Hockey's glory days

For 25 years prior to expansion in 1967, big-league pro hockey consisted of only six teams and about 120 players. A document called the & quot;C-Form, & quot; signed by young, often poor, Canadian boys, could bind a player to one franchise for life, thus insuring a team's future. Intense rivalries brewed, as the game, the rink it was played on, and the equipment players wore evolved. Offenses increased as the curved stick and the booming & quot;slap shot & quot; became all the rage. Hockey's Glory Days relives these exciting decades, when the Montreal Canadiens made 10 consecutive appearances in the Stanley Cup finals, winning the last five, and when the Chicago Blackhawks and Toronto Maple Leafs dominated the '60s. The book features more than 126 player and team photos, plus individual and team statistics for every season from 1949-50 to 1968-69. Hockey's best forwards, goaltenders, and defensemen are profiled. The authors & mdash;experts in their field & mdash;include photographs and statistics of greats the likes of Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Maurice & quot;Rocket & quot; Richard, Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, and Jacques Plante. Hockey's Glory Days even includes the & quot;best & quot; and & quot;worst & quot; statistics and trivia from this era.