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Managing Editor Gordie Howe, Bran Kilrea, Chuck Raynor and, of course, "Mr. Hockey" himself, Eddie Shore these are just a few of the hockey greats author and historian Jim Mancuso has written about in his new book, Hockey in Springfield. The new book from Arcadia Publishing will be available through bookstores and the Barnes and Noble and Amazon web sites beginning Nov. 21. The Utica, NY, resident has been a hockey fan since age three. Mancuso is a social worker by day and a sports historian by night. He is a member of the Society for International Hockey Research and has written books on other aspects of hockey history. He said that he "loves minor league hockey most of all" because it's "professional hockey on a small town level." Growing up in New York, he said he was thrilled as a child to see players he had seen on minor league teams play for the New York Rangers. What impressed him about Springfield's history is that it is only one of five communities in the country that had a professional hockey franchise that lasted for 50 years the Springfield Indians. Mancuso's book is a comprehensive look at the city's hockey scene, which started in 1926 when the Springfield Indians were formed as part of the Canadian-American Hockey League. Using hundreds of archival photographs, Mancuso traces the local history of the sport through the men who played it. Fans will be able to see the rise of the Indians, the only team in American Hockey League history which won three back-to-back Calder Cup championships. Mancuso also explains the story behind the emergence of the Springfield Kings. He said that many fans believe Indians owner Eddie Shore sold the franchise to the owners of the Los Angeles Kings. Shore, however, leased the team and franchise to the Kings in 1967, which re-named their new farm team. Shore regained control of the team in 1975 and promptly gave them back their original name. Shore looms large in this book. The legendary player, coach and owner became synonymous with hockey in general and Springfield hockey specifically. Shore's son lent his support to Mancuso's project by speaking with him about his father's career, supplying him with photographs and by giving Mancuso a tour of the Coliseum at the Eastern States Exposition for years, the home of Shore's team. Mancuso said he wanted fans to understand that Springfield's hockey history goes beyond the Indians, the Kings and the Falcons. He has a chapter on the Whalers and their appearances at the former Civic Center and another chapter on the Eastern Hockey League. Mancuso said he hopes to revisit the city with a book signing, although one has not yet been scheduled. Springfield has "one of the greatest hockey traditions in the world," he said. | ||||||
