Books for the Hockey Fan in Your Life

The Hartford Whalers began their existence in Boston as the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association (WHA).

The Whalers played in every season of the WHA's seven-year existence, even becoming the league's first champions. Although their games were well-attended in Boston, the upstart league was never serious competition for the powerhouse Bruins. In 1975, they moved to Hartford, and in 1979, along with Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Quebec, joined the National Hockey League. After a series of successes in the '80s, by the '90s a dissatisfied new owner, unhappy players, and diminishing returns all contributed to the team's move to North Carolina following the 1997 season and won the Stanley Cup as the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.The Hartford Whalersis a pictorial tribute to this beloved and much-missed Hartford institution.

For seven decades, the Boston Garden functioned as both a de facto community center and the indoor entertainment hub of New England.

Known to millions as the home of the Bruins and Celtics, the Garden was also home to a variety of other events. The Boston Garden was truly a ""people's palace,"" serving as a venue for events both grand and humble, monumental and mundane. It was nothing less than the city's playpen, music hall, political clubhouse, tavern, cathedral, and living room. The Boston Garden opened on November 17, 1928, to an overflow audience who witnessed local boxer Dick ""Honeyboy"" Finnegan defeat reigning world featherweight champion Andre Routis in a non-title bout. Three days later, the Bruins greeted a crowd that fire department officials estimated was nearly four thousand above maximum capacity. The Boston Garden captures these moments and the unique relationship that was forged with the city right from the beginning. During the Great Depression, the Garden hosted countless community events, such as free public skating and religious services. It was Boston's main attraction with concerts, wrestling, school sports, and the ever popular Bruins. Later years saw the birth of the Boston Celtics in 1946 and their unsurpassed record of sixteen world championships. Following World War II and through the baby boomer years, performers as diverse as Liberace, Elvis, and the Rolling Stones also packed fans in. The Boston Garden was demolished in 1998 to make room for the Central Artery and private development, but it lives on in the hearts of New Englanders.

Maine's long winters would seem the ideal place for hockey to develop, but blistering winter conditions, frigid temperatures, and windchill made the sport unpleasant and even dangerous. The problem was not solved until 1976, when Harold Alfond donated a large sum of money for the establishment of a suitable facility for indoor hockey. University of Maine Ice Hockey tells the story of how a small school from Maine with a student body of under 12,000 rose to be one of the top-tier hockey programs in the nation, one of the great success stories in modern collegiate sports.

New Haven professional hockey has a long and storied history that dates back to 1926, when the Eagles were an inaugural team in the Canadian-American Hockey League. Nine professional ice hockey teams have called New Haven home, first in the New Haven Arena and later in the New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Sadly, New Haven's long run in professional hockey ended after the 2001-2002 season. There were many talented players over the years, including Frank Beisler, Emile Francis, Don Perry, Ron Rohmer, John Brophy, Chico Resch, Tom Colley, Frank "Never" Beaton, Hubie McDonough, Peter Worrell, and Glenn Stewart. Hockey in New Haven is the story of the players, coaches, and teams that entertained generations of fans in the Elm City.

The Boston Bruins are America's oldest and most honored NHL franchise. Although they tasted success early on, the arrival of Bobby Orr in 1966 seemed like divine intervention. Over the past half-century, the Bruins have missed the playoffs only twelve times and have captured two Stanley Cups (1970 and 1972). When their twenty-nine-year streak of consecutive playoff appearances ended in 1997, it marked the conclusion of the longest such streak in North American professional sports history. From Shore to Orr to O'Reilly to Bourque to Thornton, the Bruins' style of play has been two-thirds ballet and one-third street fight. The Bruins in Black and White: 1966 to the 21st Century, the second book in this two-volume illustrated history, celebrates the storied success of this legendary team.

In the beginning, the Boston Bruins were a rough tribe of Canadian tradesmen seeking their fortune with the first American team in the fledgling National Hockey League. When the Bruins played their first game in 1924, hockey was already a staple of the Boston sports scene. It was the prospect of attracting the capacity crowds that supported Boston's local club and college teams that lured Charles F. Adams to invest in the franchise. The Bruins were both an outgrowth of local tradition and a manifestation of the ambitions of the NHL. Their roster has included the likes of Eddie Shore, "Dit" Clapper, and the greatest player of all time, Bobby Orr. The photographs in The Bruins in Black and White: 1924-1966, the first of a two-volume illustrated history, document the success of Charles F. Adams's investment and the achievements of players who proudly wore the Bruins colors. Their passion, commitment, and love of the game are evident on every page.

Providence has an old and rich hockey tradition. The Providence Reds were one of the first professional hockey teams in the United States. In their 51-year history (1926-1977), the Reds won seven playoff championships, including four Calder Cup titles. The Reds were the first minor-league hockey team to operate for 50 seasons. The Providence Bruins, established in the 1992-1993 season, carry on the city's great hockey legacy and gave Providence its fifth Calder Cup title. Several Hockey Hall of Famers have played for Providence-based teams, including Bobby Bauer, Hector "Toe" Blake, Johnny Bower, Frank Brimsek, Eddie Giacomin, Rod Langway, Milt Schmidt, and Lorne "Gump" Worsley.

Boston University has been synonymous with college hockey excellence for more than eighty years. Since taking the ice for the first time in 1918, the Terriers have fashioned a storied history that has consistently placed the program among the nation's elite.

Boston University Hockey chronicles the many National Collegiate Athletic Association Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference, Hockey East, and Beanpot championship team moments; the myriad accomplishments of individual players and coaches, such as Rick Meagher, the "BU Four," Jack Kelley, and Jack Parker; and the overall legacy of achievement by the long line of skaters who have donned the scarlet-and-white sweaters. The illustrations in Boston University Hockey (including many that have never been published elsewhere) offer a compelling view of a team that has won more national titles than any other eastern college hockey school.

Springfield has a dynamic hockey history that dates back 80 years, beginning with the Springfield Indians. One of the first professional hockey teams in the United States, the Indians were an inaugural member of the Canadian-American Hockey League. The Indians helped form the American Hockey League, where Springfield won seven Calder Cups, including a record three in a row from 1960 through 1962. Major-league hockey followed in the mid-1970s, when the New England Whalers came to town. Today, the Springfield Falcons carry on the city's great hockey legacy. Several hall of famers have skated for Springfield-based teams over the years, including Gordie Howe, Brian Kilrea, Chuck Rayner, Earl Seibert, Eddie Shore, Billy Smith, and Lorne "Gump" Worsley. Hockey in Springfield is the story of the teams, players, and coaches who make up one of the richest hockey traditions in all of North America.

In 1905, facing capricious weather on a primitive outdoor rink, Dartmouth's first hockey team took to the ice. In 1974, two years after coeducation came to the Hanover campus, Dartmouth women--fired with more competitive spirit than actual hockey experience commandeered the used equipment of their male counterparts and intramural skaters and became one of the college's most successful athletic teams. Dartmouth College Hockey: Northern Ice portrays two programs that have followed parallel paths to distinction in intercollegiate hockey. Rupert Thompson Arena, one of the nation's premier collegiate ice facilities, is home to the men and women of Dartmouth who have won numerous championships and earned All-American and Olympic acclaim, contributing to Dartmouth's rich tradition of athletic achievement.

From the first intercollegiate hockey contest in American history, in 1896, to today, Yale hockey has provided its fans with countless memorable moments. Over the course of more than one hundred seasons, the Bulldogs have won intercollegiate, league, and conference championships and have delivered unbelievable comebacks, spectacular offensive displays, and breathtaking goaltending performances. Bulldogs on Ice: Yale University Men's Ice Hockey tells the stories of many Eli icons, including the two pillars of Yale hockey, head coaches Murray Murdoch and Tim Taylor; offensive stars and Olympians Ding Palmer, Jack Morrison, and Bob Brooke, as well as scoring king Jeff Hamilton; defensive wizards such as Jack Duffy and Ray Giroux; and All-American goaltenders Gerry Jones, Mike O'Neill, and Alex Westlund. In addition, Bulldogs on Ice examines through words and photographs the notable accomplishments of other Eli stars, including former U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and former IBM chief executive officer John Akers.

Ice hockey was established at the University of New Hampshire in 1914, but the first team was short-lived. Ten years later, football coach Hank Swasey put together a team that marked the official beginning of intercollegiate ice hockey at UNH. Wildcat Hockey: Ice Hockey at the University of New Hampshire documents the early years of the program with photographs of players, various outdoor rinks, and horse drawn ice scrapers. After a four-year absence during World War II, ice hockey returned to UNH in 1947.

Wildcat Hockey includes photographs of the colorful players, whose success was enhanced by the installation of the first artificial ice rink in 1955 and the opening of Snively Arena in 1965. The hiring of coach Charlie Holt in 1968 and the transition to Division I marked a new era in ice hockey at UNH, as did the creation of its first women's ice hockey team in 1977. Wildcat Hockey provides a visual record of the exploits of the men and women who have put UNH on the collegiate ice hockey map. Their efforts are marked by the move to the Whittemore Center in 1995, to the 1998 Women's National Championship, and to regular trips to the Frozen Four for both teams. This collection draws on the rich photographic sources in the university archives and the campus photographic services.

For twenty-six straight seasons--from 1978 to 2003--Mount Saint Charles Academy captured the hearts of its fans and the state's high school hockey championship. Attributing the streak to a near-mystical force called Mount Pride," beloved coach Bill Belisle and his team have built the most successful hockey program in Rhode Island. In the thrilling 2013 season, they recaptured the Mount glory as state champions. Yet the high school hockey team is much more than its wins and losses--it's a culture and a family. Beginning with the earliest days when Rhode Island's four-team league took to the frozen ponds with tree branches serving as rudimentary hockey sticks, author Bryan Ethier chronicles the history of the MSC "Flying Frenchmen." Join Ethier as he takes to the ice with the great games, the star players and the unforgettable moments to tell the remarkable story of Mount Saint Charles Hockey."