Sign-In
Cart
Gretzky's Bodyguard: Marty McSorley, Donald Brashear, and the Slash Seen Around the World Series Name: Off the Ice: Hockey's Criminal Cases Series Num
Paperback
Series: Off the Ice: Hockey's Criminal Cases, Book 3
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Aug 18 2026
Pages: 52
Weight: 0.32
Height: 0.11 Width: 8.50 Depth: 11.00
Language: English
With 2.7 seconds remaining in a game his team was losing 5-2, Marty McSorley swung his hockey stick two-handed and struck Donald Brashear across the right side of the head.
Brashear fell to the ice. He did not get up. He had a grand mal seizure on the ice at General Motors Place in Vancouver, in front of 18,000 fans and a television audience watching a live broadcast. He suffered a grade three concussion. He missed 20 games. He testified at trial that he still had no memory of the incident.
The act was committed by one of the most accomplished enforcers in NHL history, in the final seconds of the final game he would ever play. Marty McSorley had spent eight years as Wayne Gretzky's on-ice bodyguard. He had won two Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers. He had played 961 NHL games over 17 seasons. He had accumulated 3,381 career penalty minutes - the fourth-highest total in NHL history.
His career ended in those 2.7 seconds.
Gretzky's Bodyguard tells the complete story:
The Enforcer - McSorley came out of Cayuga, Ontario undrafted, signed as a free agent, and built a career that no one predicted. He was Gretzky's trusted bodyguard: when the blockbuster 1988 trade sent Gretzky from Edmonton to Los Angeles, Gretzky reportedly insisted McSorley come with him. McSorley won two Cups, reached the Stanley Cup Finals (where his famous illegal stick in Game 2 contributed to the Montreal Canadiens' comeback), and spent 17 years playing the sport's most physically punishing role.
The Incident - February 21, 2000. The game was over. Brashear had won their first-period fight and taunted the Bruins bench. He had declined a second challenge from McSorley. With 2.7 seconds left, McSorley made a decision. The television cameras captured it from multiple angles. The visual record of what he did is more complete than almost any act of violence in sports history.
The Trial - R. v. McSorley, British Columbia Provincial Court. The first criminal trial of an NHL player for an on-ice act in more than a decade. The prosecution played 14 minutes of multi-angle video. Judge William Kitchen, acknowledging the broader question many people were asking, said: If this is the trial of Canadian hockey, the judge and jury is the Canadian public. Then he convicted McSorley. Brashear was struck as intended. I have no doubt that he intended to hit Brashear in the head.
The Aftermath - An 18-month conditional discharge. The longest NHL suspension in history. The end of a 17-year career. McSorley never played another NHL game.
Gretzky's Bodyguard is the third book in the Off the Ice series: hockey's criminal cases told in full.
Also from
Scott, T.
The Forest Floor: Six Unsolved Cases from the Ozarks Series Name: Ozark Crime Series Number: Book 7
Scott, T.
Paperback
A Defence of Some Important Scripture Doctrines, Being a Reply to Certain Objection Urged Against Th
Scott, T.
Paperback
Also in
Hockey
Sports Illustrated the Stanley Cup: A History of Hockey's Greatest Prize from the Pages of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Hardcover
The Unofficial Heated Rivalry Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Love, Hockey, and Food
Anderson, Michelle
Peterson, Chris
Hardcover
The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team
Coffey, Wayne
Paperback
The Making of a Miracle: The Untold Story of the Captain of the 1980 Gold Medal-Winning U.S. Olympic Hockey Team
Eruzione, Mike
Boudette, Neal
Paperback
Perfect Storm: The Carolina Hurricanes' Incredible Run to the 2026 Stanley Cup
Lavalette, Cory
Paperback
The Whalers: The Rise, Fall, and Enduring Mystique of New England's (Second) Greatest NHL Franchise
Pickens, Patrick
Paperback
Fabric of the Game: The Stories Behind the Nhl's Names, Logos, and Uniforms
Creamer, Chris
Radom, Todd
Hardcover
The Game That Saved the NHL: The Broad Street Bullies, the Soviet Red Machine, and Super Series '76
Gruver, Edward
Hardcover
100000 Whys Book for Kids: Sports Edition: The Amazing Question-and-Answer Encyclopedia for Curious Young Athletes [Fun Facts with Trivia for Smart Ch
Publishing, Winning Athlete
Paperback
No One Wins Alone: Leading Others, Building Teams, Inspiring Greatness
Roberts, Jimmy
Messier, Mark
Paperback
Why Not You: My Story of Perseverance, Hockey, and Olympic Gold
Rutherford, Kristina
Botterill, Jennifer
Hardcover
If These Walls Could Talk: Boston Bruins: Stories from the Boston Bruins Ice, Locker Room, and Press Box
Arnold, Dale
Kalman, Matt
Paperback
The Architects: Hockey's Coaching Legends on NHL Glory, Olympic Gold, and What It Means to Lead
Arnold, Dale
Hardcover
The Twins: A Journey of a Lifetime: Twin brothers' journey through Chicago Sports History and their recollections of a bygone era
Ruzicka, Carl
Ruzicka, Tony
Paperback
Mental Toughness for Young Hockey Players: Mindset Training for Athletes, Coaches and Parents
Brooks, Chase
Paperback
One Last Shift: A Journey in Hockey from Stick Boy to Winning Coach and Olympic Dad.
Flanagan, Bill
Hardcover
Finding Murph: How Joe Murphy Went from Winning a Championship to Living Homeless in the Bush
Westhead, Rick
Paperback
So...Your Kid Wants To Be A Goalie?: A Parent's Guide to Raising Mentally Tough, Confident, and Happy Goalies
Christopher, Austin
Goalie, The Mental
Paperback
The Best Seat in the House: Stories from the Nhl--Inside the Room, on the Ice...and on the Bench
McLennan, Jamie
Mendes, Ian
Paperback
Slow Cooker Cookbook for Two - 500 Crock Pot Recipes: Nutritious Recipe Book for Beginners and Pros
Summers, Sophie
Paperback
Ken Morrow: Miracle Gold, Four Stanley Cups, and a Lifetime of Islanders Hockey
Morrow, Ken
Kreda, Allan
Paperback
Behind the Mask: A Revealing Look at Twelve of the Greatest Goalies in Hockey History
Druzin, Randi
Paperback
Scotty Davidson: The Extraordinary Life and Mysterious Death of Canada's Forgotten Hockey Hero
Walthert, Matthew
Hardcover
Glass Seats: Walter Brown and the Forgotten Amateur Stars Who Built Hockey in Boston
Gentile, Matthew
Paperback
Rising from the Deep: The Seattle Kraken, a Tenacious Push for Expansion, and the Emerald City's Sports Revival
Baker, Geoff
Hardcover
Bullies: Catching Up with the Hound, the Hammer, and the Stanley Cup Champion Philadelphia Flyers
Carchidi, Sam
Hare, Jeff
Hardcover
Let Them Lead: Unexpected Lessons in Leadership from America's Worst High School Hockey Team
Bacon, John U.
Hardcover
Breaking the Ice: Seven Lives, One Game, and the Fight for the Game of Hockey
Davis, Justin
Paperback
Glass Seats: Walter Brown and the Forgotten Amateur Stars Who Built Hockey in Boston
Gentile, Matthew
Hardcover
The Ultimate Hockey Trivia Challenge: Over 600 Quiz Questions for Die-Hard Hockey Fans
Patton, Hank
Paperback
The Day I (Almost) Killed Two Gretzkys: ...and Other Off-The-Wall Stories about Sports...and Life
Duthie, James
Paperback
Hockey Confidence: Train Your Brain to Win in Hockey and in Life
Hamptonstone Msc, Isabelle
Paperback
The Greatest Comeback: How Team Canada Fought Back, Took the Summit Series, and Reinvented Hockey
Bacon, John U.
Hardcover
Behind the Mask: A Revealing Look at Twelve of the Greatest Goalies in Hockey History
Druzin, Randi
Hardcover
Tourney Time: Stories from the Minnesota Boys State Hockey Tournament
Nelson, L. R.
La Vaque, David
Paperback
Goalie Mindset Secrets: 7 Must Have Goalie Mindset Secrets You Don't Learn in School!
Fry the Goalie Mindset Guy, Pete
Paperback
The California Golden Seals: A Tale of White Skates, Red Ink, and One of the Nhl's Most Outlandish Teams
Currier, Steve
Paperback
Game of My Life New York Rangers: Memorable Stories of Rangers Hockey
Kreiser, John
Halligan, John
Hardcover
The Game That Saved the NHL: The Broad Street Bullies, the Soviet Red Machine, and Super Series '76
Gruver, Edward
Paperback
Path to the Summit: Anatoli Tarasov and the History of Soviet Hockey Part 2 (1957-1972)
Genac, Jim
Paperback
Gut Punch: Former Madison Square Garden president tells the true story of how the Rangers won the Stanley Cup, the Knicks lost Pat Riley, and the Yank
Matthews, Wallace
Gutkowski, Bob
Paperback
Odd Man in: Hockey's Emergency Goalies and the Wildest One-Day Job in Sports
Whyno, Stephen
Paperback
Hat Tricks From Heaven: The Story of an Athlete in His Own Prison of Addiction
Genovese, Kate
Paperback
Loving Ladybug, Part One: A Why Choose Omegaverse Friends to Lovers Hockey Romance
Handler, Jane
Paperback
Gut Punch: Former Madison Square Garden president tells the true story of how the Rangers won the Stanley Cup, the Knicks lost Pat Riley, and the Yank
Matthews, Wallace
Gutkowski, Bob
Hardcover