Fighting back
Subtitle: the Chris Nilan story
By: Chris Nilan ; foreword by Serge Savard
Publisher: Triumph Books
Published: 2013
Place of publication: Chicago, Illinois
Language: eng
Number of pages: 335
ISBN-13: 9781623687519; 9781623687533; 9781623687526; 9781600789670
Subjects: Biography; Hockey players; Recovering addicts; SPORTS & RECREATION; Hockey; Montreal Canadiens (Hockey team); Boston Bruins (Hockey team); New York Rangers (Hockey team)
Other titles: Chris Nilan story
Description: Chris Nilan, who grew up in the tough and gritty Irish enclave in Boston, was a feared enforcer for the Montreal Canadiens, the Boston Bruins, and the New York Rangers and a Stanley Cup champion never afraid to go into the corners or take off his gloves. He was a valued teammate whose very presence on the ice affected the way the game was played. As an enforcer and as a teammate, Nilan ranks among the greatest of all time; when the cheering stopped, however, Chris Nilan did not do well. The same qualities--his aggressiveness and high-emotion style--that proved so valuable on the ice did not serve him well when his career ended. Nilan turned to drugs and alcohol to dull his pain and nearly died from an overdose. His story is a fascinating and troubling exposé of the booze, bills, and drugs that destroy so many athletes after their careers are over. But it's also a story of triumph, as Nilan has been the victor in his fight against his demons.
Table of contents: title: Front Cover; Title Page; Half Title; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Foreword from Serge Savard; 1. Knuckles; 2. West Roxbury-The Early Years; 3. Fearing Henry; 4. Catholic Memorial; 5. Continuing Education-In School, Out of School, and On the Ice; 6. Messing Up; 7. Becoming a Hockey Player; 8. Northeastern; 9. Draft Day; 10. Karen; 11. Meeting James J. "Whitey" Bulger; 12. The Enforcer Emerges; 13. My Teammates; 14. My First Training Camp; 15. The Vees; 16. The NHL; 17. Becoming a Hab; 18. Married; 19. Becoming a Player; 20. On Fighting; 21. The Line; 22. Reawakening; 23. Hospitals.; title: 24. Getting Closer25. Lord Stanley; 26. Celebration; 27. Defending Champions; 28. Leaving Montreal; 29. New York, New York; 30. Back in Boston; 31. In the Homestretch; 32. No Longer a Player; 33. My Mother-In-law and Her Boyfriend Disappear; 34. The (Short-lived) Insurance Salesman; 35. Coaching; 36. Past and Prologue; 37. Adrift; 38. Monsignor Ryan; 39. Too Soon; 40. Treading Water; 41. Spiraling Downward; 42. The Second Stint; 43. More Trouble; Epilogue; Photo Gallery.