Years of Glory, 1942-1967: The National Hockey League's Official Book of the Six Team Era

Ian A. Andrews is a high-school social sciences teacher and editor of the New Brunswick Teachers’ Association’s Focus.

With the constant expansion and movement of franchises in professional
sports, hockey purists like to look at the era of the “Original Six”
(Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, the New York
Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, and Chicago Black Hawks) as the Golden Age
of Hockey when the game was at its “best.” Years of Glory is the
NHL’s “official” account of these years of greatness.

In 1942, with the folding of the Montreal Maroons and the New York
Americans, the NHL shrank to six teams. The war years had depleted the
talent pool; indeed, the league almost suspended operations but was
persuaded to continue as a morale booster for those left behind.

Years of Glory chronicles the on- and off-ice highlights in six
sections. Each sections covers from three to five seasons and features
the dominant player or team of that era. Rocket Richard, Gordie Howe,
Jean Beliveau, and Bobby Hull take centre stage along with the “Beat
’Em in the Alley” Maple Leafs of the 1940s, and the Canadiens’
“Dynasty” of the late 1950s.

Essays supplied by writers who followed particular teams—Red Fisher
(Canadiens), Ira Gitler (Rangers), Milt Dunnell (Leafs)—lend
credibility to the book and provide interesting anecdotes. But its most
impressive aspect are the photos and illustrations (90 full-color
plates, 140 in black and white), which depict the genuine enthusiasm the
players showed for the game. Players were judged by how they performed
on the ice, not their off-ice marketing potential. Perhaps this is why
the nostalgic bent provided by Years of Glory will particularly interest
those who lived through these “golden years.”