On ice and steel, Canada's players have carved out a place among the greatest legends of hockey, pushing the edge and evolving the game into the fast-paced, strategy-laden sport it is today. This engaging book explores the stories behind the spectacular moments of Canada's hockey record breakers: * The Forwards: They Shoot, They Score tells of the great goal scorers in Canadian hockey, both past and present -- Wayne Gretzky, ''Phantom'' Joe Malone, Maurice ''the Rocket'' Richard, Gordie Howe * The Last Line... Defence recounts stories of bold defencemen who are often goal scorers in their own right -- Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque, Paul Coffey * Goaltenders: Behind the Mask details the careers of those quirky individuals who face the force of a frozen rubber disk with lightning reflexes -- Patrick Roy, Terry Sawchuk * Canada's Best on the International Stage narrates many of the momentous occasions where Canadian players have fought for honour in the game and won -- capturing the Summit Series, Olympic Gold * Riots, Plagues and Other Odd Moments in Hockey relates the stories of off-ice events that have affected the game. * Finally, The Score Sheet lists the names and records of the top 10 in all categories of the game.

Arpon Basu had said since the age of eight that he would one day make the National Hockey League. Any chance of that happening, came to a crashing halt when, at 15 when he realized he was completely devoid of any talent. He earned a graduate journalism degree from Concordia University and went straight to a sports-writing job with the Canadian Press. The first time he walked into the Montréal Canadiens dressing room as a giddy cub reporter, Basu nearly fell over as it dawned on him that, despite his ineptitude on the ice, he had in fact been telling the truth as a dreamy-eyed eight-year-old.Basu covers sports for the Canadian Press in Montréal and writes a weekly sports column for the Montréal Gazette. He is also editor of Montréal’s South Shore, The St-Lambert Journal.

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