Evolve or Die: Hard-Won Lessons from a Hockey Life

Though he spent most of his career in behind-the-scenes roles, most famously for the iconic TV sports broadcast Hockey Night in Canada, Shannon’s name is as well known to many hockey fans as the on-air personalities he supported. In this book, he chronicles his career through a series of stories involving those personalities, players, owners, and others in the business. The book reads like a conversation with the author. Some subjects are covered in-depth (both Don Cherry and Herb Brooks have their own chapters), whereas some are not given much more than a paragraph. Shannon doesn’t hesitate to point out where he feels mistakes were made (including his own). He describes the work he’s done for a number of other organizations, such as covering Olympic hockey for NBC, helping to build a television network for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and leading programming efforts for the NHL Network. It’s clear, however, that despite parting company more than once and less than amicably, his time with Hockey Night was a career highlight.