Straight Shooter : The Brad Park Story

The official biography of an NHL legend By the time he retired, Brad Park had surpassed the great Bobby Orr in career assists by a defenseman. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame the first year he was eligible, and later named one of the Top 100 NHL players of all time by The Hockey News, Park will forever be remembered as one of the greatest men ever to take the ice. The first and only authorized biography of Park's life and career, Straight Shooter: The Brad Park Story, delves deeper into his legendary success than any book has before, bringing together exclusive, candid insights from Park himself, as well as interviews with dozens of players, family members, and key figures from the hockey world. Covering Park's early years growing up in Toronto, to his first exposure to the NHL with the New York Rangers and his stellar performance with the Boston Bruins, through the twilight of his career and retirement, the book examines every aspect of his remarkable life in unprecedented detail. Giving hockey fans a full, frank look at the career of an NHL legend-including the challenges Park faced in his personal life, including caring for his physically handicapped son- Straight Shooter is a fascinating look at one of the game's true greats. Offers a fascinating insight into the life of Brad Park, one of the greatest defensemen the NHL has ever seen Covers Park's life in detail, from his time with the Rangers and Bruins to his experiences with Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series Features a Foreword from hockey legend Don Cherry Working closely with Park himself, writer and researcher Thom Sears has created a thorough, authorized biography of one of the NHL's greatest legends and an essential read for hockey fans everywhere.

Thom Sears was born in Cambridge, Ontario. He is a volunteer at the Hockey Hall of Fame and proud member of SIHR (Society for International Hockey Research). Growing up, Thom lived and breathed the game of hockey. He wrote his first hockey book at the age of 12; a simple book on Wayne Gretzky, complete with illustrations and cut up O-Pee-Chee and Topps hockey cards, that if left intact would be worth a small fortune today. Presently, Thom works as a professional actor in Toronto where he lives with his wife and two daughters.

For 17 NHL seasons Toronto-born Brad Park patrolled the blue line for the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings, bringing intelligence, skill, will and a quick wit to the game. He was a perennial All-Star who, in 1988, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Park currently lives in the Boston area, and is still a fixture at Bruins and Rangers alumni events.

Foreword ix

Acknowledgments xi

1. Learning the Game 1

2. Toronto Marlboros and the Memorial Cup 19

3. Welcome to the National Hockey League 35

4. Contract Stalemate 53

5. 1972 Stanley Cup Final and the WHA 69

6. Cold War on Ice: Team Canada 1972 83

7. A Star on Broadway 107

8. The Captaincy 127

9. The Trade 141

10. Adaptation under Cherry 157

11. Hate the Habs: Return to the Stanley Cup Final: 1977 and 1978 171

12. Too Many Men 193

13. The Lost Season 205

14. The Cheevers Years 213

15. Last Year in Beantown 229

16. Motor City 243

17. The Coach 255

18. Hall of Fame and the Players' Association 265

19. Life after the NHL 275

Brad Park's Hockey Statistics 291

Notes 293

Index 301

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Straight Shooter : The Brad Park Story

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials