As the title suggests, this book, Doug Magwood's first, relates the story of the Toronto Maple Leafs as they progress through the 2001-2002 NHL season towards their ultimate objective, returning the Stanley Cup to Toronto. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.
This book takes the form of a journal. It begins in early September 2001, as the players assemble for training camp, and concludes in the Spring of 2002, when the Leaf season comes to an end. Whether the players succeed, or fall short of their main objective, the book depicts a day-by-day chronicle of the struggle to attain professional hockey supremacy.
The author has been a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs since the 1950s. His book is written from a fan's perspective. He does not profess to have any means of acquiring ""inside information"" about the team. The opinions that are expressed in the book are his own. He also brings to this journal more than 40 years of devotion to the Maple Leafs. This work started out as a mere retirement pastime, but as it developed, the author began to envision a more ambitious and potentially useful outcome.
For more than a year, the author has been a dialysis patient at this fine hospital. He has come to admire the skill and dedication of the doctors, nurses, and technicians who provide more than 700 life-sustaining treatments each week to people like himself who require kidney dialysis. He wants to help them.
ALL author proceeds from sales will be donated directly to the Renal Department at the Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga, Ontario
In its final form, Heart and Spirit - The Toronto Maple Leafs of 2001-2002 - A Fan's Journal contains:
a prologue written and contributed by a former Toronto Maple Leaf player
testimonials contributed by personalities from the world of NHL hockey
player profiles
role descriptions of team management and support staff personnel
team and individual player objective setting and evaluations
recognition of the ""Top 25 Leafs of All Time""
game-by-Game progress charts and summaries
2002 Winter Olympic Games Achievements
triumphs and trials of an NHL season
the drama of playoff action
glimpses of Leaf opponents throughout the NHL
This book is an accurate account of the regular season and playoffs as experienced by the Toronto Maple Leafs. It is an historical document, embellished by the views and opinions of a long-time fan. The author does not claim to be any kind of an expert in the game of hockey, but he tries to portray an appreciation of both the game and the Toronto Maple Leaf hockey organization... one of the 'original six' in the NHL.
It was the author's hope that, in the final analysis, the Leafs would win the Stanley Cup in 2002, thereby returning it to Toronto for the first time in 35 years. Though the hope wasn't filled, this book tells the story of the successes and disappointments which invariably have to be dealt with by every professional sports franchise on the planet... not just the Leafs.
Doug Magwood has tried to make this book easy to read, interesting, and a volume that will be a keepsake for Maple Leaf fans everywhere.
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