Why Is the Stanley Cup in Mario Lemieux's Swimming Pool?: How Winners Celebrate with the World's Most Famous Cup [Paperback]

Kevin Allen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2001

The Stanley Cup, steeped in tradition and lore, revered by any player to set foot on the ice-drop-kicked into a canal?!

Follow the true exploits of the most celebrated of sport's trophies beyond the champagne toasts and all-star embraces. Why is the Stanley Cup in Mario Lemieux's Swimming Pool is a wild, globe-trotting romp filled with zany, surprising, and often touching accounts of what really happens once hockey's greatest quest has been conquered and the celebration begins-off the ice.

What did the sport's greatest players do when, king for a day, they spent an eventful twenty-four hours with the Stanley Cup? The prestigious trophy has held everything from beer to infants, and has been carted from Moscow's Red Square to Bob's Big Boy. Why is The Stanley Cup in Mario Lemieux's Swimming Pool? includes: * Stories of raw emotion and personal triumph-a visit to MIKE KEANE'S one-hundred-year-old grandmother's nursing home, and a presentation by JOE NIEUWENDYK to his blind professor during a reception at Cornell University * Raucous anecdotes of high comedy-nights abandoned on street corners, visits to strip clubs, golf course hi-jinks, and a trip to the bottom of MARIO LEMIEUX'S pool * Unbelievable twenty-four-hour world travel to Sweden, Russia, and beyond, mysterious tales of the Stanley Cup ghost, and reflections from hockey's greatest of the greats -HOWE, GRETZKY, ESPOSITO, and HULL

Would you drink from the Stanley Cup if you knew where it had been? Here's your chance to find out!

KEVIN ALLEN has been the USA Today's hockey beat writer since 1986 and is a member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. His previous books include Brett Hull, USA Hockey and Crunch: A History of Fighting in the NHL.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Triumph Books (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572434406
• ISBN-13: 978-1572434400
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #628,135 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!! May 30, 2001

By Roberta A. Serechin

Format:Hardcover

What a great way to pass time between playoff rounds. Mr Allen had done his research. I can't watch Bill Clement without laughing so hard from his recollection of the Flyers Victory parade. A touching story is also included about Rocket Richard and his famed input on the Cup lore. Also a surprising and VERY sentimental touch of Pat Verbeek's day with the Cup in 1999. It's nice to see guys like him with even more reverence for the Cup.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Why Is the Stanley Cup in Mario Lemieux's Swimming Pool?: Ho March 17, 2005

By Jessica

Format:Paperback

What do hockey players do with the Stanley Cup after winning the most cherished trophy ? That's what author Kevin Allen wrote about in the book Why is the Stanley Cup in Mario Lemieux's Swimming Pool?: How Winners Celebrate With the World's Most Famous Cup. With each player getting twenty-four hours to spend with Lord Stanley's Cup the cup comes back with a lot of bizarre memories.

The book takes you through the long journeys that they Stanley Cup endures. It takes you to many foreign countries like Russia and Canada, to the pool of Mario Lemieux or even to Cornell with Joe Nieuwendyk to visit his blind college professor. The book describes how meaningful winning the Stanley Cup is to hockey players. Long after the final game the players still have the same emotions with the Stanley Cup as they did the day they raised it over their heads. The book includes many players stories of when they won the Cup from the likes of Maurice Richard to more recently Brett Hull.

I highly recommend to those hockey fanatics who just can't get enough hockey. This book defiantly makes you want to keep reading and once you start you will not be able to put it down. Every time I see the precious trophy I always think back to this book and all the unusual things that the athletes did with the Stanley Cup.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW, what a cool book! September 25, 2002

By Travis Newman

Format:Hardcover

This is one of the coolest books I have ever read. Being a hockey nut, I just ate these stories up like no tomorrow. You don't need to be a crazy fan like myself to enjoy the stories though. The Stanley Cup is definately the most well traveled hunk of silver around and its story is still being written. The Cup means so much more that just winning and this book illustrates just how important it is to people and just how uncontrollably happy they can become when they raise it over their heads. One of these days, when I get my day with the Stanley Cup, I hope to be featured in a book just like this.
In general, this book is a unique collection of fascinating stories that have been compiled for over one hundred years. No hockey fan should be without this and I highly recommend it too anyone who is looking for an easy going and enjoyable book.