Fighting Back

One of hockey''s most feared enforcers reveals his off-ice battle with alcohol and heroin. With a foreword by Serge Savard.. Chris Nilan who grew up in the blue-collar Irish neighbourhood of West Roxbury in Boston was an intimidating player for the Montreal Canadiens Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers and a Stanley Cup champion never afraid to go into the corners or take off his gloves. He was a valued teammate whose very presence on the ice affected the way the game was played. As a Montreal Canadien the 231st overall pick in the 1978 draft played a key role on a team that featured all-time Hab greats Guy Lafleur Guy Carbonneau and Larry Robinson among many others. Always a colourful character Nilan was married for many years to the daughter of the long-time girlfriend of Whitey Bulger among the most notorious ruthless and murderous gangsters in American history. Almost all of his fellow Habs attended the wedding.. As an enforcer and as a teammate Nilan ranks among the greatest of all time. When the cheering stopped however he did not do well. The same qualities-his aggressiveness and high-emotion style-that proved so valuable on the ice did not benefit him when his career ended. He turned to drugs and alcohol to dull his pain and he nearly died from a heroin overdose.. Nilan''s story is a fascinating and troubling expose of the booze and drugs that destroy so many athletes after their time in the limelight is over. But it''s also a story of triumph as Nilan has become the victor in the fight against his demons. Fighting Back is a riveting no-holds-barred look at a hard life on the ice and off.