The Toronto Maple Leafs have not won a Stanley cup since 1967—a burden that long-suffering fans have regrettably had to bear. Ron Bailey, the new director of player personnel for the Leafs, is more than frustrated with his beloved team, who last won the prestigious title when he was just three. Unfortunately, Ron worries that the cynical Canadian fans and media who fear it may be another forty years before the Leafs win another one might be right. Just as he is about to give up hope, Bailey accidentally uncovers a possible reason for the Leafs’ long drought—a curse that has been supposedly placed on the team by the father of Dale McCaine, a former player who, due to tragic circumstances, never had the opportunity to play for a cup. As Bailey’s curiosity peaks, he asks for a meeting with the feisty and feeble Doug McCaine—who asks for a second chance for his deceased son to play for the Stanley Cup in Maple Leaf Gardens. Only then will he lift his curse. In this sports adventure, a young hockey director must orchestrate the game of the century as the spirits of former Leafs’ greats to band together to help a player’s dreams come true.

When Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens opened in 1931, manager Conn Smythe envisioned an arena that would project an aura of middle-class respectability. In A Night at the Gardens, Russell Field shares how this new arena anticipated spectators by examining varying spectator behaviours, who the spectators were, and what the experience of spectating was like. Drawing on archival records, the book explores the neighbourhood in which Maple Leaf Gardens was situated, the design of the arena’s interior spaces, and the ways in which the venue was operated in order to appeal to respectable spectators at a particular intersection of class and gender. Oral history interviews with former spectators at Maple Leaf Gardens detail the experience of watching the spectacle that unfolded on the ice during each hockey game. A Night at the Gardens tells the fascinating story of how one prominent public building became such an important part of Toronto society.

Home to Hockey Night in Canada, the Hockey Hall of Fame, Don Cherry and the storied Leafs, Toronto is indeed the centre of the hockey universe. But did you know . . . Before becoming the Maple Leafs, the franchise had several names, including the Torontos, the Arenas and the St. Pats, and the team's first games were played in the long-gone Arena Gardens. The Toronto Maple Leaf s might never have come about if the legendary hockey czar Conn Smythe hadn't been fired by the start-up New York Rangers. And why were the Rangers practicing in Toronto and not New York? Maple Leaf Gardens came into existence only after Depression-era construction workers agreed to take pay cuts and accept shares in MLG, which proved to be a boon for the workers. In addition to the incredible displays, films, exhibits and the exact replica of the fabled Montreal Canadiens dressing room, the Hockey Hall of Fame is rumoured to be haunted by a ghost. A disgruntled non-inductee? Not exactly. Steven Sandor stands on his head with this cannonading tour of Toronto's rich hockey past and present. Combining entertaining stories with contemporary and historic photographs, the Illustrated Guide to Hockey Sites & History: Torontoshoots and scores on every shift. The stories break out fast with wonderful characters and trivia spanning over a century of hockey history. Maps and directions are provided for anyone who wants to come off the bench and visit the sites. Steven also recommends a few establishments around the city where healthy scratches can enjoy a beverage and watch the game.

For the NHL's 100th season, a fan-friendly, argument starter of a book, compiling the 100 most impactful moments in league history. From ostentatious scoring totals to unstoppable teams destined for championships, the NHL boasts a history of greatness. But as die-hard fans well know, greatness isn't the whole story. In this image-rich, licenced celebration of the NHL's past and present, veteran hockey journalist Scott Morrison mines a century of NHL hockey to find the game's 100 most important moments. From Bobby Orr's 1969-70 trophy haul, to Detroit coach Scotty Bowman's unprecedented icing of five Russians at once on the Red Wings' way to their first of several Stanley Cups, the Stastny brothers' defection, and Roger Neilson reviewing a game on VHS, these moments weren't always the photogenic peaks of athletic glory that graced the morning news, but each of them changed the game.

In Players, Teams, and Stadium Ghosts, sportswriter Bob Hunter has assembled a Hall of Fame collection of his best writing from the Columbus Dispatch. Fans will encounter some of the biggest names in sports and relive great moments from games played by amateurs and pros. They’ll encounter forgotten players and teams that struggled. Hunter shows us LeBron James when he was a 15-year-old high school freshman, already capturing the world’s attention; 20-year-old Derek Jeter’s meteoric rise through the minors, including the Columbus Clippers; a strange encounter with Pete Rose hustling frozen pizzas; and the excitement of watching future WNBA star Katie Smith dominate a Columbus Quest championship game. The common thread is the personal touch that Hunter consistently uses to take readers beyond the final scores and the dazzle of lights. These are the people behind the athletes. They’re remembered for how they played, but Hunter reminds us who they were.