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One of hockey's most feared enforcers reveals his off-ice battle with alcohol and heroin. With a foreword by Serge Savard. Chris Nilan, who grew up in the blue-collar Irish neighbourhood of West Roxbury in Boston, was an intimidating player for the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers, and a Stanley Cup champion never afraid to go into the corners or take off his gloves. He was a valued teammate whose very presence on the ice affected the way the game was played. As a Montreal Canadien, the 231st overall pick in the 1978 draft played a key role on a team that featured all-time Hab greats Guy Lafleur, Guy Carbonneau and Larry Robinson, among many others. Always a colourful character, Nilan was married for many years to the daughter of the long-time girlfriend of Whitey Bulger, among the most notorious, ruthless and murderous gangsters in American history. Almost all of his fellow Habs attended the wedding. As an enforcer and as a teammate, Nilan ranks among the greatest of all time. When the cheering stopped, however, he did not do well. The same qualities-his aggressiveness and high-emotion style-that proved so valuable on the ice did not benefit him when his career ended. He turned to drugs and alcohol to dull his pain, and he nearly died from a heroin overdose. Nilan's story is a fascinating and troubling expose of the booze and drugs that destroy so many athletes after their time in the limelight is over. But it's also a story of triumph, as Nilan has become the victor in the fight against his demons. Fighting Back is a riveting, no-holds-barred look at a hard life, on the ice and off.

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9781443417020

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CHRIS NILAN earned every minute of the 688 NHL regular season games he played patrolling the right wing for the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers. Fiercely loyal to his teammates and his club, Nilan racked up over 3,000 penalty minutes during his pro career, many of them against some of the toughest players the NHL has ever seen. Nilan was the subject of the documentary The Last Gladiator and now makes his home in Montreal. WEB: knucklesnilan.com TWITTER: @KnucklesNilan30 DON YAEGER's career spans more than two decades. As an author, his books have sold more than 2 million copies and have appeared on The New York Times bestseller list seven times. Yaeger has been engaged as a media trainer to countless high-profile athletes, business leaders and elected officials. WEB: donyaeger.com TWITTER: @DonYaeger

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