New England

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.

New Hampshire on Skis follows this development and the rise in popularity of skiing in the state. Such innovations as the Cannon Tram, operating from 1938, marked a high point of state-supported ski promotion. After World War II ended, development of ski areas began in earnest. In the late twentieth century and today, ski areas have combined their ski sport activity with other snow sports-snowboarding in particular. New Hampshire on Skis documents the growth of the ski industry in New Hampshire from its European beginnings to what is now one of the most popular winter destinations on the East Coast.

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.

Providence College Basketball: Take a journey with the small school from the country's smallest state that became New England's college hoops powerhouse.

Providence basketball's journey from a realtive unknown to national brand has captured the attention of sports fans in Rhode Island and throughout New England for over 45 years. Friar hoops historian Richard Coren sets the scene of how the small Dominican school on Smith Hill started from humble beginnings and has produced a story reminiscent of David and Goliath. The legend persists: tiny Providence College taking on and beating the big boys of college basketball. Run on a shoestring budget in the 1950s and 1960s, the program rose up out of nowhere to pull upset after upset. The school went on to dominate college basketball in New England, recording more postseason tournament games and victories, more 20-win seasons, more All-Americans, and more players in the pros than any school in the region. Providence College Basketball: The Friar Legacy examines the 75-year history of Friar hoops and celebrates the great players, coaches, games, and moments that have made Providence College basketball so unforgettable. Relive the annual trips to the National Invitation Tournament and the two Final Fours and discover how Rhode Island became hooked on the Friars.

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.

After the college became the University of Rhode Island in 1951, the traditions of basketball excitement and excellence continued. Conference championships, postseason bids, and All-Americans have enriched the history of Rhode Island Rams basketball, as has the introduction of full varsity status for women's basketball. Along with highlighting the teams, players, and coaches, Runnin' Rams: University of Rhode Island Basketball also portrays the exciting environment in which the games have been played.

Boston's Boxing Heritage: Prizefighting from 1882 to 1955 covers the early bareknuckle years of boxing through the sport's post-World War II boom. When Boston's John L. Sullivan won the heavyweight crown from Paddy Ryan in 1882, he took prizefighting from an illegal, red-light district pastime to the country's most popular sport and in essence put Bean Town on the sporting map. For the next sixty years, Boston remained one of the elite cities in the boxing world spawning ring immortals such as George Little Chocolate Dixon, Joe the Barbados Demon Wolcott, William Honey Mellody, Rocky Marciano, Jack the Boston Gob Sharkey, and Sam the Boston Tar Baby Langford.

Dartmouth College Football: Green Fields of Autumn captures the colorful tradition of Dartmouth football. On a campus that President Dwight D. Eisenhower described as what a college ought to look like, football is at the center of an autumn rite that has left its mark on the game. Dartmouth teams have played in stadiums across the continent, produced Hall of Fame performers, and sent players to the NFL and to the nation's CEO ranks. It is a legacy that continues with each crisp New Hampshire autumn.

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.

Brown University Athletics features some of the greatest teams and athletes in Brown history, as well as several others who have gone on to prominent careers, including Governor Don Carcieri, media mogul Ted Turner, and ESPN sports anchor Chris Berman. From football legends John Heisman, Joe Paterno, and Steve Jordan to baseball star Billy Almon, Brown athletes have enjoyed tremendous success and have won national championships in several sports.