THN Archive: Welcome Aboard from the Curator

In his introductory post as curator of The Hockey News Archive, Adam Proteau unveils exactly what's now available to subscribers - a vast cache of articles, fiery photos and hockey information you won't find anywhere else.

When I was fortunate enough to be given the job of curator for The Hockey News Archive, I was thrilled beyond words. 

In my two stints with THN, I’ve always recognized the crown jewel of hockey content that is the archive, and I’ve been one of many who stressed the need to digitize all of the brand’s back issues. 

Working at THN is a privilege I don’t take for granted, and one of the biggest edges we have as THN employees – and something that no other hockey source has – is the vast cache of information now available to the public.

As the person who will be most responsible for sharing the archive with readers, I’m going to focus on bringing past articles back to life and making the stories of older days relevant today. I’ve been combing over the 2,600 magazine editions and 156,000 different pieces of content, and I can say with confidence that hockey fans of all types are going to enjoy very much what’s been produced by hundreds of authors.

For starters, the covers available in the archive are worth the cost of a subscription alone. For this story, I’ve included what is arguably THN’s most famous cover – the late Mike Bossy, staring you down while carrying a flaming hockey stick. Of course, Bossy was one of the most prodigious offensive forces in hockey history, and this cover was a perfect summation of how dominant he was. 

Dive into the issue from 1980 and find out why Bossy was in a goal-scoring class by himself at the time and how, at 23 years old, the Stanley Cup champion already carved his place among hockey's upper echelon and still felt he had a few things left to do. Or dig deeper and rediscover a profile on rookie Minnesota North Stars netminder Don Beaupre along with a piece on a 23-year-old Colorado Rockies defenseman named Jack Hughes.

That said, there’s a mammoth amount of material in the archive that will appeal to new fans and old fans alike. Major features and smaller team and league reports are everywhere. Photo shoots and statistics are in abundance. Stories that resonated in older days will find new meaning today. Everyone at THN is stoked to add this content to our arsenal, and all it takes for you to unlock the keys to this international treasure is an annual subscription. I’d be remiss in this post if I didn’t thank THN owner W. Graeme Roustan for his investment in the archive.

So please feel free to take the time to subscribe to THN today. Not only will you get incredible coverage of the game with the magazine, but now, you’ll also get the fruits of the labor of everyone who’s ever worked for the brand. In the days and weeks to come, I’ll be curating glimpses into the archive, but you can best discover the archive for yourself by spending money on a subscription.

In doing so, you’ll have the most immersive reader experience of any hockey fan alive, and you’ll have no regrets that you made your own investment in the archive. Breathing life back into the past by subscribing will be money well-spent, and you’ll be the envy of friends, family and fellow fans who soon will understand what a dynamic, living, breathing content paradise the archive really is. Enjoy what's coming and what has already come. You'll never find a better reading experience than the one that's now available to you.