Gretzky, Lemieux, Messier, Coffey, Fuhr, all on the same team in their prime. The greatest collection of hockey talent ever assembled, playing the games of their lives.Three epic 6-5 contests between Canada and the Soviet Union decided the 87 Canada Cup.Canada evened the series, after the Soviets won Game 1, when Gretzkys fifth assist of the game set up Lemieuxs hat trick, ending Game 2 in double overtime. Game 2 is widely considered one of the greatest hockey games ever played.With time running out in Game 3, after Canada battled back from a 3-0 deficit, Team Canada coach Mike Keenan sent the Gretzky / Lemieux / Hawerchuk line on the ice for a faceoff in Canadas end. The rest is history as Gretzky, Lemieux, and Larry Murphy rushed up the ice, Gretzky skating on the left wing, setting up Lemieuxs game-winner in the slot with 1:26 left in the game. Gretzkys pass to Lemieux, followed by Lemieuxs goal, is one of the most memorable plays in hockey history.

Gretzky to Lemieux captures the on-ice drama that led to the historic three-game final, and the stories behind it. Ed Willes adds depth and weight to the games by revealing the rebellion among Soviet hockey stars in the early days of Glasnost and a crumbling Soviet Union; the trouble brewing for Alan Eagleson; the ascendancy of Mario Lemieux; and the end of the glorious Gretzky era in Edmonton.Packed with interviews of players and coaches, Gretzky to Lemieux tells the full story of the greatest hockey ever played.From the Hardcover edition.