The legendary goalie who revolutionized the game of hockey Young Jacques Plante’s way of playing hockey may look different from everyone else’s. Instead of a puck, he uses a tennis ball, and his shin pads are made out of potato sacks and wooden slats. But that’s not going to stop him. He loves the game. Jacques is drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in his mid-twenties. Fans love the unstoppable goalie as he leads his team to one victory after another. But there’s a price to pay: pucks to the face result in a broken jaw, broken cheekbones, multiple stitches, and even a skull fracture. One day, Jacques has had enough. He goes on the ice wearing a fiberglass mask. The coach orders him to take it off. Finally, at a game against the Rangers, when yet another puck hits Jacques square in the face, he puts his foot down. He will not continue to play unless he’s allowed to wear a mask. Young hockey fans will enjoy this story of Jacques Plante, whose determination and love of the game brought about a revolutionary change to how it is played.

Doug Harvey's Hall of Fame career began during the era of the Original Six hockey teams and ended in the early days of NHL expansion two decades later. Born in Montreal's West End, he turned down careers in football and baseball to become one of the greatest hockey players ever. A perennial all-star and seven-time winner of the Norris Trophy for best defence-man, he was a cornerstone of the legendary Montreal Canadiens that won five Stanley Cups in a row. Harvey's brilliant passing set the devastating Montreal attack in motion, and his consummate puck control kept the other team from scoring. Off the ice, Harvey was a rebel. He was a driving force behind an attempted players union and an outspoken critic of the hockey establishment. He was funny, irreverent, generous, and kind-hearted. He was also stubborn, hard drinking, and unpredictable. Team mates considered him a leader and friend. Management considered him a trouble-maker. Life after hockey was difficult. He battled alcoholism and manic-depression. He led a nomadic life that often worried friends and family. But he returned to the Canadiens as a scout in 1985 and was happy to be back. Many called him a tragic figure, especially after he became fatally ill with liver disease. But Harvey had no complaints. He wouldn't have changed a single day of his remarkable life. William Brown is a free-lance writer and broadcaster. His previous books, The Montreal Maroons: The Forgotten Stanley Cup Champions, and Baseball's Fabulous Montreal Royals, chronicled two cherished sports teams from the city's past.

After hearing the story of Jacques Plante's creation of the goalie mask from his grandfather, Marc gets the courage to talk to his coach about his game. Includes short biography of Jacques Plante.

The first full-scale biography of a legendary and award-winning NHL goalie who transformed the game. “There are a lot of very good goalies, there are even a fair number of great goalies. But there aren’t many important goalies. And Jacques Plante was an important goalie.” Ken Dryden On and off the ice Jacques Plante was a true original; he was extremely talented, boastful, defiant, mysterious, and complex. Throughout his tumultuous career as a goalie, he played for Montreal, New York, St. Louis, Toronto, Boston, and Edmonton. His contributions to and impact on the game were extensive and are reflected in today’s rules, equipment, and style of play. Thoroughly investigated through archival and primary research, and including interviews with figures such as Jean Béliveau, Henri Richard, Dickie Moore, and Scotty Bowman, this biography sheds light on one of the most pivotal figures in the history of hockey.

In Playing With Fire, Theo Fleury takes us behind the bench during his glorious days as an NHL player, and talks about growing up devastatingly poor and in chaos at home. Dark personal issues began to surface, and drinking, drugs, gambling, and girls ultimately derailed a career that had him destined for the Hall of Fame. Fleury shares all in this raw, captivating, and honest look at the previously untold story of one the game's greatest heroes.

Documenting his notorious career with the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks, Bob Probert details in this autobiography how he racked up points, penalty minutes, and bar bills, establishing himself as one of the most feared enforcers in the history of the NHL. As Probert played as hard off the ice as on, he went through rehab 10 times, was suspended twice, was jailed for carrying cocaine across the border, and survived a near fatal motorcycle crash all during his professional career, and he wanted to tell his story in his own words to set the record straight. When he died unexpectedly of a heart attack at the age of 45 on July 5, 2010, he was hard at work on his memoir—a gripping journey through the life of Bob Probert, with jaw-dropping stories of his on-ice battles and his reckless encounters with drugs, alcohol, police, customs officials, courts, and the NHL, told in his own voice and with his rich sense of humor.