Book Description

Canucks left-winger Geoff Courtnall knew the scouting report on Calgary Flames goaltender Mike Vernon. High, glove side. The Canucks filed into the visitors' dressing room at the Calgary Saddledome after the third period of game five of the 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs. The players knew if they didn't score a goal in overtime, their season was finished. Courtnall took a few seconds to visualize a goal his former teammate, Wayne Gretzky, had scored against Vernon during the 1988 Stanley Cup playoffs. Shorthanded, Gretzky had skated down the left wing. With Vernon high in the crease to challenge him, he had blasted a slapshot high over the goaltender's glove-hand shoulder. During the intermission, Courtnall walked out of the dressing room into the corridor where he could light a propane torch to doctor his stick. He put a massive - maybe even illegal - curve on his Easton. If he could get a shot during the overtime period, he was going to shoot high on Vernon. Eight minutes into the first overtime period, Courtnall got the opportunity he had prepared his stick for. As he hopped over the boards to replace Greg Adams on a line change, Courtnall skated opportunistically down the left wing. A Canucks defenceman broke up a play at the Canucks blueline. The puck bounced fortuitously between a Calgary defenceman's legs and onto the streaking Courtnall's stick. Courtnall cruised down towards the Calgary net and wired a slapshot from the top of the face-off circle...