Indianapolis,
since 1939, has been home to eight professional hockey teams, and
seven championship cups, as well as sending dozens of players to the
NHL, including Hall of Fame goalies Harry Lumley, Terry Sawchuk and
Glenn Hall, all of whom began their careers in Indy.
Indianapolis
was also the answer to a trivia question: What was the first
professional team that Wayne Gretzky played for? No, it wasn't the
Edmonton Oilers, although he was traded to that club in 1978. No,
Wayne played initially for the Indianapolis Racers of the WHA in
1978.
The
Checkers from 1979 to 1987 in the Central Hockey League, and the Ice
from 1988-99 in the IHL, as well as the Ice moving to the CHL between
1999 and 2004 sums up the professional experience in Indianapolis.
Along
the way through the book, there are team pictures for all the
championship teams, WHA photos, and a couple of pictures featuring a
very young Wayne Gretzky.
Near
the end of the book, there are arena photos dating back to the 1930s,
as the original Coliseum was built, not to mention Market Square
Arena, home to ice hockey as well as the NBA's Pacers.
From
someone who didn't know much about hockey in Indianapolis, or even
that Indy has had a long history, I found this a very eye-opening
experience through decades of history. As always, the photos are
top-notch, the information clearly and easily followed.
Again,
special thanks to Arcadia Publishing for making this book available
for reviewing purposes.
Link
to Arcadia Publishing:
http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/9780738533360/Indianapolis-Hockey
Link
to Powell's City of Books:
http://www.powells.com/biblio/61-9780738533360-0
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