Ron MacLean

The first authorized biography of Art Ross, Hockey Hall of Famer, NHL founding father, and long-time member of the Boston Bruins. Though he last played the game nearly one hundred years ago, Art Ross remains connected with the greatest stars in hockey. Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, and Sidney Crosby have all won the award that bears his name, the trophy given annually to the NHL’s top scorer. Ross himself managed just one goal during his NHL career; however, in the dozen years leading up to the formation of the NHL in 1917, he was one of the biggest stars in the game. After his playing career ended, Ross became one of the founding fathers of the Boston Bruins, holding the positions of coach, general manager, and vice president. He was one of the men most responsible for making the NHL a success in the United States, and was integral to the modernization of hockey. All these accomplishments led to him being one of the first players inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Hockey historian Eric Zweig brings to life the early days of hockey. From the mining towns of Northern Ontario to the hallowed halls of Boston Garden, Art Ross was one of the biggest names in hockey over his six decades in the game.

Canada's first Olympic gold medallist couldn't walk until he was ten, and became the greatest runner of his generation. Who was the first Canadian to Win an Olympic Gold Medal? When Mark Hebscher was asked this simple trivia question, he had no idea that it would lead him on a two year odyssey, researching a man he had never heard of. Paralyzed as a child and told he would never walk again, George Washington Orton persevered, eventually becoming the greatest distance runner of his generation, a world-class hockey player, and a brilliant scholar. A sports pioneer, Orton came up with the idea of numbered football jerseys and introduced ice hockey to Philadelphia. Orton's 1900 Paris Olympic medals were credited to the United States for seven decades before the mistake was uncovered and rectified. Yet he is virtually unknown in Canada. Finally, his story is being told.

Fiction. Drama. Winner of an Indie Book Award for Best Mystery. It's a hot Boston summer, and Nick Young, a washed-up journalist back in town to care for his dying father, is feeling the heat. A major labor strike has everyone taking sides, and a wave of anti-capitalist violence has targeted the city's most prominent companies. When the home of a wealthy suburban family is robbed in broad daylight and their teenage son critically beaten, the police are mysteriously clueless. Nick pokes around out of professional habit and idle curiosity. His closest confidante the 17-year-old activist son of a friend from high school. Robbery. Strike. Domestic terrorism. Somehow it's all connected, and Nick puts his old skills to work to try to piece together the puzzle before the police do, afraid he'll have to choose whether, and how, to protect his young friend from the dangerous impulses--and consequences--of his own zeal.

When you first meet Ron MacLean, he asks where you're from, and he always comes back with a story. No one has crossed this country more than MacLean. In his 28 years on Hockey Night in Canada and now as host of Rogers' Hometown Hockey, Ron has met fascinating people from coast to coast and has had great stories to tell. Now, in this #1 bestselling book, MacLean is back, with brand-new tales from across Canada. These are stories you've never heard before. From London to Castlegar, Yellowknife to St. Catharines, Medicine Hat to Montreal, from Bantam to Junior B to the NHL, our country is full of great characters: players, coaches, hockey moms and hockey dads; rivalries, practical jokes, careers that grew out of nothing and "can't lose" prospects who flamed out too soon; spectacular triumphs, heart-breaking tragedies and tales of friendship, betrayal, love and loyalty--all compelling, entertaining and inspiring. In Hockey Towns, MacLean shares untold stories of superstars Wayne Gretzky and Eric Lindros, of Original Six legends, of junior players who left their hearts on the ice, of blue-collar players who persevered. These tales of triumph and sometimes tragedy will resonate with hockey fans across the country. Once again working with Kirstie McLellan Day, co-author of the blockbuster bestsellers Playing with Fire, Tough Guy and Cornered, this is MacLean at his finest.