Join the Topsfield Town Library as we welcome author Thomas J. Whalen, as he discusses his book Kooks and Degenerates on Ice : Bobby Orr, the Big, Bad Bruins, and the Stanley Cup Championship that Transformed Hockey.

Most people, even the most hockey-illiterate among us, recognize the iconic photo of Bobby Orr "flying" through the air after scoring the game-winning and series-clinching goal in Game 4 of the 1970 Stanley Cup Final, which brought the cup home to Boston after a then twenty-nine year drought. Author Thomas J. Whalen's book Kooks and Degenerates on Ice highlights the memorable moments from that iconic season, and places the events in the season in historical context, as the United States struggled with issues of war, race, politics, and class.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Thomas J. Whalen is an associate professor of social science at Boston University. He is the author of multiple books including When the Red Sox Ruled: Baseball's First Dynasty (1912-1918) and Kennedy vs. Lodge: the 1952 Massachusetts Senate Race.