Gretzky to Lemieux - The Story of the 1987 Canada Cup

?Alan Bass does an incredible job of going through the era and describing these vital events that changed the game.?
?EDWARD FRASER, THE HOCKEY NEWS

?To the degree that expansion has changed the league since 1967, it?s surprising that no one?s gone in-depth to see what faced the NHL?s six newest teams. Bass does, and gives any hockey history nut their fix!?
?BRYAN THIEL, HOCKEY54.COM

?Alan Bass has captured the history of the biggest turning point in NHL history ? Bass brings both the highlights on the ice and all the important maneuvers behind the scenes to fans, including what happened and why. Full of in-depth analysis and interesting and never before heard stories, this book is a must for any hockey fan.?
?BRAD KURTZBERG, AUTHOR OF SHORTHANDED: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE SEALS

?Alan Bass has produced a well researched and thoughtful look back at the NHL?s original ?expansion? ? this book is a must for all those interested in the history of pro hockey in North America.?
?BRUCE ?SCOOP? COOPER, HOCKEY HISTORIAN, AUTHOR, AND BROADCASTER

It was March 1965 when Clarence Campbell, president of the National Hockey League, emerged from a long board meeting and announced that the NHL would double in size beginning with the 1967-68 season. Fans loyal to the ?Original Six? were furious. Owners were irate. In The Great Expansion: The Ultimate Risk that Changed the NHL Forever, hockey expert Alan Bass profiles the power brokers and provides an in-depth study of the decision and its revolutionary impact on the game.

Bass, a former hockey player and freelance sports writer, relies on thorough research, interviews, and first-person accounts in order to reach into the past and uncover the mystery of a behind-closed-doors decision that seemed improbable at the time. As he profiles the powerful owners, media moguls, and die-hard sportsmen involved in the politics and backroom dealings, Bass shares a never-before-seen glimpse into how the decision forever impacted professional hockey in North America.

The Great Expansion: The Ultimate Risk that Changed the NHL Forever is not only an important documentation of Clarence Campbell?s bold move of doubling the number of NHL franchises, but also provides an unforgettable look back into the history of pro hockey in North America.

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.