Hockey's Golden Era: Stars of the Original Six
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Leonetti, Mike / Barkley, Harold / Selke, Frank Jr., PUBLISHER: Firefly Books, This book celebrates two vivid examples of excellence: one athletic, the other photographic. With the demise of the Brooklyn Americans in , the National Hockey League was reduced to franchises in Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Montreal, New York and Toronto. These teams became known collectively as "The Original Six," a name that evokes the era before major-league hockey was diluted by expansion. The NHL retained this structure until , when it expanded to 12 teams. This era has come to be known as "Hockey's Golden Era." These years saw some of the greatest players of the game in their prime: Gordie Howe, Maurice Richard, Terry Sawchuk, Bobby Hull, Andy Bathgate, Bobby Orr, Tim Horton, Frank Mahovlich, Jacques Plante and Jean Beliveau. The competition was fierce, the hockey unparalleled in skill, passion and aggressiveness, and the loyalties forged between players, teams and fans were intense. It was a time before modern-day stardom had injected a business-first mentality into the world of professional sport. Playing for the love of the game still existed as the prime motivation in hockey. Filled with 150 splendid photos by Harold Barkley (the first to use electronic flash in hockey photography), this book contains profiles of 74 great players, action photos, and statistics on players and teams. It is a treat for any fan.