Hockey Contracts and Historical Documents from the Collection of Allan Stitt

By Greg Oliver

Every great career in hockey starts with a pen and a piece of paper. In Blue Lines, Goal Lines & Bottom Lines, author Greg Oliver takes a peek into historical documents of the stars, from Wayne Gretzky’s first contract to a scouting report on Mario Lemieux; from Bobby Hull promoting a hair restoration product to Glenn Anderson fighting for his playoff bonuses. And what’s this about baseball Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins playing with the St. Louis Blues? The journeymen tell their tales too, from Lou Nanne explaining why he signed his own retirement papers to Pierre Pilot talking about Elmer “Moose” Vasko’s battle with his weight. Culled from the archives of Allan Stitt, one of hockey’s leading collectors, the book offers up page after page of treats never before seen by hockey fans. The documents that breathe life into Blue Lines, Goal Lines & Bottom Lines are complemented by a wide variety of stunning and rare photos from the Hockey Hall of Fame archives.


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IN THE TORONTO STAR

An excerpt from Blue Lines, Goal Lines & Bottom Lines ran in the Saturday, July 30, 2016 edition of the Toronto Star — Canada’s largest circulation newspaper. They chose to run the personal information sheet on Jean Beliveau.


THE HOCKEY NEWS WEIGHS IN

Sal Barry reviewed Blue Lines, Goal Lines & Bottom Lines in the August 15, 2016 issue of The Hockey News. It’s a short review, and Barry called it “a unique look at the hockey history via hundreds of pieces of paperwork,” singling out some of his favourites of the “invaluable documents,” like Wayne Gretzky’s grades while at school in Indianapolis, and Glen Sather and Mike Keenan sniping over an owed waiver fee.​


EARLY HYPE FOR ‘BLUE LINES

ECW Press sent out the Advanced Reading Copy of Blue Lines, Goal Lines & Bottom Lines in June 2016 and the first review is in, from “The Guy Who Reviews Sports Books” blog. Some of the highlights:

– “… no matter one’s preference, there is certain to be something that will make the reader happy.”

– “Every hockey fan should seriously consider adding this book to his or her library. The documents are wonderful, the accompanying stories interesting and full of information, and it is one that can be shared with all hockey fans. ”

Click here for the full review.