LEFT WING LOCK

What Do I Win? – Pelle Lindbergh: Behind the White Mask by Bill Meltzer (NHL.com writer)

How Do I Win? – Respond to this post with the name of the goalie that you think will win this year’s Vezina trophy

When Do I Win? – The contest will remain open through Monday, February 22

You will notice that Left Wing Lock has a featured author in the bottom right side of the page. Bill Meltzer has provided Left Wing Lock with copies of his recent book Pelle Lindbergh: Behind the White Mask. Bill is a highly respected hockey writer with work that can be found on sites such as NHL.com, IIHF.com (type Meltzer in search), PhiladelphiaFlyers.com (type Meltzer in search), and HockeyBuzz. His book tells the story of the rise to stardom of a young Swedish goalie named Pelle Lindbergh who anchored the 1984-1985 Philadelphia Flyers to the Stanley Cup finals (he won the Vezina trophy that year and also was the netminder for Team Sweden in the 1980 Olympics). Many of you will undoubtedly know that the story ends tragically the following season when Lindbergh dies in a car crash at the age of 26.

Bill’s style of writing for this book was a superb choice. The even-numbered chapters are used to tell the story of Pelle’s life, while the odd-numbered chapters take you through his final days in emotional detail. When the stories meet again, Bill presses forward with events that have unfolded (for Pelle’s family and friends, as well as the Flyers) since his untimely death. The book concludes with Bill’s own visit to Sweden to meet Pelle’s family and friends.

If you’re a fan of goalies or hockey history in general, you will find this book to be a real gem. Bill’s expertise on international hockey and the Flyers really shines in the details of this book. I particularly found the stories about Mike Keenan, Bobby Clarke, and Rick Tocchet to be fascinating. The book also provided this reader with a new-found respect for Philadelphia hockey writer Al Morganti.

I encourage you to enter this contest – you’ve got nothing to lose. In the event that you are not the winner, I highly recommend checking out Pelle Lindbergh: Behind the White Mask by Bill Meltzer, which you can order by using the Amazon link found at the bottom of any Left Wing Lock page.