A dozen incredible stories about hockey’s most legendary goalies, on and off the ice. While his teammates rush up the ice in a coordinated attack, the goalie is alone in his net. And when the play turns back toward him, he’s prepared to step in front of a frozen rubber disc traveling 100 miles an hour. He’s the last line of defense in a pitched battle. The goalie stands apart, on and off the ice. Like the relief pitcher in baseball and the place kicker in football, he is a maverick. Behind the Maskprofiles 12 legendary NHL goalies, emphasizing the traits that make each one unique. It blends accounts of the goalies’ on-ice exploits with anecdotes about their lives off the ice—information gleaned from archival research as well as interviews with teammates, family members and the goalies themselves. The careers here cover the last half-century of professional hockey—from the personal struggles of Roger Crozier and Ed Giacomin on their way to stardom in the 1960s, to the recent brilliance of Carey Price, whose character blends stoicism with a deep warmth and pride in his Indigenous background. Told with author Randi Druzin’s trademark mix of knowledge and wit, Square to the Puck has all the insight and color to make it a bestseller like her previous book on NHL goalies, Between the Pipes.
