Toronto Maple Leafs: Diary of a Dynasty, 1957--1967

Toronto Maple Leafs: Diary of a Dynasty, 1957-1967 chronicles those wonderful seasons when the Toronto Maple Leafs skyrocketed from last place in the NHL to become the powerhouse team of the decade. During the 1950s and 60s the Leafs were always a contender and won the Stanley Cup in three consecutive years (1962-1964), along with an improbable Stanley Cup victory over their archrival, the Montreal Canadiens, in 1967 to close out the era of the original six NHL teams.

Of the many books written on the Leafs, this one is unique: Kevin Shea and his writing partners revisit all the important games and moments from each season with astonishing detail based on the broadcasts of Hockey Night in Canada from that decade. There are authentic calls from the broadcast booth, Hot Stove Lounge conversations and detailed descriptions of game-changing goals and late-game heroics that have been obscured by the passage of time -- and the performance of the weaker teams that have followed.

Along with unearthed, never-before released interviews from dynasty players, such as Johnny Bower, Dave Keon and George Armstrong to name only a few, the authors reconstruct Toronto's dynasty years with professional accuracy, authenticity and care.

This big book will be dear to the heart of every Maple Leaf fan -- a nostalgic journey through hockey history and thus into the history of modern Canada itself.

Summer with Stanley

One of the highlights for Stanley Cup champions is to be able to celebrate for a day with Lord Stanley's Cup. 'SUMMER WITH STANLEY' chronicles the travels with each of the Pittsburgh Penguins through the summer of 2009, from the locker room to the victory parade, from Canada to Russia and beyond. Readers get an insider’s view of the reigning Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins and hockey’s most coveted trophy in 'SUMMER WITH STANLEY,' featuring glossy, full colour photos and exclusive stories.

St. Michael's College: 100 Years Of Pucks And Prayers

‘St. Michael’s College: 100 Years of Pucks and Prayers’ by Kevin Shea with Larry Colle and Paul Patskou is a painstaking history, loaded with photos and details, memories arranged era by era. Former students would be particularly pleased to have a copy on their bookshelves.
- Toronto Star

This is expertly researched and documented and well illustrated, giving readers a first glimpse into the careers of some of the game’s legendary names, like Ted Lindsay, Tim Horton, Gerry Cheevers, Dave Keon, Frank Mahovlich and Joe Primeau.
- New York Times

The Majors have a long and illustrious history in junior hockey. Kevin Shea has chronicled the teams past in a book that would also look great under the Christmas tree this year. Working with Larry Colle and Paul Patskou Shea has penned 'St Michael's College 100 years of Pucks and Prayers.'
- TSN.ca

Anyone familiar with Kevin Shea's work knows this book will be as thorough as can be. He has the reputation as one of the best researchers in the hockey writing community. What I really like about his St. Michael's offering is he gives a lot of space to not only the history of the team and the school, but to the long list of hockey players who used this school as their launching point. For me, history is really about people. Without a connection to St. Michael's personally, I found myself immediately drawn to the many interesting stories about the players and a few coaches. Kevin Shea should have a "major" seller on their hands with ‘St. Michael's College: A Hundred Years of Pucks and Prayers’.
- Greatesthockeylegends.com

Lord Stanley: The Man Behind The Cup

As legacies go, there are few as easily identifiable as the Stanley Cup, a staple of the culture since it was first awarded in 1892. But the man who donated the trophy for the hockey championship of Canada — Frederick Arthur Stanley, Lord Stanley of Preston, Canada's sixth Governor General — would never have dreamed he'd be remembered for something so ... well, trivial. He was a serious man, with serious concerns. While he viewed the new-fangled sport as a desirable antidote to lassitude among the colonials, Lord Stanley had more pressing matters on his mind. In ‘Lord Stanley: The Man Behind The Cup’ by Kevin Shea and John Jason Wilson, we learn, from a scholarly point of view, about the crucial role Stanley played in nation-building. Stanley’s story is told in ‘Lord Stanley: The Man Behind the Cup’, a history lesson about the man, his life and times in Canada and the story of how the trophy came to be. For detail, it is hard to beat as it chronicles the life of a man of high birth but modest political ambitions who preferred the outdoors and sports to art galleries and theatre.
- Toronto Star

From the athletes competing for the cup to the man who started the tradition, ‘Lord Stanley: The Man Behind the Cup’ by Kevin Shea and John Jason Wilson is a biographical account of the man who made a significant contribution to this country’s culture. This well-researched tome celebrates the legacy of a man about whom many Canadians probably know little more than his name.
- Halifax Chronicle-Herald

It’s a detailed, extensively-researched biography of a man known in Canada for the donation of a piece of lovely silverware to crown the nation’s top hockey team. If you are interested in some of the backroom machinations of the Canadian government in the late-19th century, or even a glimpse into the life of a privileged but nonetheless beloved and respected man, give this book a shot. It is interesting to get into the head of a man whose love for a foreign sport helped both popularize it and professionalize it.
- Barrie Advance

Everything you ever cared to know about the man who donated the Cup that makes us fuss so to Canada's ‘amateur’ hockey champions is in this biography.
- Ottawa Citizen

Lord Stanley: The Man Behind The Cup’ is a book for the true hockey historian who thirsts for knowledge about the roots of Canada’s most popular sport.
- MSN

The book should be a hit with hockey fans with a yen for history. They shoot, they score!
- National Post

Barilko: Without A Trace

The deep blue lakes of the Canadian Shield, the storied Habs-Leafs rivalry, the overtime winner in the Stanley Cup final, bush planes, fishing trips, and a retired number hanging in the rafters of Maple Leaf Gardens: Bill Barilko's short life was laden with Canadian lore, and in Barilko: Without a Trace, Kevin Shea recounts it wonderfully. Barilko's parents escaped oppression in Eastern Europe to raise a family in the Porcupine among the hard-working, hard rock gold miners of Northern Ontario. Hand-me-down skates led Barilko to a brief career in the minors and then, once manager Conn Smythe's scouts saw his hard-hitting style, to the defence of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Smythe was able to overlook Barilko's youth because of his toughness and his aggressive style of play: "We want a hard aggressive team with no Lady Byngers. I'm not interested in players who don't play to win." Win they did and by 1951 Barilko had his name on four Stanley Cups. The last one was the sweetest for Bashin' Bill, as he scored on a backhander early in overtime to win the series against the powerful Montreal Canadiens. For fans of the Leafs all was right in the world, but then in late August, just as the team was preparing to open camp, Bill Barilko disappeared on his way home to Timmins from a fishing trip. His plane, piloted by a dentist with that most Canadian of names, Henry Hudson, simply disappeared and the mystery soon grabbed the entire nation. Shea tells his dramatic story well, balancing biography with the history of the sport and breathing life into characters famous as players and coaches, but less known as people. Barilko is the story of a Canadian legend in the real sense of the word.

Tirelessly researched and well written, ‘Barilko—Without A Trace’ is a joy. I could not recommend this year’s hot hockey book more highly!
- London Free Press

Shea tells his dramatic story well, balancing biography with the history of the sport and breathing life into characters famous as players and coaches, but less known as people. ‘Barilko’ is the story of a Canadian legend in the real sense of the word.
- Amazon.ca

It’s hard to imagine a more complete chronicle of both Barilko the player and Barilko the folk hero. Shea accomplishes both in fine style.
- Quill & Quire

A terrific, sprightly written and riveting book
- Windsor Life

I thoroughly enjoyed it (‘Barilko—Without A Trace’) and speaking of thorough, boy was it ever! Impressive. Please pass on my compliments to Kevin.
- Gord Downie - The Tragically Hip

Over The Boards: The Ron Ellis Story

‘Over the Boards: The Ron Ellis Story’ is unique in that it appeals not only to avid sports fans, but to those that can relate to the struggles of everyday life. For those who are fans of the Maple Leafs and of the pre- and post-expansion era of the National Hockey League, this book offers a peek into a simpler, less tainted era of hockey. Mr. Ellis goes into full detail of his time with the Leafs, including many wonderful anecdotes and descriptions of teammates and foes alike. The chapter on the 1972 Summit Series is a gem. You really get a sense of the drama and the passion that fuelled that entire series.

Perhaps the most compelling chapters of the book occur after Ron's retirement. We read about his struggles in family, business, and health. We also learn about the religious faith that serves as the bedrock of Ellis' life.

‘Over the Boards: The Ron Ellis Story’ satisfies the appetite of the diehard hockey fan through wonderful stories of Ron Ellis' time in the NHL, but it also serves as a wonderful read for those inspired by courage in the face of personal adversity. This book dives below the seeming glamour of professional sports.
- Amazon.ca

A Fan For All Seasons

If you're a Leafs fan, ‘A Fan for All Seasons’ by Tommy Gaston and Kevin Shea is a great one. It's about Tommy Gaston, the most hardcore Leafs fan that ever existed and 75 years of Leafs history through his eyes. The book is essentially a collection of his stories and it's awesome.
- GoodReads