Book Feature The First Great Rivals: The Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins in Photos 1933-1949 (by Jeff Miclash)

[TotalBruins]

NEW BOOK AVAILABLE - THE FIRST GREAT RIVALS
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins in Photos 1933-49
Jeff Miclash​

OVERVIEW
Between 1933 and 1949, the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs met in the playoffs 8 times, more than any franchises up to that time. Games featured antics by the managers of both teams, scores of fights, and regrettable instances. King Clancy put it best - “I never came into Boston without getting into a scrap.” As a result, the arenas sold out in both cities when the sides met.

The time period of the NHL’s first great rivals is told with nearly 60 stories, each matched with a full-page photograph. Most are game action and have never been published. Delve into the era when legends such as Eddie Shore, Charlie Conacher, the “Kraut Line,” Syl Apps, Frank Brimsek, Turk Broda, Bill Cowley and Ted Kennedy ruled the rinks.

Highlights include:
Detailed coverage of games in the eight playoff series
Eddie Shore at the Ace Bailey Benefit game
The Conn Smythe – Art Ross feud
Eight colourized photos including rare sweaters
Syl Apps’ first fight and broken leg matches
Pastor George Abbott’s only game in goal for the Bruins including an action photo
Frank Brimsek’s last game for the Bruins
How Conn Smythe was responsible for the Bruins first black sweater

Book presentation at the April 2023 Society for International Hockey Research meeting is here:


144 pages – 8.5” x 11”
Canada - $65 CAD includes shipping
USA - $55 USD includes shipping
Interac (Canada only) or Paypal (both) to [email protected]
Will be shipped in a rigid cardboard box.

Click to read more...

 

[Theokritos]

Jeff, nice to have you back.

So after Total Bruins, this is the second book you've published within less than one year. Did you create this one within a few months or did you do work for both projects simultaneously?

 

[TotalBruins]

Jeff, nice to have you back.

So after Total Bruins, this is the second book you've published within less than one year. Did you create this one within a few months or did you do work for both projects simultaneously?

Sorry for the delay, I'm in Massachusetts meeting with Art Ross' granddaughters. The First Great Rivals came together pretty quickly. I had a publisher interested and worked like crazy for about 6 weeks before they decided against it. Decided to self-publish again, didn't want the work to go to waste.

 

[Theokritos]

So Jeff, the example pages you have posted show how your book is structured: always a photograph with accompanying info on the game in question. But how did you get access to so many historic photos?

(Apologies if the question was already answered in the video, I'm currently having internet data volume problems and I can't watch it for the time being.)

 

[TotalBruins]

So Jeff, the example pages you have posted show how your book is structured: always a photograph with accompanying info on the game in question. But how did you get access to so many historic photos?

(Apologies if the question was already answered in the video, I'm currently having internet data volume problems and I can't watch it for the time being.)

A variety of sources which are listed in the Photo Credits section of the book. Different archives, private collections, photos I've purchased, the Hockey Hall of Fame (where I volunteer), etc. I've been at this for quite a while. It just all seemed to come together finally.

 

[Theokritos]

Greg Oliver (@goliver845 ) has spoken with Jeff Miclash on his latest book:

Early Bruins-Leafs rivalry comes into focus