When the Final Buzzer Sounds

Sharing the sometimes bittersweet, sometimes unexpected, always insightful accounts of the lives of some of the NHL's most famous players after retirement and the turns their lives have taken—often just as wild and crazy as their time on the ice—this collection of poignant stories details the hockey's greatest players after the last goal has been tended and the final buzzer sounds. Through in-depth one-on-one interviews, the book offers vivid and captivating portraits of nine hockey greats, profiling heroes such as Phil Esposito, Bobby Hull, Gordie Howe, and Eric Nesterenko, and it chronicles the struggles and triumphs that came after a life on the ice.

Colleen Howe was a sports agent and the founder of Power Play International and Power Play Publications. She was the wife of Gordie Howe. Gordie Howe is a former NHL and WHA player. He is a four-time Stanley Cup champion and the recipient of six Art Ross Trophies, six Hart Trophies, and the first NHL Lifetime Achievement Award. The Howes collaborated with Charles Wilkins on After the Applause. Wilkins is the author of Breakaway: Hockey and the Years Beyond and the coauthor of Hockey: The Illustrated History.