It didn't. The 1966–67 season was the last hurrah for a competition that sustained Canada for more than forty long winters. The last time that hockey seemed securely, yes, perhaps even smugly ours; for four decades there were just two professional hockey teams in Canada. One of two hockey sweaters were handed out under the tree at Christmas. Somewhere along the way the dye from those scratchy wool sweaters must've seeped into our skins."It's the fall of 1966. Montreal is dressing up for Expo. In Toronto, hippie Yorkville is in full flower. Canadians have a new flag. A new anthem. The world is speeding crazily and Canada is changing fast. Except on Wednesday nights, fourteen times a season, when time stops as the Montreal Canadiens face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs and for three hours hockey fans across the country are holding their breath.The Last Hurrah captures all the sweet suffering of those epic Leaf–Canadien battles. Informed by exhaustive research and coloured by reminiscences of dozens of players, coaches, referees and sportswriters from the era, the book is a provocative, richly detailed chronicle of the last season of hockey's golden era. Here is again is Henri Richard sending Tim Horton and Allan Stanley scrambling on one of his twisting "where's he going now?" rushes; Fergy and Shack butting heads in the corner of the old Forum; and, at the heart of hockey's most famous rivalry, coaches Toe Blake and Punch Imlach plotting and scheming to push their teams to the Stanley Cup.As well as recreating all the excitement and drama of the 1966–67 hockey season, from the crazy days of Leaf training camp in Peterborough to the glorious final showdown between Montreal and Toronto in the Stanley Cup finals, The Last Hurrah provides fascinating sidelong glances at life in Canada during our centennial year, capturing not only a remarkable period in the evolution of hockey, but also telling a moment in a country's cultural history.

    But for 26 NHL teams, over 600 professional hockey players, countless men and women behind the scenes, and millions of fans across North America, March 23 is going to be captured forever in the pages of A Day in the Life of the NHL. It is to be a memorable day during which 50 of the best sports and lifestyle photographers will set off at daybreak to capture the spirit and action of the NHL day on film. The resulting pictures and stories -- created both on and off the ice in the nine cities where NHL games are taking place across North America, and following the activities of those teams that are not playing on March 23 -- will make A Day in the Life of the NHL a one-of-a-kind tribute and the gift book of the season.From the earliest setup with the teams arriving from across the continent, to the final shutdown as the fans disperse and the day comes to an end, readers will be right at the center of the action. They'll see their favorite players -- including Gretzky, Lemieux, Lindros, Messier and Gilmour -- and get a glimpse of the coaches, general managers and owners, as well as the countless people behind the scenes -- referees, families, trainers, doctors, mascots and Zamboni drivers. They'll be there as the ice is prepped, the sticks are taped and the microphones checked, getting an up-close look at all the excitement and activity that goes into A Day in the Life of the NHL.Produced with the full cooperation of the National Hockey League, A Day in the Life of the NHL presents a remarkable portrait of the league -- a book not just for hockey fans, but for anyone who enjoys a front row seat on an exciting moment inhistory.A Day in the Life of the NHL will feature over 200 full color and black-and-white photographs selected from the thousands of images captured by North America's top photographers on March 23.Special assignments will document the complete Day in the Life experience, along with dramatic game-action coverage.A powerful marketing and sales campaign.Well-known and respected sportswriters have been commissioned to cover every aspect of March 23 reflecting the drama of the game, the events of the day and the stories behind the images.

    From the hockey dynasties to the young, hungry teams, this book has everything for the upcoming NHL season.