To some, March 23, 1996, may have just been another Saturday, but for 26 National Hockey League teams, more than 600 professional hockey players, countless men and women behind the scenes and millions of fans, March 23 will be forever remembered as A Day in the Life of: The National Hockey League. During the heat of pre-playoff competition, 80 of the world's best sports and lifestyle photographers set out to create images depicting the thrill and excitement of the National Hockey League. Beginning at 12 a.m., these renowned photographers sought out the essence and spirit of "the Coolest Game on Earth," not only through the players but also through the fans, officials, families, media, past NHLers and the countless others for whom NHL hockey is more than just a game. They captured the mounting excitement as the ice was prepped, the sticks taped, the microphones checked and as 18 teams prepared both mentally and physically for nine games across North America: They also covered the eight other teams as they traveled, practiced and prepared for their games in days ahead. The resulting visual celebration, with over 300 photographs created both on and off the ice, presents a never-before-seen look at A Day in the Life of: The National Hockey League. In addition to dramatic photographs of game action, A Day in the Life of: The National Hockey League features candid portraits of some of hockey's current superstars, including Wayne Gretzky, Pavel Bure, Brett Hull and Mario Lemieux. Also featured are coaches, such as Mike Keenan and Scotty Bowman, former hockey greats such as Denis Potvin and Henri Richard as well as a look into the NHL offices as they prepare for A Day in the Life of: The National Hockey League. These captivating photographs are accompanied by essays written by some of North America's foremost sports writers. With a foreword by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, A Day in the Life of: The National Hockey League is a tribute to NHL hockey throughout North America, both in words and pictures.

To some, March 23, 1996, may be just another Saturday. But for 26 NHL teams, over 600 professional hockey players, countless men and women behind the scenes, and millions of fans across North America, March 23 is going to be captured forever in the pages of A Day in the Life of the NHL. It is to be a memorable day during which 50 of the best sports and lifestyle photographers will set off at daybreak to capture the spirit and action of the NHL day on film. The resulting pictures and stories -- created both on and off the ice in the nine cities where NHL games are taking place across North America, and following the activities of those teams that are not playing on March 23 -- will make A Day in the Life of the NHL a one-of-a-kind tribute and the gift book of the season. From the earliest setup with the teams arriving from across the continent, to the final shutdown as the fans disperse and the day comes to an end, readers will be right at the center of the action. They'll see their favorite players -- including Gretzky, Lemieux, Lindros, Messier and Gilmour -- and get a glimpse of the coaches, general managers and owners, as well as the countless people behind the scenes -- referees, families, trainers, doctors, mascots and Zamboni drivers. They'll be there as the ice is prepped, the sticks are taped and the microphones checked, getting an up-close look at all the excitement and activity that goes into A Day in the Life of the NHL. Produced with the full cooperation of the National Hockey League, A Day in the Life of the NHL presents a remarkable portrait of the league -- a book not just for hockey fans, but for anyone who enjoys a front row seat on an exciting moment inhistory. A Day in the Life of the NHL will feature over 200 full color and black-and-white photographs selected from the thousands of images captured by North America's top photographers on March 23. Special assignments will document the complete Day in the Life experience, along with dramatic game-action coverage. A powerful marketing and sales campaign. Well-known and respected sportswriters have been commissioned to cover every aspect of March 23 reflecting the drama of the game, the events of the day and the stories behind the images.

"Revised and updated: new material on a decade of personal challenge and a troubled game"--Cover.

Terry Ryan was poised to take the hockey world by storm when he was selected eighth overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1995 NHL draft, their highest draft pick in a decade. Expected to go on to become a hockey star, Ryan played a total of eight NHL games for the Canadiens, scoring no goals and no assists: not exactly the career he, or anyone else, was expecting. Though Terry's NHL career wasn't long, he experienced a lot and has no shortage of hilarious and fascinating revelations about life in pro hockey on and off the ice. In Tales of a First-Round Nothing, he recounts fighting with Tie Domi, partying with rock stars, and everything in between. Ryan tells it like it is, detailing his rocky relationship with Michel Therrien, head coach of the Canadiens, and explaining what life is like for a man who was unprepared to have his career over so soon.

Sean McIndoe of Down Goes Brown, one of hockey's favourite and funniest writers, takes aim at the game's most memorable moments--especially if they're memorable for the wrong reasons--in this warts-and-all history of the NHL. The NHL is, indisputably, weird. One moment, you're in awe of the speed, skill and intensity that define the sport, shaking your head as a player makes an impossible play, or shatters a longstanding record, or sobs into his first Stanley Cup. The next, everyone's wearing earmuffs, Mr. Rogers has shown up, and guys in yellow raincoats are officiating playoff games while everyone tries to figure out where the league president went. That's just life in the NHL, a league that often can't seem to get out of its own way. No matter how long you've been a hockey fan, you know that sinking feeling that maybe, just maybe, some of the people in charge here don't actually know what they're doing. And at some point, you've probably wondered: Has it always been this way? The short answer is yes. As for the longer answer, well, that's this book. In this fun, irreverent and fact-filled history, Sean McIndoe relates the flip side to the National Hockey League's storied past. His obsessively detailed memory combines with his keen sense for the absurdities that make you shake your head at the league and yet fanatically love the game, allowing you to laugh even when your team is the butt of the joke (and as a life-long Leafs fan, McIndoe takes the brunt of some of his own best zingers). The "Down Goes Brown" History of the NHL is the weird and wonderful league's story told as only Sean McIndoe can.

Eighty photographers, beginning at 12:00 am on Saturday, March 23, 1996, captured every aspect of a day in the life of the NHL