{"title":"Ed Gruver","description":"Ed Gruver is an award-winning sportswriter and the author of several books, including Hairs vs. Squares: The Mustache Gang, the Big Red Machine, and the Tumultuous Summer of '72 (Nebraska, 2016) and From Baltimore to Broadway: Joe, the Jets, and the Super Bowl III Guarantee. Jim Campbell has worked at the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was a member of the Steelers' organization during their dynasty decade in the 1970s. He has written for numerous NFL publications and has authored several books on the NFL. Andy Russell is a former NFL linebacker who played his entire twelve-year career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, with whom he won two Super Bowls.","products":[{"product_id":"hell-with-the-lid-off-inside-the-fierce-rivalry-between-the-1970s-oakland-raiders-and-pittsburgh-steelers-hardcover","title":"Hell with the Lid Off: Inside the Fierce Rivalry Between the 1970s Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eHell with the Lid Off\u003c\/i\u003e looks at the ferocious five-year war waged by Pittsburgh and Oakland for NFL supremacy during the turbulent seventies. The roots of their rivalry dated back to the 1972 playoff game in Pittsburgh that ended with the \"Immaculate Reception,\" Franco Harris's stunning touchdown that led the Steelers to a win over the Raiders in their first postseason meeting. That famous game ignited a fiery rivalry for NFL supremacy. Between 1972 and 1977, the Steelers and the Raiders--between them boasting an incredible twenty-six Pro Football Hall of Famers--collided in the playoffs five straight seasons and in the AFC title game three consecutive years. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Both teams favored force over finesse and had players whose forte was intimidation. Pittsburgh's Steel Curtain defense featured Mean Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, and Mel Blount, the latter's heavy hits forcing an NFL rule in his name. The Raiders countered with \"The Assassin,\" Jack Tatum, Skip Thomas (aka \"Dr. Death\"), George Atkinson, and Willie Brown in their memorable secondary. Each of their championships crowned the eventual Super Bowl winner, and their bloodcurdling encounters became so violent and vicious that they transcended the NFL and had to be settled in a U.S. district court. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e With its account of classic games, legendary owners, coaches, and players with larger-than-life personalities, \u003ci\u003eHell with the Lid Off\u003c\/i\u003e is a story of turbulent football and one of the game's best-known rivalries. \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51367057227999,"sku":"9781496214676","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/YOy3clfxqr9781496214676.webp?v=1789102280"},{"product_id":"the-game-that-saved-the-nhl-the-broad-street-bullies-the-soviet-red-machine-and-super-series-76-hardcover","title":"The Game That Saved the NHL: The Broad Street Bullies, the Soviet Red Machine, and Super Series '76 - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn late 1975 and early 1976, at the height of the Cold War, two of the Soviet Union's long-dominant national hockey teams traveled to North America to play an eight-game series against the best teams in the National Hockey League. The culmination of the \"Super Series\" was reigning Soviet League champion HC CSKA Moscow's face-off against the defending NHL champion Flyers in Philadelphia on January 11, 1976. Known as the \"Red Army Club,\" HC CSKA hadn't lost a game in the series. Known as the \"Broad Street Bullies,\" the Flyers were determined to bring the Red Army team's winning streak to an end with their trademark aggressive style of play.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBased largely on interviews, Ed Gruver's book tells the story of this epic game and series as it lays out the stakes involved: nothing less than the credibility of the NHL. If the Red Army team had completed its series sweep by defeating the two-time Stanley Cup champion Flyers, the NHL would no longer have been able to claim primacy of place in professional-level hockey. The Stanley Cup, the most famous trophy in sports, would be devalued if the Flyers fell to the Soviets. Gruver also describes how the game and series affected the styles of both Russian and NHL teams. The Soviets adopted a more physical brand of hockey, while the NHL increasingly focused on passing and speed.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51382220980447,"sku":"9781493074976","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/J0-cHR6xjz9781493074976.webp?v=1789286569"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/ed-gruver.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}