Jack Parker's Wiseguys: The National Champion BU Terriers, the Blizzard of '78, and the Road to the Miracle on Ice

by Tim Rappleye

Overview

Over the winter of 1977–78, anyone within shouting distance of a two-mile stretch of Boston’s Commonwealth Avenue—from Fenway Park to the trolley curve at Packard’s Corner—found themselves pulled into the orbit of college hockey. The hottest ticket in a sports-mad city was Boston University’s Terriers, a team so tough it was said they didn’t have fans—they took hostages. Eschewing the usual recruiting pools in Canada, Jack Parker and his coaching staff assembled a squad that included three stars from nearby Charlestown, then known as the “armed robbery capital of America.” Jack Parker’s Wiseguys is the story of a high-flying, headline-dominating, national championship squad led by three future stars of the Miracle on Ice, the medal-round game the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team won against the heavily favored Soviet Union. Now retired, Parker is a thoughtful statesman for the sport, a revered figure who held the longest tenure of any coach in Boston sports history. But during the 1977–78 season, he was just five years into his reign—and only a decade or so older than his players. Fiery, mercurial, as tough as any of his tough guys, Parker and his team were to face the pressure-cooker expectations of four previous also-ran seasons, further heightened by barroom brawls, off-the-ice shenanigans, and the citywide shutdown caused by one of the biggest blizzards to ever hit the Northeast. This season was to be Parker’s watershed, a roller-coaster ride of nail-biting victories and unimaginable tragedy, played out in increasingly strident headlines as his team opened the season with an unprecedented twenty-one straight wins. Only the second loss of the year eliminated the Terriers from their league playoffs and possibly from national contention; hours after the game Parker’s wife died from cancer. The story of how the team responded—coming back to win the national championship a week after Parker buried his wife—makes a compelling tale for Boston sports fans and everyone else who feels a thrill of pride at America’s unlikely win over the Soviet national team—a victory forged on Commonwealth Avenue in that bitter, beautiful winter of ’78.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781512601657
Publisher:	University Press of New England
Publication date:	12/12/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	248
File size:	11 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

TIM RAPPLEYE played in the 1978 NCAA Division II hockey championship while Boston University was winning its Division I crown. He was bitten by the Olympic hockey bug while working on the 1980 Miracle on Ice for ABC Sports. He covered another half dozen Winter Games as a researcher, producer, and reporter. Rappleye later produced the 1991 NCAA Hockey championship between BU and Northern Michigan for ESPN, which became known as College Hockey’s Greatest Game. He currently writes long-form hockey stories for New England Hockey Journal when he isn’t teaching public school or playing pond hockey. Tim lives in Traverse City, Michigan, with his wife, Amy, and dog Seamus.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Mike Eruzione • Introduction • The Debacle in Denver • Jackie Parker • Brian and Jimmy • The Education of Mark Fidler • The Dugout • Finding Themselves • Wiseguys • Road Trip! • The Town • Dog • Media Darlings • North Country • The Battle of C

What People are Saying About This

Keith Tkachuk

"Anyone who has coached as long as Jack did at one elite university shows that he is a competitor that brings out the best in his players. I was lucky to benefit from his passion for the game."

Mike Sullivan

"Jack Parker's Wiseguys brought back fond memories of the Dugout Cafe, an important part of the fabric of BU hockey. Parker is why I remain a Terrier for life."

Bobby Orr

“The city of Boston in the 1970s was the hub of the hockey world. The Bruins were hot and so was the college game throughout New England. Jack Parker's Wiseguys tells the story of some of the best college players of that era as well as that of their legendary coach. A terrific read for fans and players familiar with that rough and tumble hockey vintage.”

Lou Lamoriello

“This is a must-read book about a Division I hockey dynasty and its Hall of Fame coach. To this day Jack Parker has the respect and love of all his players.”