Hockey鈥檚 small-world feel came to an abrupt end in the 1960s and 1970s, when expansion transformed the six-team National Hockey League, a rival World Hockey Association was created, and games between Team Canada all-stars and Russian squads brought attention to the growing globalization of the sport. In 鈥淗ockey Night Fever,鈥� author Stephen Cole views the seeds of today鈥檚 modern game, which he considers faster, smarter and more competitive, to have been planted during the wild, formative decade of the 鈥�70s when Philadelphia Flyers (a.k.a. The Broad Street Bullies) came into their brawling own. As they did, though, they shared the spotlight with two Old Guard clubs 鈥� the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins. This fortunes of this trio of championship franchises help to shape the narrative.
Here鈥檚 an excerpt from Hockey Night Fever:
鈥淔lyers rookie Kevin McCarthy wondered why Freddy Shero didn鈥檛 seem to like him. Two months into the season and Coach still hadn鈥檛 said boo. Ah, he鈥檚 just weird, don鈥檛 worry, you鈥檒l love him, teammates advised. And then at practice one day, McCarthy looked up and found Shero skating beside him. 鈥榃hat section of Winnipeg you from?鈥� the coach wanted to know.
鈥� 鈥� Uh, St. James.鈥�
鈥� 鈥楢ny problems with the sewers?鈥�
鈥� 鈥楢s a matter of fact, yeah.鈥�
鈥� 鈥楴ot surprised; I helped on the sewers when I worked for the city, eh? Really sloppy work 鈥� cut corners. We knew they鈥檇 never last.鈥� With that, Shero skated away, chuckling.
鈥淕one like a puff of breath disappearing on a window.鈥�
