From coast to coast, the blueline to the slot, in the corners, and along the boards, here’s the high-adrenaline thrill of hockey at its best, in all its blazing glory.

Editor Bryant Urstadt has rounded up a collection of classics old and new that takes you into the locker room, behind the benches with the great coaches, on the ice with the players, and back on the bus when the game is over. You’ll hear Mike Richter talk about seeing the ice, tag along with Peter Gzowski as he tries to decode the magic that was Wayne Gretzky at his prime, follow Red Fisher on a last visit to the legendary Toe Blake, and hear from the players who made the “Miracle on Ice” happen at the Olympics in 1980. There’s action off the mainline as well, including the travails of a team in Texas, a hard-fought game in Romania, and nights with a junior team in Flin Flon, Manitoba.

The most vivid and theatrical of sports, hockey has rarely had quite the comprehensive and professional light shed on the speed, finesse, and grit that make it such an addictive pleasure.