TBC: Changing The Game

As we're all aware, there will be a new addition to the NHL schedule this year for all thirty teams as the Vegas Golden Knights join the league. The NHL has expanded a number of times through its own decisions or via merger, so I thought it would be a good idea to get into another book. Teebz's Book Club is proud to review Changing The Game: A History of NHL Expansion, written by Stephen Laroche and published by ECW Press. If you're into cool facts and interesting stories, Mr. Laroche's book will take you through every expansion team from the start of the NHL right through to the addition of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild with all sorts of incredible detail on each addition to the NHL's fraternity.

It seems Mr. Laroche is very good at staying behind the lens as opposed to being in front of it as I couldn't find an image of him! Nonetheless, from the back cover of the book, "A seasoned hockey historian, Stephen Laroche has a distinct passion and deep appreciation for many aspects of the sport's history. The editor of Beckett Hockey and Beckett Basketball, he is former trading card company executive. He lives in Belleville, Ontario, with his wife, Michelle, and stepdaughter Guenevere."

Changing The Game doesn't just highlight the moments of each NHL team's founding. Instead, it takes you through the founding of each team and the first year of the team's existence before highlighting some key players from that year. There is a lot of amazing information contained within these synopses of the teams, and the research done on the players is top-notch. Needless to say, Changing The Game is thorough and detailed.

There are sections for every NHL team, and there are even small sections that deal with the WHA and the business side of the merger with the NHL. The one thing that Changing The Game doesn't cover, however, are relocations. There are no chapters on the New Jersey Devils, the Dallas Stars, the Arizona Coyotes, the Colorado Avalanche, the Carolina Hurricanes, or the new edition of the Winnipeg Jets. There are mentions in the sections of each of the teams from where they were located on how the team moved, but relocations are not included in Changing The Game. This book looks only at the various expansions done by the NHL.

There are some great examples of history in Changing The Game that may have been forgotten over the years. I know I've forgotten some of the information Mr. Laroche introduces in his book, and there's a pile of information that I learned with the work done by Mr. Laroche. For example, I had no idea there were so many cities looking to get in on the 1967 NHL expansion. Mr. Laroche writes,

Team owners were finally convinced by William M. Jennings that to head off a catastrophe, they needed to double their membership to 12 teams. Clarence Campbell announced these intentions in March 1965. Some of the cities deemed acceptable or potential sites for new clubs included Vancouver, San Francisco-Oakland, Los Angeles and St. Louis. Less than a year later, the NHL was presented with 14 different applications - five from Los Angeles, two from Pittsburgh and one each from Philadelphia, San Francisco-Oakland, Baltimore, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Buffalo and Vancouver.

It's hard to believe, but the Philadelphia Flyers may not exist today had the applicants from Baltimore been better organized with their application. Of course, six of those cities were successful, and we'd see both Buffalo and Vancouver get teams a few years after that 1967 expansion year. I'd be interested in seeing what happened with the other unsuccessful applicants who weren't awarded teams, but that may be another book altogether!

Whether you're just getting into the game or have deep knowledge of the inner workings of hockey, Changing The Game has something for all fans. Newer fans could use Changing The Game as a textbook on how the teams got started while those who have followed the game for years may find some new facts to complement the depth of their current knowledge. Changing The Game is an incredible book of facts on the beginnings of all the current NHL teams. Because of the research and information contained within the covers, Changing The Game absolutely deserves the Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval!

You can find Changing The Game at all major bookstores and libraries. I would recommend purchasing the book, though, and keeping it handy as a reference book when it comes to the amount of information stored on its pages.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!