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By now it's no secret that many professional athletes face a rough transition upon retirement. More than a few books have chronicled these struggles, the best of which may be Gross Misconduct, Martin O'Malley's story of the violent life and death of former Toronto Maple Leaf Brain "Spinner" Spencer.
Breakaway: Hockey and the Years Beyond is Charles Wilkins's sequel to After the Applause, a 1989 book he wrote with Colleen and Gordie Howe. While After the Applause told of life after hockey for superstars like Bobby Hull, Phil Esposito, and Howe himself, Breakaway offers similar treatment to eight men who weren't legends. These players...