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Preface
It Jersey Flyers was to be a compilation of short stories detailing the lives and tragic deaths of several former NHL hockey players. I was somewhat skeptical about the project at the time, reasoning that a comprehensive range of tragic stories about former pro hockey players had already been compiled in a single book, and that, in any event, such an undertaking would be too extensive and exhaustive for us to realistically complete. My findings from an initial wave of research were that, indeed, several hockey biographies had already been published about players I wished to profile, such as Howie Morenz, Terry Sawchuk, Tim Horton, and John Kordic. There was not, however, a single source which brought together several of these stories. My research also confirmed my initial belief, that the task at hand would be daunting.
The process of establishing the book\'s parameters and scope began to emerge once I started my research. It was decided early on that only former NHL players would be profiled, with the exception of early hockey greats such as Hod Stuart, Frank McGee and Hobey Baker, all who played before the league was established. Some hockey legends were thus excluded, including the great Soviet scoring star Valeri Kharlamov, who died in a car crash at a young age.
It was also decided that I would profile only players who died while still playing pro hockey. There were some exceptions to this rule. McGee and Jersey Flyers Baker left the game to go to war, recently-retired Babe Siebert was poised to coach the Montreal Canadiens, Yanick Dupre was bravely battling leukemia, and Brian Spencer was shot to death, several years after his NHL career ended. These players all passed away relatively young, however, which was consistent with the project\'s central premise. Some hockey legends who died tragically were excluded; among others, goalie great George Hainsworth who died at the age of 55 in a car crash.
My original plan was to profile ten hockey players, most notably stars such as Morenz, Sawchuk and Horton. But I began to uncover cases of several former NHLers who died tragically young. The lives of no less than 12 players were eventually detailed in separate chapters. A final chapter was added, in which 16 more were briefly profiled.
My fascination with the often turbulent lives of several of these professional hockey players made it somewhat easier to remain committed to writing the book, as it progressed from one story to the next. I remain thankful that excellent bibliographic sources were available for my comprehensive project: hockey books, historical documents, magazine stories, newspaper articles, internet stories, and first-hand interviews with former players.
I sincerely hope that readers will enjoy reading about hockey\'s most tragic deaths, and along the way discover more about the history of professional hockey and the NHL, in terms of how the league Jersey Flyers developed and the ensuing drama both on and off the ice. I also expect that readers will appreciate how the lives of these players parallel their own, in the sense that we all experience \"triumphs\" and \"tragedies\" in life.
Introduction
