NHL Official Guide & Record Book
Encyclopedia
The NHL Official Guide & Record Book is the complete statistical record of the National Hockey League
, published annually by the league. It contains detailed year-by-year data on 2,000 active players, all-time records, club rosters, NHL Entry Draft
information, along with player and goaltender data panels and photos. It has long been considered "the bible of (ice) hockey” and is the book the NHL issues to reporters, broadcasters, scouts and general managers. It is a large-format paperback book and has been in print since 1932.
The first editions were edited by Hockey Hall of Fame
Honoured Member James C. Hendy
. League publicist Ken McKenzie
took over editing beginning in 1947. He would later become the founding editor-publisher of The Hockey News
. Statisticians Ron Andrews and Carol Randall managed the book during the NHL's expansion eras of the 1960s, 1970s and into the 1980s. Benny Ercolani has been the Head Statistician since the 1980s.
By the mid 1980s, the old digest-sized format of the NHL Guide could no longer accommodate the increased number of league players and clubs. Early in 1984, Dan Diamond, a Toronto-based editor and publisher, proposed a redesign and reorganization of the NHL Guide, converting it to a magazine-sized page and incorporating photographs for the first time. The NHL accepted Diamond's proposal and the redesigned format made its first appearance in the fall of 1984 in a 352 page edition. Twenty-five years later, the book had grown to 656 pages and included a mug-shot photo of every active NHL player.
Traditionally, the Guide's cover is printed every year in the colors of the reigning Stanley Cup champions.
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
, published annually by the league. It contains detailed year-by-year data on 2,000 active players, all-time records, club rosters, NHL Entry Draft
NHL Entry Draft
The NHL Entry Draft is an annual meeting in which every franchise of the National Hockey League systematically select the rights to available amateur ice hockey players who meet draft eligibility requirements...
information, along with player and goaltender data panels and photos. It has long been considered "the bible of (ice) hockey” and is the book the NHL issues to reporters, broadcasters, scouts and general managers. It is a large-format paperback book and has been in print since 1932.
The first editions were edited by Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
Honoured Member James C. Hendy
Jim Hendy
James Cecil "Jim" Hendy was an ice hockey writer, historian, and statistician born in Barbados, British West Indies. A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame in the "Builder" category, he is credited with developing the statistical methods for tracking professional player and team performance...
. League publicist Ken McKenzie
Ken McKenzie
Ken McKenzie was a journalist, and the co-founder and longtime president and publisher of The Hockey News magazine...
took over editing beginning in 1947. He would later become the founding editor-publisher of The Hockey News
The Hockey News
The Hockey News, commonly abbreviated to THN, is a North American ice hockey magazine published by Transcontinental. The Hockey News was founded in 1947 by Ken McKenzie and Bill Côté, and has since been the most recognized hockey publication in North America...
. Statisticians Ron Andrews and Carol Randall managed the book during the NHL's expansion eras of the 1960s, 1970s and into the 1980s. Benny Ercolani has been the Head Statistician since the 1980s.
By the mid 1980s, the old digest-sized format of the NHL Guide could no longer accommodate the increased number of league players and clubs. Early in 1984, Dan Diamond, a Toronto-based editor and publisher, proposed a redesign and reorganization of the NHL Guide, converting it to a magazine-sized page and incorporating photographs for the first time. The NHL accepted Diamond's proposal and the redesigned format made its first appearance in the fall of 1984 in a 352 page edition. Twenty-five years later, the book had grown to 656 pages and included a mug-shot photo of every active NHL player.
Traditionally, the Guide's cover is printed every year in the colors of the reigning Stanley Cup champions.