself as one of the most feared enforcers in the history of the NHL. As Probert played as hard off the ice as on, he went through rehab 10 times, was suspended twice, was jailed for carrying cocaine across the border, and survived a near fatal motorcycle crash all during his professional career, and he wanted to tell his story in his own words to set the record straight. When he died unexpectedly of a heart attack at the age of 45 on July 5, 2010, he was hard at work on his memoir—a gripping journey through the life of Bob Probert, with jaw-dropping stories of his on-ice battles and his reckless encounters with drugs, alcohol, police, customs officials, courts, and the NHL, told in his own voice and with his rich sense of humor.




Too Many Men on the Ice


Book Description

Entering the 1978-1979 season, the Boston Bruins had been one of the best teams in the National Hockey League for more than a decade. Yet they could not shake the postseason jinx the Montreal Canadiens held over them--the Habs had ousted them in 13 consecutive playoff series going back to 1940s. The Bruins wanted one more shot at their nemeses, after coming up short in both the 1977 and 1978 Stanley Cup finals. They got their chance in the semifinal round. Led by the colorful but embattled coach Don Cherry, the underdog Bruins played seven heart-stopping games. Victory seemed within their grasp but was snatched away with an untimely penalty in the final minutes of game seven. The author looks back at the season from opening night at Boston Garden to the catastrophic conclusion at the Montreal Forum, with detailed accounts of the semifinal games and a post-mortem of the infamous bench penalty.




Catch 22


Book Description

NATIONAL BESTSELLER Rick Vaive sets the record straight as he tells his story of turmoil in Toronto's Ballard years (and with Don Cherry's Mississauga Ice Dogs), growing up in an environment filled with alcohol and alcoholism, and his own struggles and battles. In the storied history of the Toronto Maple Leafs, no player scored fifty goals in a season until Rick Vaive in 1981-82--and he did it three years in a row. So why isn't his number 22 hanging from the rafters of the Leafs' rink and his name as revered in Leafs lore as more recent stars like Gilmour, Sundin and Clark? You could blame it on a team that lost far more than it won. You could blame Harold Ballard and his erratic ownership. You could blame the fans, the media... but Rick Vaive doesn't blame anybody. Sometimes, life just doesn't go your way. Growing up in a household plagued by alcoholism, the gifted young hockey player took shelter in the company of his grandmother and a blind and severely disabled uncle. Rick learned quickly that there are more valuable things in life than hockey. Even after his promising coaching career stopped dead when it ran into Don Cherry in Mississauga--one of the worst seasons in Ontario junior hockey history--he still doesn't point fingers. Life is too sweet for regrets, but learning that lesson can be one hell of a ride.




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