Hi everyone! My name is Pat Pickens, and I'm the author of "The Whalers: The Rise, Fall and Enduring Mystique of New England's (Second) Greatest NHL Franchise."
It's my first book and took me 10 years from start to finish and was released October 15. Anyone interested in purchasing the book can do so here.
I spoke with dozens of former players, including Ron Francis, Kevin Dineen, Brendan Shanahan, Mark Howe, Ray Ferraro, Ulf Samuelsson, Pat Verbeek, Dave Tippett, Mike Liut, Joel Quenneville, Larry Pleau and many others. I spoke with WHA-era founders Howard Baldwin, John Coburn and Godfrey Wood and ex-owner Peter Karmanos for the project as well as coach Paul Maurice.
But to tell the full breadth of the story I had to speak with other characters like Peter Good, the graphic artist who designed the Whalers now-legendary logo the team is known for. I spoke with George Ducharme, the Whalers marketing director who unearthed the iconic "Brass Bonanza." I spoke with legendary broadcasters Chuck Kaiton, John Forslund, Rick Peckham and longtime color commentator and Hockey Hall of Famer Gerry Cheevers did the foreword.
I've covered hockey since 2013 with bylines in The New York Times, NHL.com, Sportsnet.ca, the Associated Press and many others. I just started writing content, mostly hockey-related so far, for The Game Day, a gambling website in December 2021.
I've attached excerpts from the first five pages for you to peruse below and would be happy to answer any and all questions about the book, my career covering hockey or anything else you want to ask!
I spoke with dozens of former players, including Ron Francis, Kevin Dineen, Brendan Shanahan, Mark Howe, Ray Ferraro, Ulf Samuelsson, Pat Verbeek, Dave Tippett, Mike Liut, Joel Quenneville, Larry Pleau and many others. I spoke with WHA-era founders Howard Baldwin, John Coburn and Godfrey Wood and ex-owner Peter Karmanos for the project as well as coach Paul Maurice.
But to tell the full breadth of the story I had to speak with other characters like Peter Good, the graphic artist who designed the Whalers now-legendary logo the team is known for. I spoke with George Ducharme, the Whalers marketing director who unearthed the iconic "Brass Bonanza." I spoke with legendary broadcasters Chuck Kaiton, John Forslund, Rick Peckham and longtime color commentator and Hockey Hall of Famer Gerry Cheevers did the foreword.
I've covered hockey since 2013 with bylines in The New York Times, NHL.com, Sportsnet.ca, the Associated Press and many others. I just started writing content, mostly hockey-related so far, for The Game Day, a gambling website in December 2021.
I've attached excerpts from the first five pages for you to peruse below and would be happy to answer any and all questions about the book, my career covering hockey or anything else you want to ask!
