Today, I'm looking at Heart of the Blackhawks; the Pierre Pilote Story, by L. Waxy Gregoire and David M. Dupuis, with Pierre Pilote.

From 1955 to 1968, defenseman Pierre Pilote roamed the blue-line for Chicago, plus one more year in Toronto with the Maple Leafs. He proved to be a solid, no-nonsense type of player that was capable of both flattening someone when needed, or rushing the puck up the ice as required. In fact, Pilote, in effect, bridged the gap between the great defensemen Doug Harvey and Bobby Orr.

Pierre would win three Norris trophies, for best defenseman, along with multiple First or Second team all-star.

It's interesting, while reading, to see the player's that come and go in their respective careers while Pierre is playing. For example, two key players to the success of Chicago in the 1960s are profiled; Stan Mikita, and Bobby Hull. Mention is also made of Glenn Hall's 502 consecutive game streak.

I found this to be a somewhat challenging read, possibly because I wasn't familiar with Pierre Pilote. He would eventually have his number retired by Chicago as well, raising his #3 to the rafters with the likes of Mikita and Hull.

All in all, I enjoyed this look into the late 50s and 1960s Chicago hockey, as well as the career of Pierre Pilote. Well worth reading...

Special thanks to Sara Dunn at ECW Press for making this book available for reviewing purposes.

Link to ECW Press: http://www.ecwpress.com/books/heart-blackhawks

Link to Powell's City of Books: http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9781770411364-0

Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Heart%20of%20the%20Blackhawks%3A%20The%20Pierre%20Pilote%20Story

Link to Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heart-of-the-blackhawks-l-waxy-gregoire/1114986878?ean=9781770411364