Heroes and History: Voices from the NHL's Past!

Raymond B. Blake is an assistant professor of history at Mount Allison
University in New Brunswick.

Stan Fischler has been following hockey for a long time, and Shirley,
his wife since 1968, seems to have fallen in love with the game too.
Through the years, either together or separately, they have interviewed
many hockey players. This book is the result of those interviews.

They examine briefly the careers of 20 former NHL players, including
Cyclone Taylor, Johnny Gagnon, Ed Sanford, Ulf Nilsson, and Reg Fleming.
We are never told why those particular players were included (presumably
they were simply the ones the Fischlers just happened to have
interviewed); nor are we told how much of the “narrative” consists
of the players’ own words and how much of it was written by the
Fischlers based on the interviews.

This book fails to deliver on its promise to “tell the story of
hockey through the eyes of players and referees.” It offers nothing
new. We are told that the “oldtimers” played for the love of the
game, whereas hockey today has become too much of a business. We are
reminded of the grit and determination of the pioneers who struggled
against almost insurmountable odds to play in the NHL. By chronicling
the careers of a number of participants, the Fischlers could have shown
how, and why, the rules have evolved. Interviews with coaches could have
shown how their role has evolved. It is unfortunate that the Fischlers
did not include team owners or general managers as voices from the past;
certainly their role was important, too.