Isn't it fun to read books and see your favorite hockey team mentioned? Well, the Dallas Stars have been featured in a book called The Down Goes Brown History of the NHL by Sean McIndoe. He is a huge hockey fan and decided to write a book about the history of hockey, adding fun tidbits about each team. Here's more about the book and what McIndoe has written about the Stars.
Who says learning can’t be fun?
Sean McIndoe is a seasoned writer and hockey enthusiast offering an overview of the NHL's history, including the original six teams and unforgettable moments. It is filled with stats, names, and dates covering several decades, but readers won’t feel bogged down with facts. McIndoe’s straightforward and humorous writing makes this book hard to put down and entertaining to read.
Did you know?
Every chapter in this book is a page turner. McIndoe includes how certain trades changed league dynamics, the rise and fall of team dynasties, and how a team even misspelled its name for years. Fans can read about what we would consider obvious necessities, like helmets and goalie face masks, which were once not mandatory for players (even as late as 1993!). Most fans reading this book would recognize names like Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky, but have you ever heard of Marguerite Norris, the first woman to have her name on the Stanley Cup?
This book will not just bolster your knowledge of all things hockey, but it is also filled with unbelievable but hilariously true stories of the NHL. Fans can read about the 1970 draft that was decided by spinning a giant wheel that led to a catastrophe, the Buffalo Sabers drafting a fictitious player from Japan, and how Mr. Rodgers from the children’s television show, Mr. Rodgers’s Neighborhood, and other celebrities were honorary captains for a season. Mr. Rodgers skated out onto the ice to receive a cardigan, rather than a jersey, with the captain's C on it, proving that in the NHL, anything is possible.
The Dallas Stars contribute several stories to McIndoe’s account of the NHL. Stars fans will especially enjoy reading about the Minnesota North Stars, the team that moved to Dallas to become the Stars we know and love today. Fans will also read how one player’s skate not only won the Stars a Stanley Cup in 1999, but also led to a rule change that is still around today.
What’s next?
The book, published in 2018, includes some future predictions. These include a prediction for a team in Seattle and relocations of two struggling franchises, the Florida Panthers and Arizona Coyotes. In 2025, it's amusing to know that as of now, the Kraken are settled in Seattle, the Coyotes are in Utah under a different name, and the Panthers, well, they grew up to be back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions.
If you are looking to fill in any gaps in your NHL knowledge from the past one hundred years, need to stump that one person who always seems to know more about hockey than you, or can’t get enough hockey while you wait for the off season to end, you may want to pick up a copy of Sean McIndoe’s The Down Goes Brown History of the NHL, a must read for any hockey fan who appreciates NHL history and hilarious true stories.