A Helluva Life in Hockey

By (author): Brian McFarlane

Sales and Market Bullets

  • Hockey Hall of Famer Brian McFarlane is an expert on the sport and a broadcasting legend. In this book, he shares how Hockey Night in Canada was cemented as a national tradition.
  • Since 1968, McFarlane has written over 90 books on hockey, selling over 1.3 million copies.
  • A former Junior A player and All-American center at St. Lawrence University, McFarlane faced off against the likes of the late Jean Béliveau. He still holds several St. Lawrence scoring records, including most career goals (101). For 17 seasons, he played with the NHL Oldtimers — the squad’s only amateur.

Audience

  • 25-65 year-old hockey fans
  • Gift buyers (especially for Father’s Day)
  • Biography and memoir readers
  • Nostalgic fans of the history of Canadian hockey

Promotional Plans

  • Work with author to leverage existing sports media relationships
  • Pitch to hockey specific websites, radio, TV, and podcasts
  • Pitch excerpts, interviews, and features to hockey and sports publications
  • Social media targeting of nostalgic hockey fans, broadcasters etc.
AUTHOR

Brian McFarlane

Brian McFarlane is known as Canada’s foremost hockey historian. For three decades he served as a host and commentator on Hockey Night in Canada. Before that, he became the first Canadian to work on U.S. hockey telecasts when he was employed by CBS in 1960 and did most of his interviews on skates. In the ’70s, he worked on the NBC telecasts and introduced the world to the beloved cartoon character Peter Puck. Brian has written more than 80 books on hockey, and in 1995 he was inducted into the media section of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He lives in Stouffville, Ontario.

Reviews

“Rarely does the title of a book so accurately reflect its contents. But Brian McFarlane’s A Helluva Life in Hockey is exactly what it says it is. From his days in junior, to sharing the ice with a 12-year-old Wayne Gretzky, to writing a hit pop song for Eddie Shack, it’s all here. This memoir tells the story of a fascinating, one-of-a-kind life.” — Tod Denault, author of The Greatest Game


Awards

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Excerpts & Samples ×

A captivating memoir from Canada’s foremost hockey historian and a beloved NHL commentator

It’s been 85 years since Brian McFarlane first laced a pair of skates and tested the black ice on a tiny pond. And then he discovered the joy of hockey. Ultimately, there would be grade school hockey, high school hockey, junior hockey, college hockey, and, miraculously, two decades with the NHL Oldtimers anchoring his life. He was the rank amateur playing on a line with the Big M and Norm Ullman, facing off against icons like Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay at Maple Leaf Gardens — even scoring a goal. He suited up at the Montreal Forum, elbow-to-elbow against John Ferguson, before thousands of fans. (There was even a stint with the Flying Fathers who ordained him a “Bishop” after a hat trick.) Off the ice, in 1960, McFarlane was the first Canadian to be a commentator on CBS’s coverage of the NHL. He also survived 25 years of Hockey Night in Canada — despite confrontations with Punch Imlach, Harold Ballard, Bobby Hull, and Eddie Shack. Now, in this revealing autobiography, he remembers it all. For Brian McFarlane, it has been a helluva life in hockey.

Sales and Market Bullets

  • Hockey Hall of Famer Brian McFarlane is an expert on the sport and a broadcasting legend. In this book, he shares how Hockey Night in Canada was cemented as a national tradition.
  • Since 1968, McFarlane has written over 90 books on hockey, selling over 1.3 million copies.
  • A former Junior A player and All-American center at St. Lawrence University, McFarlane faced off against the likes of the late Jean Béliveau. He still holds several St. Lawrence scoring records, including most career goals (101). For 17 seasons, he played with the NHL Oldtimers — the squad’s only amateur.

Audience

  • 25-65 year-old hockey fans
  • Gift buyers (especially for Father’s Day)
  • Biography and memoir readers
  • Nostalgic fans of the history of Canadian hockey

Promotional Plans

  • Work with author to leverage existing sports media relationships
  • Pitch to hockey specific websites, radio, TV, and podcasts
  • Pitch excerpts, interviews, and features to hockey and sports publications
  • Social media targeting of nostalgic hockey fans, broadcasters etc.

Reader Reviews

Accessibility Detail

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Accessibility summary
This EPUB meets the requirements of the EPUB Accessibility specification with conformance to WCAG 2.0 Level AA. The publication is screen reader friendly. It includes alternative text, linked contents, print pagination and language encoding.
Language tagging provided
Single logical reading order
EPUB Accessibility Specification 1.0 AA
Publisher contact for further accessibility information
ascsofficer@ecwpress.com

Details

Dimensions:

352 Pages
9in * 6in * 0.85in
1.21lb

Published:

October 12, 2021

City of Publication:

Toronto

Country of Publication:

CA

Publisher:

ECW Press

ISBN:

9781770415447

Book Subjects:

SPORTS & RECREATION / Winter Sports / Hockey

Featured In:

All Books

Language:

eng

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