Book Feature Hitch, Hockey's Unsung Hero: The Story of Boston Bruin Lionel Hitchman (by Pam Coburn)

[Pam Coburn]

Thanks for a great read, Pam. I picked up a copy and thoroughly enjoyed it. Your passion for the subject comes through, I love the colour in the accounts of the old Senators team and their trip out West. The frequent quotes from newspapers of the time were a real treat as well.



While Shore isn’t the subject of the book, this quote stood out to me. I’ve often though when reading about Shore that he improved defensively throughout his career and was in some ways at his very best near the end of his career. So while his defensive play suffered in comparison to Hitchman earlier in his career, it’s not really fair to paint Shore’s whole career with that brush — just as we don’t dismiss Nicklas Lidstrom defensively because he was rated below Vladimir Konstantinov by some earlier in his career. And after reading this book, it seems Lionel Hitchman at his best on defense was a very high standard for anyone to meet!

Thanks, Overpass. I’m so glad you enjoyed the book — the Senators trip west was one of my favorites too!

Learning about the Shore—Hitch dynamic was fascinating. After reading the game by game accounts, my observations of Shore are similar to yours. Early on, his speed and moves were sensational to watch, but he sometimes cost the team as many points as he made. As Hitch describes in that quote, Shore matured, especially after the Bailey incident, into a well-rounded team player.