ories, authors Bob Duff and Ryan Dixon recount the events that have shaped the NHL. From its madcap early years all the way to the 32-team elite professional sport that it will be -- once the newest franchise, Seattle, takes the ice in 2021 -- no stone is left unturned.

In this new edition, readers are treated to more than 150 stories, ranging from game changing decisions like allowing goalies to wear masks, to jaw-dropping performances like Maurice Richard's 50 goals in 50 games, to outstanding starts like the expansion Vegas Golden Knights competing for the Stanley Cup.

Some of the events covered in The NHL in Pictures and Stories

1945: Maurice Richard scores 50 goals in 50 games

1951: Bill Barilko scores his last goal -- a Cup winner

1958: Willie O'Ree breaks the NHL's color barrier

1959: Jacques Plante starts to wear a mask

1960: Montreal Canadiens become the first ever five-time Cup champs

1966: Bobby Hull breaks Richard's 50-goal record

1971: Phil Esposito scores 76 goals

1980: Peter Stastny defects to the NHL

1981: Wayne Gretzky scores 50 goals in 39 games

1989: First Russians play in the NHL

1998: NHL players go to the Olympics

2005: NHL installs shootout

2015: Carey Price becomes first goalie to win four major awards

2016: Auston Matthews' incredible rookie debut

2018: Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals win the Cup.

With more than 200 images, hundreds of star players and dozens of artifacts from the Hockey Hall of Fame, The NHL in Pictures and Stories is the definitive guide to the history of the NHL.

Published in association with The Hockey Hall of Fame.