Format:
VIII, [24], 235 S.
,
Ill.
ISBN:
0802085202
,
9780802085207
,
0802037259
Content:
"No sport is as important to Canadians as hockey. Though a great many things may divide Canada, the love of hockey has long been a unifying force. Before the latest labour unrest in the National Hockey League, however, it was easy to forget that hockey is also a multi-million-dollar business run, not by the athletes or coaches, but by corporate boards and businessmen. Lords of the Rinks documents the early years of hockey's professionalization and commercialization, and the emergence of a fledgling NHL." "As the popularity of hockey grew in Canada in the late nineteenth century, so too did its commercial side, and players, club directors, rink owners, fans, and media alike developed deep emotional, economic, and ideological interests in the sport. Disagreement arose about how organized hockey, especially at the elite level, should be managed and it became apparent that governing bodies were required to maintain a semblance of order. These early administrative bodies tried to create a structure that would help to coordinate the various interests, set standards of behaviour, and impose mechanisms to detect and punish violators of governance. In 1917 the NHL held its first games and by 1936 it had become the dominant governing body in professional hockey." "Having done extensive research in the NHL archives - reviewing league meeting minutes, letters, memos, telegrams, gate receipt reports, and other documents - John Chi-Kit Wong traces the commercial roots of hockey and argues that, in its organized form, the sport was rarely if ever without a commercial side despite labels such as amateur and professional. Lords of the Rinks is the only truly comprehensive and scholarly history of the league and the business of hockey."--BOOK JACKET.
Language:
English
Subjects:
Sports Science
Keywords:
National Hockey League
;
USA
;
Kanada
;
Hochschulschrift
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