A hockey jersey is the handsome exterior of a rugged game.

Hockey is full of colorful personalities, but hockey's most colorful symbols, by far, are its jerseys. Some are garish, same are subdued and some are even beautiful, but the best are what most fans would consider "classic."

In Hockey Hall of Fame Book of Jerseys, the best and most interesting jerseys in the Hall's collection -- as well as the all-time sentimental favorites -- have been put on display for your enjoyment. Paired with stories about the players who wore them, the teams and leagues they represented and the tournaments they were made for, the jerseys featured in Hockey Hall of Fame Book of Jerseys come to life, just as they did when worn by the heroes we've all come to love: Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby, Cammi Granato, Joe Sakic, Vladislav Tretiak, Ray Bourque, Maurice Richard, Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr.

But author Steve Milton also provides fascinating stories about little-known players and teams, such as: Bill Hutton and the 1930-31 Philadelphia Quakers and John Coward and the 1936 gold-medal winning Great Britain Olympic squad.

This new edition features new stories that even a veteran hockey fanatic might have missed, including:

• The 1980-81 Phoenix Roadrunners jersey in which Bruce Boudreau scored his 500th professional point
• The 1924-25 Victoria Cougars sweater worn by Frank Frederickson as Victoria became the last non-NHL team to win the Stanley Cup
• The jersey Billy Bridges wore while leading Canada to the gold in the 2006 Paralympic Games.

Each jersey in this collection is one of a kind -- battered and bruised, ripped and torn, stitched and stained -- and every one has its own story.