Veteranscribe's Blog

Authors Tom Burke and Reid Oslin Invite You to

Doyle’s Cafe – “Boston’s Best Pub”
3484 Washington Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Tuesday, November 18, 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.

No Cover! No Minimum! Just bring a love of Boston sports (especially hockey!)

Tom and Reid’s new history of Boston’s sport at Boston’s college, Tales from the Boston College Hockey Locker Room, is now available at bookstores everywhere.

The book, published by Skyhorse Publishing of New York, chronicles the long and successful history of “The Montreal Game” at Boston College. It begins with the early days of “ice polo” on rivers and outdoor rinks of the 1890s and runs through the Eagles’ skein of four NCAA Championships since 2001.

The authors interviewed dozens of former Eagle players, coaches, and rivals along the way. Included are chapters on the origins of hockey at the Heights; on BC’s iconic coaches John “Snooks” Kelley, Len Ceglarski, and Jerry York; on the NCAA Tournament’s origin and evolution; and, of course, on the Beanpot Tournament.

The book also recaps many memorable Boston College games and seasons, but it is not just for BC loyalists. As the Authors’ Note at the beginning states,

“College hockey is a unique sport. It is ‘big time,’ with many of its best players going on to win Olympic medals and carve out successful professional careers. Yet it is a ‘small’ sport as well. Relatively few schools have chosen to make the game a part of their athletic tradition and to invest the time and treasure required for success. So the college hockey community is a tightly knit one. We’re an extended family. We’re all in this together.”

Here are just a few of the comments the book has received to date:

“Fabulous read! Terrific look back on our history here!”
–BC head coach Jerry York

“A great read – and this from a BU guy!”
– Gary Fay, Terrier power play point man extraordinaire

“Thoroughly enjoying my copy.”
– Jim Reid, former Northeastern University crew captain and Winthrop High School’s first hockey co-captain.

“Great read, thanks for the Beanpot props!”
–Mike Powers, BC’s 5-goal man in Beanpot opener, 1973

Tom Burke was Eastern College Hockey’s first national correspondent. He wrote for the Hockey News for eighteen years and was a New York Sunday Times college hockey contributor for seven years. He has served as a member of the Hobey Baker Award Selection Committee, and he annually presents the Walter Brown Award, which is named for his uncle Walter, to New England’s best American-born Division One player. Tom serves as assistant secretary of the Beanpot Tournament and has contributed to the annual Beanpot game programs for over thirty years. He also is the Boston College Varsity Club Hall of Fame’s biographer, has been the arena voice of BC hockey for twenty-seven years, and the stadium voice of BC football for thirty-nine years. Tom grew up in Winthrop, Massachusetts and now resides in West Roxbury.

Reid Oslin was affiliated with Boston College and its athletic program for forty-one years, including twenty-four years (1974–1997) as the Eagles’ associate athletic director and sports information director. During this period he attended hundreds of Boston College athletic events and got to know thousands of student athletes, coaches, staff members, and fans. He served as the senior media relations officer in the university’s Office of News and Public Affairs before retiring in 2012. Oslin is also the author of two books on the history of Boston College Football. He is a native of Springfield, Massachusetts and now resides in Scituate.

If you have questions or comments, or to schedule a talk by the authors, please email eaglepuckhistory@gmail.com.

This entry was posted on November 11, 2014 at 3:26 pm and is filed under Events and Society, The World of Sport. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.