For the Love of Hockey: Hockey Stars' Personal Stories

"My mom gave a couple of dollars to a woman who was in desperate need of milk for her family. In return, the woman gave my mom a gunnysack full of things, including a pair of skates. My sister Edna grabbed one and I got the other. We went outside and push-glided around an ice pond. When Edna got cold and took her skate off, I put it on my other foot." So begins the story of one of the greatest--and toughest--men to ever play the game of ice hockey, Gordie Howe. Or try Bobby Hull: "We won the Stanley Cup in 1961 when I was 22 years old... but I never did drink out of the Stanley Cup. As the festivities began, I started drinking beer out of the owner's son Mike Wirtz's dirty old felt hat. I got sick as a dog and had to go to bed instead of celebrating that night."

For the Love of Hockey collects the personal stories of 91 of the game's greatest players, stars such as Rocket Richard, Bobby Orr, Guy Lafleur, Wayne Gretzky, and Mario Lemieux. With big, full-color action shots and the words of the players themselves, this is a heartfelt tribute to the most talented practitioners of a fast and furious sport.