Stan Fischler Books

Stan “The Maven” Fischler is perhaps the most prolific writer in the history of hockey. Dozens of books, hundreds of essays and articles in publications such as the The Hockey News, and of course a lifetime spent broadcasting hockey games. His time as an announcer along with Jiggs McDonald made him a legend in the New York and Long Island Community.

Typically, Stan’s books cover specific teams, and specific times. As he broadcast for New York, many of his books cover the Islanders, the Rangers, and the intense rivalry between the two teams.

Rangers vs. Islanders: Denis Potvin, Mark Messier, and Everything Else You Wanted to Know about New York’s Greatest Hockey Rivalry (2016)

Summary: Published in 2016, this is one of Stan’s more recent books. Stan looks at the rivalry between the two teams that kicked off in the Islanders’ inaugural 1972 season. The two teams would play in the Patrick Division, and thus compete for a playoff spot against each other. They would meet in the playoffs eight times in the 1970s and 1980s, with the Islanders holding the upper hand, and of course earning four Stanley Cups to being the 80s decade. The rivalry included two legendary coaches of Herb Brooks (Rangers) and Al Arbor (Islanders). Lost in that time is the quality of those Rangers teams that at times were the second best team in the NHL, but could not overcome the best team of the dynastic Islanders. This burned inside Ranger fans who had not witnessed a Ranger Championship since 1940. This all would change in the 1990s, as the Rangers would win their Stanley Cup in 1994. Stan, with his inside vantage point to discuss on-ice and off-ice moments in the rivalry.

New York Rangers: Greatest Moments and Players (2007/2015)

Summary: First published in 2007, and later updated in 2015, this book is a detailed history of the New York Rangers best players and best moments. The book runs through players in alphabetical order beginning with Andy Bathgate and Jeff Beukeboom. It also includes players who are hockey and NHL legends, but are not necessarly known as all-time Ranger greats, including Phil Esposito, Jaromir Jagr, and Wayne Gretzky. Their time playing at the Garden is important, and a part of Ranger history, as they have been know as an organization that will pay high dollar amounts for historic players a bit past their prime (although Jagr did score 54 goals one season).

Boston Bruins: Greatest Moments and Players (2013)

Behind the Net: 101 Incredible Hockey Stories (2013)

Detroit Red Wings: Greatest Moments and Players (2012)

Who’s Who in Hockey (2003)

The Ultimate Bad Boys: Hockey’s Greatest Fighters (1998)

Great Book of Hockey: More than 100 years of Fire on Ice (1996)

Cracked Ice: An insider’s look at the NHL in Turmoil (1995)

The Triumphant Islanders: Hockey's New Dynasty

Bad Boys: The Legends of Hockey's Toughest, Meanest, Most-Feared Players (1991)

Everybody’s Hockey Book (1983)

Where Have They Gone? Hockey Stars (1979)

Those Were the Days: The Lore of Hockey (1976)