By Rob Del Mundo

Book review: Toronto Maple Leafs, Diary of a Dynasty 1957-1967 by Kevin Shea with Paul Patskou, Roly Harris and Paul Bruno, Firefly Books Ltd.

Leafs fans are a generation removed from the days when the Stanley Cup was paraded up Bay Street on a regular basis.

With no immediate end to Toronto’s championship drought in sight, supporters of the blue and white are left only with memories of decades past in which to revel in the team’s glory.

The chronicles of the period leading up to the Leafs’ four Cup victories in the 1960’s are presented in Kevin Shea’s latest offering Toronto Maple Leafs, Diary of a Dynasty 1957-1967, which was co-authored by Paul Bruno, Roly Harris and Paul Patskou.

“This is a book that has incredible researching,” said Shea on the morning of the book’s launch event held at the Hockey Hall of Fame – an appropriate venue considering that no fewer than a dozen of the hall’s Honoured Members played on at least one Leafs Cup-winning team from the decade in question. “Going back through all the newspapers of all the Original Six teams was great to get a different perspective on the Leafs in other cities. It wasn’t quite so blue and white as it is here in Toronto.”

Beginning with the 1957-58 season when Leafs legend George Armstrong was named captain, the book provides detailed descriptions of the most memorable regular season games played by Toronto over the final ten years of the six-team-NHL era, plus all playoff games in which the club participated. Although many of the games were played a half-century ago, the verbal accounts of the action were made possible by the footage provided by Patskou, a long-time hockey video archivist. “We’ve heard a lot of the stories, but to actually watch them on the screen was incomparable; to be able to describe them, or refute them, one way or another, “said Shea.

In addition to the game recaps, anecdotes of Leafs players and team personnel are interspersed throughout the book, such as the tale of the 1966 recording of the song “Clear The Track, Here Comes Shack” by Douglas Rankine and the Secrets.

Shack recalled the creation of his trademark expression at the book launch. “We were playing New York (Rangers) at the time, I hit one guy, and I thought I was going to get a penalty so then I hit another guy. And both of them are flat on the ice knocked out, and here I am with no penalties. And then (Toronto Telegram writer) Paul Rimstead wrote the story “Clear the Track”, and that has stuck with me for a long time.”

While a wealth of material from the Original Six era has been available for many years, Toronto Maple Leafs, Diary of a Dynasty 1957-1967 is distinct in the inclusion of rare interviews conducted by Harris. Two players known for particularly for their reclusiveness – Armstrong, and the man who succeeded him as Leafs captain, Dave Keon – did volunteer their time, which Harris appreciates.

“I began doing interviews 25 years ago, because I was afraid that players would either die or lose their memories,” said Harris. “Shortly after I interviewed each of them, I was just amazed at the generosity of them, their intelligence, and their insight.”

Even as the Leafs escaped the cellar of the NHL standings to claim Stanley Cup glory, their rise to the top was not without controversy. Mainstay favourite Dick Duff was one of several players peddled to the Rangers in exchange for Andy Bathgate in February 1964. “They took guys out of that room that were a valuable part of that team, including me,” surmised Duff, himself a Hall of Fame inductee. “And it affected those guys and they weren’t happy about that.”

In spite of veteran Bathgate being a squeaky wheel in the Leafs oiled machine, Toronto claimed their third consecutive Cup that spring, largely thanks to the well-known heroics of Bob Baun, whose overtime goal in Game 6 of the Final against Detroit staved off elimination.

Toronto would of course win the final game ever played in the six-team era, defeating Montreal in a Canadian centennial Stanley Cup series, in 1967. Ron Ellis, who celebrated his only NHL championship that year, expressed his appreciation for the compilation of material available in Diary of a Dynasty.

“It was a great era and just wonderful people to be associated with,“ said Ellis. “I think that’s what people are going to take from this (book), a lot of characters, the Eddie Shacks of the world, Johnny Bower, Bob Baun, you can just go down the list. It’ll make a great read on how a team became a dynasty, how they came together and became family – Punch Imlach coming in and turning the fortunes of the Leafs around, and Bower coming in late in his career.”

Diary of a Dynasty captures a snapshot in Leafs history beginning when the team was mired in futility, not unlike the present-day edition of the franchise. The team of that era rebuilt their way to hockey’s ultimate prize. Ellis hopes this generation of fans watching the only NHL team for which he ever played will be lucky enough to witness similar success.

“There are just so many wonderful stories. I think it’s going to be encouraging and inspirational, just to show you what you can do when people put their minds to it.”

Kevin Shea and Ron Ellis will be signing copies of Diary of a Dynasty at the Hockey Hall of Fame’s new Spirit of Hockey store from 4:30-5:30pm on Saturday, December 4.

By Rob Del Mundo

DVD review: Gretzky, Indy, & the WHA by Timothy Gassen, Purple Cactus Media Productions

The Indianapolis Racers lasted only four and a half seasons in the World Hockey Association from 1974-79. While the team, and the league, may be foreign to a younger generation of hockey fans fixated on current stars Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, a new DVD entitled Gretzky, Indy, & the WHA preserves the Racers’ legacy.

Arizona resident Timothy Gassen, the documentary’s producer and director, had no easy task in compiling the archival footage of Indianapolis hockey, which includes Wayne Gretzky’s first professional goal, scored as a Racer against Dave Dryden of the Edmonton Oilers.

“I was told that the footage did not exist,” said Gassen, who became an instant fan of the team as a teenager in 1974. “So I took all my research and I wrote a book which came out a year and a half ago. That led me to people who literally in their garage had kept tapes for 30 years that had been thrown away by television stations.

“We found what might be the earliest videotape of Wayne Gretzky as an Edmonton Oiler, a complete game when they played against Indianapolis, just a couple of days before the team folded in 1978. I’m delighted to bring that to fans, now.”

The Racers were more than just a historical footnote as “the team that launched The Great One’s career”. Playing before sellout crowds at Market Square Arena, the team developed an enormous following of passionate fans, coming within a game of advancing to the Avco Cup final in 1976.

The ’75-76 team was coached by future Stanley Cup champion and Jack Adams Trophy winner Jacques Demers. Former Leafs captain Dave Keon brought his leadership skills to the dressing room, and the squad was led on the blueline by Pat “Whitey” Stapleton.

Stapleton, who enjoyed a lengthy NHL career with Boston and Chicago and played for Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series, truly appreciates the impact of the WHA in shaping the present-day game.

“I think it’s really important to see that history is still remembered,” said the defenceman, who served as Indianapolis’ coach and general manager in the team’s final season. “As I always say, your past is very important because it brought you right to here. The WHA was the beginning of what hockey is today, and that’s why you have to have great respect for the Bobby Hulls of the world, the Gerry Cheevers’ and JC Tremblays.”

The documentary is narrated by long-time Racers broadcaster and current voice of the Indianapolis Colts Bob Lamey. The two DVD-set is packed with vintage game footage that includes the third period of a playoff game against the Racers’ fiercest rivals – the Cincinnati Stingers.

Gassen has managed to resurrect many long-forgotten interviews, including Demers on camera after the playoff sweep of the Stingers in 1977, and also a 17-year-old Gretzky on the radio, awe-struck at having turned pro. The filmmaker has sights on similar projects involving other WHA teams such as the Houston Aeros, all aiming to serve as further tributes to the former rebel league.

“I want young fans to know that this generation of hockey players did the hard work that turned into this great game today. The WHA were the first to bring over European players. They changed the rules to open up offensive hockey. You don’t need to know anything about the WHA for this to be a fascinating story,” said Gassen proudly.

Stapleton toiled for four playing seasons in the WHA, two with the Racers. Recalling fondly the team’s interaction with the die-hard fans during his tenure, Stapleton is grateful that the stories from that era can be passed on to future generations.

“It’s wonderful for myself to have 13 grandchildren that can look back and see that part of history. I’m very proud to be part of it.”

Gretzky, Indy, & the WHA is available for purchase at WHARacers.com.

By Rob Del Mundo

Book review: Cohn Head by Linda Cohn, The Lyons Press

Veteran broadcaster Linda Cohn has graced the airwaves of American television for over two decades. As an anchor on ESPN’s SportsCenter, Cohn’s unbridled passion for just about any activity that keeps a scoreboard has been reflected in her delivery of scores, highlights and updates for the station that markets itself as “The World Wide Leader in Sports”

One of the pioneers for women in sports broadcasting, her book Cohn-Head: A No-Holds Barred Account of Breaking into the Boy’s Club is a witty, anecdote-filled recollection of her rise to success in a male-dominated industry.

A Long Island native, but converted New York Rangers fan, Cohn received her initiation into broadcasting by working in local radio. One of her first assignments for a station named WALK was to cover a playoff series between the hated rivals the Rangers and the Islanders. Her duties included conducting post-game interviews in the dressing room; a task that seems routine and non-gender specific today, but one that was still met with some trepidation back in the early 80’s.

“I understood that I was in a men’s locker room and that, when it’s 1982, and you’re in a men’s locker room and you’re not a man, you have to expect some commotion,” recalls Cohn in a chapter titled “The Ice Melts Again”.

“The only reason a female reporter wants to get into the locker room after a game is for equal access to the players. I think I speak for 99 percent of all the female reporters who have ever traversed a male locker room when I say that there is absolutely nothing sexy, stimulating or the least bit enticing for a female reporter when she walks into a men’s locker room.”

Through perseverance, hard work and a bit of luck, Cohn steadily found jobs with increasing profiles, from covering the Olympics in Calgary for ABC Radio, to anchoring for KIRO-TV in Seattle. Home to the NFL Seahawks and (then) NBA Supersonics, Seattle holds special memories for Cohn, having bought her first house with her husband there, followed by the birth of their first child, a daughter.

Not all of Cohn’s memories of the city are found however, as she detailed a story of verbal abuse lavished upon her by an athlete, whose name she doesn’t divulge. The athlete, in a fit of rage, suggested that presence of women into the locker room was ‘morally reprehensible’. Years later, the player that delivered the vocal outburst apologized to Cohn, at the same time that he was running for public office. Tragically, he died in an accident without Cohn ever being able to determine whether his apology was genuine.

Given her rise up the ladder, a national audience seemed to be in Cohn’s destiny as she began her career at ESPN in 1992. “It’s like hanging out at a sports bar, but without the alcohol,” is the simile she uses to describe the environment. Cohn-Head shares many behind-the-scenes depictions of the daily operations of a sports network, while taking time to reflect on some of Cohn’s celebrity run-ins. She was once luckey enough to be afforded backstage access at an REO Speedwagon concert (with an incriminating DVD of her performance on background vocals somewhere in existence). On the flip-side of the coin, there have been uncomfortable moments such as an interview with Matthew Perry and a copyright snafu with rapper Jay-Z that didn’t go so well.

Working for a U.S. network where the headlines are dominated by baseball, football, basketball and NASCAR, but rarely with a stick and puck, it may surprise sports fans living north of the border that Cohn has an enormous enthusiasm for hockey. But with the pastime instilled in her at a young age, Cohn is as much of fan of Canada’s winter sport as any hoser. “Playing the game like I did as a goalie as a teenager and all through college, the love and passion stays with you,” she said in an email. “My endless obsession with the Rangers helped fill a void for me when I was young. I had very low self-esteem, not very popular, and watching the Rangers and riding that rollercoaster of ups and downs gave me something to look forward to. It was such a good feeling, I never let it leave me.”

It has been almost fifteen years since Mark Messier, Brian Leetch and Mike Richter led the Blueshirts to their first Cup in 54 years, but Cohn – like any Rangers fan – recalls the 1994 playoffs with clarity.

“The most intense game I’ve been a part took place in 1994 against Devils, won in double overtime by Stephane Matteau. Then of course, Game 7 against Vancouver (in the Final), I was in the building for that one. Never thought I’d see them win a cup in my lifetime. That final face off in the Rangers end with 1.3 seconds left, New York clinging to that 3-2 lead; that was stress considering all the bad luck in the past I’ve witnessed involving the Rangers. But they survived and it was one of the happiest nights in my life!”

With the support a loving family, a strong work ethic and a genuine love for her profession, Cohn is an inspiration for aspiring broadcasters to come. “Be yourself, and be accurate!” is the mantra that she offers to any hopeful newcomer to the scene.

Her story is an entertaining and insightful one.

Cohn-Head: A No-Holds Barred Account of Breaking into the Boy’s Club is available for purchase at LindaCohn.net. TMLfans.ca congratulates Linda, who was one of seven honourees inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame on April 26, 2009.

By Rob Del Mundo

Book review: St. Michael’s College: 100 Years of Pucks and Prayers by Kevin Shea, Larry Colle and Paul Patskou, Fenn Publishing

Visitors to the hockey arena at Toronto’s St. Michael’s College School can be seen at the south end of the rink perusing the several photos depicting the alumni who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League. The players whose pictures adorn those walls and whose banners hang from the arena rafters are all part of a tradition that dates back over a century.

In 1906, Father Henry Carr initiated a hockey program at the storied institution that was established over fifty years earlier by a community of Catholic priests and bishops. Since then, St. Michael’s College has developed the athletic and academic lives of no fewer than 6,000 students. Authors Kevin Shea, Larry Colle and Paul Patskou provide an extensive chronicle of the school’s hockey history in a volume titled St. Michael’s College: 100 Years of Pucks and Prayers.

“I’m a huge Toronto Maple Leafs fan, so I took it from a Leafs angle,” explains Shea when recalling his role in contributing to the book. “Larry gave his input as an alumnus of the school, and Paul is one of the premier researchers around and loves the Toronto Maple Leafs as well.” The volume certainly contains no shortage of Leafs-related material as the school, along with the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey Association, served as the chief supplier of young talent for the Maple Leafs hockey club prior to the institution of the NHL Amateur Draft in 1969. Four Hall of Famers who starred with both the Leafs and St. Michael’s Majors grace the book’s cover: Tim Horton, Frank Mahovlich, Dave Keon, and Red Kelly.

St. Michael’s College: 100 Years of Pucks and Prayers is a 300 page anthology that traces the school’s hockey history, right from the implementation of the hockey program by Father Carr. It did not take long for the school to attain championship success, claiming the Allan Cup senior hockey title in 1910. Under the guidance of Father Carr and later Father David Bauer, the institution evolved into the top breeding ground for junior hockey players in preparation for the National Hockey League. On four occasions between 1934 and 1961, St. Michael’s captured four Memorial Cup titles as the nation’s best team in junior hockey.

Shea takes pride in the biographical accounts of not only the many Hall of Famers who have skated on St. Michael’s ice, but also the players who never became household names yet still provided tales of inspiration as a result of their dedication to the sport. “One of the thrills of my life was being able to run down the list of Hall of Famers that includes Dick Duff, Gerry Cheevers and Ted Lindsay. And, some more obscure guys who never made it to the NHL – or guys who did go to the NHL but didn’t have storied careers – they all had great stories from their days at St. Mike’s.” For every story that involves a name like Keon, Lindsay or Mahovlich, there are about a dozen for players like Gerry Odrowski, a journeyman who bounced between the NHL and WHA, serving as an altar boy when getting his start at St. Mike’s “We used to go Mass every morning”, recalled Odrowski in the book. “(Helping the priests) really stuck with me. It made a better person out me.”

Not long after the Majors won their last Memorial Cup in 1961, the school year concluded with the shocking announcement that St. Michael’s would be withdrawing from OHA competition. The controversial decision was made based on the opinion that hockey was consuming too much time and energy at the expense of the academic curriculum. The team spent one year in the Metro Toronto Junior ‘A’ circuit before being replaced by the Neil McNeil Maroons, whose players included future Maple Leaf player turned CITY-TV broadcaster Jim McKenny. St. Michael’s would not return to the major junior ranks again until 1999-2000, when they re-entered the Ontario Hockey League to play an additional eight years before moving to Mississauga.

Each of the Majors’ years in existence up to the conclusion of the 2007-08 season is captured by the collective effort of Shea, Patskou and Colle, who had no easy task in assembling a century of information. “So little of the 100-year history had been compiled or collected before,” says Shea. “The latter years certainly have been chronicled much better. But those early years especially were a challenge, in having to collect, collate and put the stories in some semblance of order.”

While much of St. Michael’s College: 100 Years of Pucks and Prayers is focused on the Majors, due attention is paid to the Junior ‘B’ Buzzers, whose graduates include current Edmonton Oiler Andrew Cogliano and 2008 World Junior Tournament hero Matt Halischuk, who scored the overtime winner in the gold-medal game against Sweden that year.

The Latin motto of the school translates to English as “Teach me goodness, discipline and knowledge”. For over a century, these values were instilled in the young minds of several students, many of whom would go on to make a living playing Canada’s national winter sport. As Shea puts it, one does not need to be a school alumnus, or even necessarily a Leafs fan, to appreciate the school’s contributions to hockey.

“The St. Michael’s Majors have sent 184 alumni to the NHL and 14 Hall of Famers, which is unprecedented. There’s a great foundation. It’s a great breeding ground for hockey. Whether it was the NHL or whether just it’s the fact that it was great organization that taught skills for later in life, it was a great place to attend school.”