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100 Classic Covers
From championships to star power to the just plain weird, The Hockey News' 2023 Collector's Edition, 100 Classic Covers, explores 75 years of hockey history through the lens of our magazine's front pages. Oh, and keep an eye out for Gritty.
KING KARLSSON
EVERYONE’S CRAZY ’BOUT a sharp-dressed man, right? This cover takes us back to the early days of Erik Karlsson’s reign in Ottawa, with the dashing D-man amid a breakout season that – spoiler alert – ended with his first Norris Trophy at the tender age of 22. Senior writer Ken Campbell weaves a fascinating picture of how Karlsson represented a new face for Swedish hockey. While other Swedes tended to prefer not to stick out in life, Karlsson was swashbuckling his way all over the ice, and he wasn’t apologizing for it. “I bet a lot of people I meet for the first time or second time might think I’m a pretty cocky guy,” Karlsson said. “I can say some stuff sometimes without thinking, and it’s no hard feelings from…
BOBBY LOU IS THE BOSS
FEW ROLES IN THE hockey media landscape have more historical significance than editor in chief of THN, and it’s a post only a select few have held. Counted among those who’ve had the honor are Ken McKenzie, Steve Dryden, Bob McKenzie, Jason Kay and…Roberto Luongo? Yes, fresh off of his 2014 re-acquisition by the Florida Panthers and emergence as one of hockey’s most engaging personalities, ‘Bobby Lou’ stepped into the hot seat as head honcho of The Bible of Hockey. A revealing editor’s note penned by Luongo gave insight into why a social-media presence was a net positive for the veteran goaltender. It allowed him, he wrote, to give fans a peek behind the curtain and acted as a “humanizing tool.” In a sense, it made him a person, not just…
SURVEY SAYS…
“MEET JOE FAN,” READS the opening of The Hockey News’ The Power to the People Reader Opinion Poll. After we solicited reader responses in a previous issue, more than 4,000 ballots poured in, as well as letters from fans wanting their say on the NHL. And the cover illustration by Ted Michener makes clear to whom these opinions are directed: league president John Ziegler. Looking back, it’s remarkable how relevant some of the 40-year-old arguments are with modern concerns. Among the items up for debate were the playoff format, length and importance of the regular season and a fighting ban. For the record, fans weren’t in favor of prohibiting pugilism, though the margins today might be slimmer than the 63-37 result in 1984. And just like today, the shootout was a…
ORR ARRIVES
DON’T LET THE HEADLINES about NHL legends Frank Mahovlich and Glenn Hall let your eye stray too far from the photo adorning this issue early in The Hockey News’ 20th volume. Yes, that’s a fresh-faced Bobby Orr wheeling inside the Bruins’ zone – with Boston goalie Eddie Johnston peeking over No. 4’s shoulder – and it’s the first time the Bruins icon made the cover while in NHL action. It wasn’t his first time on the front page, though. The final issue of THN’s 19th volume featured news of Orr’s signing in Boston. The caption notes that Orr is considered a “good bet” to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie. He did, indeed, claim the Calder – but what few imagined was Orr ranking among the league’s best…
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