Bill Gadsby has lived most of his life by this credo-"if you're going to give it, you'd better be able to take it"-and that is how the NHL hockey hall of famer played the game during 20 remarkable seasons as one of the games all time best offensive and defensive defenseman.

In his first pro contest in 1946, his initiation into the league was a violent cut for 12 stitches. In the next 1247 games, he would receive 628 more in his face alone-most likely an all time record in all sports and this before novocaine was offered. Once, his shoulder was broken so badly with the bone protruding through the skin that today it is permanently damaged.

The Grateful Gadsby is an astonishing story of an athlete who played his entire career during the original six era-the true golden age of the sport. Hockey was tough, the 120 best players in the world competed for the love of the game and the sports ultimate prize. Not only did Gadsby compete, he excelled. Amazingly, he would retire as the sports all time leading defensemen with the most points, penalty minutes, and games! He was rugged, too. Many times he hit the ice blocking as many shots as the goaltender and adding more stitches and injuries to his tally. In one game he hit Tim Horton so hard that, even today, he shudders to think he came close to killing him.

The book is also the tale of a giver. Off the ice he is a gentle and devoted family man who considers his fifty plus years of marriage to his wife Edna, his family of four daughters and their children his greatest joys in life. Although he excelled in the toughest sport in the world, he has also preserved in the arena of life. Overcoming some remarkable obstacles, he came within a whisker of being permanently disabled by polio in 1952. He miraculously survived, along with his mother, the torpedoing and sinking of the ship Athenia in the first few hours of World War II. Business hardships, personal heartaches, and exceptional achievement are all chapters in the inspirational and courageous life of the truly Grateful Gadsby.

This book was written by Kevin Allen who is recognized as one of the most influential people in the hockey world today. Kevin Allen has been USA Today's top hockey writer since 1986. A future hall of famer, his unique insight on the sport impacts millions of people each week through the newspaper, his six books, and his appearances on national television and radio programs. Allen, 46, resides in Ypsilanti, Michigan with his wife Terri and three children.

This book, The Grateful Gadsby was published in 2003 by Immortal Investments Publishing, 35122 W. Michigan Avenue, Wayne, Michigan, 48184. 1-800-475-2066. www.Immortal Investments.com