2008 Hockey Book Preview: Ice Warriors

The book: Ice Warriors, Paperback, 240 pages
The Author: Jon C. Stott
The Publisher: Heritage House
Release Date: October, 2008
Pre-order: Amazon - Chapters

Book Description
Ice Warriors tells the story of the Western Hockey League (known as the Pacific Coast Hockey League before 1952), a determined, ambitious league that at its height aspired to establish itself as a second major league, a western counterpart to the eastern NHL.

Between 1948 and 1974, more than 2,500 minor-league professional hockey players skated for the 23 teams that made up the Western Hockey League. A small percentage of these players went on to enjoy substantial careers in the National Hockey League; others were former NHLers who chose to end their pro careers in the minors. Most of them, however, were minor-league "lifers" who played many seasons in the WHL and other minor pro leagues.

Ice Warriors traces the league's origins, rise and fall. The author analyzes off-ice influences on the WHL's development and portrays the on-ice highlights of each season, including interviews with players, coaches and fans, and statistical records and pictures from the era. The league's aspirations ended with the expansion of the NHL, and after the 1973-74 season the WHL ceased operations. In its 26-year-run, however, it provided winter sports entertainment for countless appreciative hockey fans west of the Mississippi.

About The Author
Jon C. Stott is professor emeritus at the University of Alberta. In 1973 he wrote the Western Hockey League's official commemorative magazine, and he is the author of three books on minor-league sports, including Hockey Night in Dixie (2006). Stott spent many winter evenings from 1951 to 1963 watching WHL hockey games in Victoria and Vancouver

Joe's Note
The old WHL was a great hockey league full of great players. But history has forgotten all about them, aside from the odd reference to the old Vancouver Canucks. Fortunately professor Stott keeps the memories of the WHL alive. More likely than note Stott's book will introduce most of us to the WHL. I'm included in that group, making me very excited about this title.

2008 Hockey Book Preview: The Road To Hockeytown

The book: The Road to Hockeytown*, hardcover, 320 pages
The Author: Roger Lajoie, Jimmy Devellano
The Publisher: Wiley
Release Date: August 18, 2008
Pre-order: Amazon - Chapters

* The book is listed as The Road to Hockeytown: Jimmy Devellano's Forty Years in the NHL, but the publisher's own description hints that the final title will be From Cabbage Town To Hockeytown. We'll have to wait a bit longer on the final title, apparently.

Book Description
The architect of 13 championship teams, six of them Stanley Cup winners, Jimmy D. has left his indelible mark on the game of hockey everywhere he has gone, from Cabbagetown to Hockeytown USA. Born in the working-class Cabbagetown neighbourhood of 1940s Toronto, Devellano has risen to become one of the most respected and accomplished executives in hockey and in sports in general.

He never did play hockey, but has always had an excellent eye for talent. As a scout and assistant general manager with the New York Islanders, he helped build the team that won four Stanley Cups in the 1980s, three of which he was with the franchise for. He was the first person Mike and Marian Ilitch hired when they bought the ailing Detroit Red Wings in 1982 and Jimmy D. carefully choreographed the steady rise of the Wings from one of the NHL’s weakest teams into the powerful club that has reached the Stanley Cup finals four of the last ten years and lifted the coveted Cup in triumph three times. Now in his 25^th season with Detroit and his 40^th in the NHL, Jim Devellano continues to be a driving force behind Detroit’s success as well as a strong influence in the evolution and improvement of the game and the league itself.

From Cabbagetown to Hockeytown gives a rare glimpse inside the world of hockey from an unusual perspective—through the eyes of one of the game’s greatest executives. This is the candid, personal account of Jim Devellano’s life and his 40 incredible years in the game of hockey. He gives us an insider’s insight into the business and personalities of the game, sharing his stories of many of the characters he has encountered over the years—how he convinced the New York Islanders to hire Al Arbour as their coach, and then did the same thing in bringing Scotty Bowman to Detroit; how he was one of the first to assemble a strong European scouting staff; and how he wheeled and dealed to bring a crop of talented Russians like Sergei Fedorov, Slava Kozlov, and Vladimir Konstantinov from behind the Iron Curtain to the NHL. As a general manager or head of hockey operations, Devellano offers a behind-the-scenes look at what the players and coaches are really like; how they are assessed, hired, and fired; how decisions are made on draft day; and how deals and trades really get done. As told to veteran journalist and broadcaster Roger Lajoie, From Cabbagetown to Hockeytown is a captivating memoir of a truly unique life in hockey.

Joe's Note: You'd never know it by looking at him, but Jimmy Devellano is one of hockey's brightest minds. Hopefully this book can escape the typical dryness that plagues these type of autobiographies. No picture yet folks, when I find one I'll let you know!

2008 Hockey Book Preview: Honoured Canadiens

The book: Honoured Canadiens, hardcover, 256 pages
The Author: Andrew Podnieks
The Publisher: HB Fenn
Release Date: October 1st, 2008
Pre-order: Amazon - Chapters

Book Description
The beginning of the 2008/2009 NHL season marks a significant date in hockey history, for it celebrates the centenary of one of the leagues most storied franchises the Montreal Canadiens.

Through their hundred years, the Montreal Canadiens have demonstrated their will to succeed by capturing more Stanley Cups than any other team in hockey history (24) . The Stanley Cup is the most recognized trophy in sport and the most coveted trophy in the hockey world. Montreal's ability to win as many times as their history shows would not have been possible without the contributions made by their many talented members and this book is dedicated to them.

The Montreal Canadiens have sent 62 Players and Builders on to the Hockey Hall of Fame. From coaching and managerial legends including Sam Pollock and Scotty Bowman to the extraordinary roster of players, the Habs have made enormous contributions to the games popularity and success during the teams hundred years of existence. Honoured Canadiens profiles each and every one of the 62 inductees, providing riveting biographical information and spectacular photographs from the collections of the Hockey Hall of Fame itself. From early stars like Howie Morenz and Aurele Joliat to Original Six stars such as Maurice Rocket Richard and Jacques Plante, to modern legends including Guy Lafleur and Larry Robinson, Honoured Canadiens provides the complete roster of Canadiens greats in detail never before experienced.

Joe's Note
Another book churned out about the Montreal Canadiens great players. Being a big advocate of hockey history I fully support such an endeavor. I just hope Honoured Canadiens has something different to offer than Canadiens Legends: Montreal's Hockey Heroes or The Habs: An Oral History of the Montreal Canadiens, 1940-1980. The good news is author Andrew Podnieks is the man for the job.

2008 Hockey Book Preview: Reflections 2008

The book: Reflections 2008: The NHL Hockey Year in Photographs, Paperback, 160 pages
The Author: The National Hockey League
The Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre
Release Date: October 3rd, 2008
Pre-order: Amazon - Chapters

Book Description
Reflections 2008: The NHL Hockey Year in Photographs gathers together the highlights of a year’s worth of hockey memories, offering a spectacular pictorial chronicle of the 2007–08 NHL season.

With this photographic yearbook, fans will relive the season by poring over images of Sidney Crosby, Nicklas Lidstrom, Jarome Iginla, Vincent Lecavalier, Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo, Mats Sundin, and many other stars of the NHLl.

They’ll recall the great outdoor game where snow fell quietly as the “boys of winter” played before seventy thousand fans. From the first drop of the puck to the hoisting of the Stanley Cup, it’s all here.

The National Hockey League and the NHL Players’ Association are proud supporters of Hockey Fights Cancer, and a share of proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the cause.

About the Author
THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE AND THE NHL PLAYERS’ ASSOCIATION are proud supporters of Hockey Fights Cancer, and a share of proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the cause.

Joe's Note
I'm really excited about this title. Not because of the mind-blowing photography it undoubtedly will have. Not because of the great charitable movement being put forth here.

I'm excited because the NHL and the publishers are quoting little ol' me in their publicity campaign:

The second installment in an annual collection, with photographs that promise to be “nothing short of spectacular.” —Hockey Book Reviews.com

Yep, after one hockey season perhaps Hockey Book Reviews.com is on it's way to the top!

2008 Hockey Book Preview: Hockey's Top 100

The book: Hockey's Top 100: The Game's Greatest Records, Paperback, 160 pages
The Author: Don Weekes, Kerry Banks
The Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre
Release Date: August 15, 2008
Pre-order: Amazon - Chapters

Two best selling authors join forces to take a fresh look at hockey's most memorable moments in Hockey's Top 100: The Game's Greatest Records

Sports fans revel in records—the longest and shortest, the oldest and the youngest, the largest and the smallest. But what makes a record truly great? In Hockey’s Top 100, two of the best hockey minds in the world present their picks and explain, in mini record biographies, why they made the cut.

To compile their honor roll, celebrated hockey authors Don Weekes and Kerry Banks evaluated hundreds of hockey achievements according to their historical importance, degree of dominance, uniqueness, and longevity. Those that made the final cut represent the crown jewels in nearly a century of competition.
Richly illustrated with color photographs, Hockey’s Top 100 is sure to score big with fans of the world’s fastest game.

DON WEEKES is an award-winning TV producer for CTV in Montreal. He has written seventeen books on hockey trivia and unusual NHL records including The Big Book of Hockey Trivia, and his work has been widely used on television, radio, the Internet, and in print. He lives in Montreal, Quebec.

KERRY BANKS is an award-winning magazine journalist and author. His published works include Pavel Bure: The Riddle of the Russian Rocket and records books on hockey, baseball, and basketball. He is also the author of the children’s Hockey Heroes series. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Joe's Note
Don Weekes has put out a ton of books over the years, mostly trivia related. He's really cornered that marketplace, but his titles go out of date quickly. It's good to see him branching out a bit. This book has some promise, and I'll be looking forward to checking this title out more than past titles

The Boys Of Winter

One of my favorite hockey books of all time is Wayne Coffey's The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team, a New York Times best seller.

| Buy at chapters.indigo.ca or at Amazon |

It is billed as the story of, according Sports Illustrated nonetheless, the greatest sports moment of the twentieth century. Coffey goes a bit deeper and looks at how a bunch of introverted US college kids and one brooding, obsessed coach that made up the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team won gold on Lake Placid home ice, knocking off the powerful Soviets in the process.

It is now known to Americans, whether they know what a puck is or not, as the “Miracle on Ice.” It has become an American fairy tale, a miracle in itself for a hockey moment.

Wayne Coffey's story is almost as remarkable.

The game against the Soviets is front and center in Coffey's retelling. He precisely and grippingly describes it period by period -- even play by play sometimes -- pausing where appropriate to weave in very nice biographical sketches of the players and repeatedly the coach. After all, coach Herb Brooks, part hockey genius/part madman is the main character of this tale, though Coffey correctly paints him as the right coach at the right time.

Brooks, a stand out coach with the University of Minnesota, relied heavily on fear and intimidation, which can work in short time frames but rarely over the long haul. Coffey interestingly compares Brooks to his arch rival, Bob Johnson of the University of Wisconsin. The two were the only two rising powers on the American coaching scene in the late 1970s. They are as different as black and white, and neither of them liked each other. Johnson would go on to NHL fame and glory. Brooks, with significant help from Johnson's son, would be immortalized by the 1980 Olympic win.

The book portrays the vast majority of the players as introverted choir boys, the perfect personality type for the maniacal Brooks to play mind games with. As much as these collegians all brought strong skill sets to the team, you get the feeling Brooks wanted players he could manipulate. The result may have been Olympic gold and immortality, but, as Coffey suggests, Brooks is remembered by his team with gratitude and respect but not much personal fondness.

For me, the beauty of this book is Coffey's repackaging of a legend. He somehow manages to avoid all the hype, sentimentality and American flag waving. Instead he chose his path and stuck to it like an obedient player back in Lake Placid. He understates much of the legendary story, avoiding unnecessary phrases in search of metaphors. His text is raw and efficient.

That in itself is a small Miracle.

Hockey Book Reviews.com Now Affiliated With Chapters

I am pleased to announce that Hockey Book Reviews.com is now affiliated with chapters.indigo.ca
- Canada's largest book seller.

There is FREE Shipping on orders over $39 at chapters.indigo.ca. Be sure to check out the bargain books section, where you can Save up to 80% at Indigo Books and Music . Also Check Out the 10 Top 10 Lists from the Chapters.Indigo.ca Community!


Hockey Book Reviews.com remains a loyal associate with Amazon. The same free shipping offer for purchases over $39 exists there, too. And they have a great digital Gift Certificates Program.

Howie Meeker's Hockey Basics

Margaret Atwood. Pierre Berton. Lucy Maud Montgomery. Farley Mowatt. These authors are easily recognized as Canada's best.

We can include in that group Howie Meeker. I kid you not.

In November, 2005, the magazine Literary Review of Canada commissioned the ultimate list of Canadian literature. The top 100 titles were recognized for "Canadian importance and influence" rather than literary quality. The titles were ranked chronologically.

Howie Meeker's Hockey Basics, published in 1973, was included by the panel, the only hockey book to make the list. Here's what the LRC had to say about Meeker's text:

Meeker’s book was hugely influential in shaping the way Canadians play hockey today. A former NHL player, Meeker was a commentator for Hockey Night in Canada in the early 1970s—a sort of anti–Don Cherry who decried the goonery in the game and the lack of basic playing skills. When Meeker was a commentator for the 1972 summit series with the Soviets, his arguments were borne out when the best hot-dog talent in the NHL very nearly lost to a disciplined Russian team. The shock prompted a searching reappraisal of how hockey was taught to youngsters, and Meeker’s book, written in the aftermath of the 1972 series, became the blueprint for how to do so.

Okay, a hockey book (or 5) making the top 100 I can understand. But Meeker's instructional manual seems like an odd choice.

It's all about timing. This book came out in the aftermath of the 1972 Summit Series. Previous revolutionary instructional books, most notably Lloyd Percival's The Hockey Handbook, were dismissed as radical. But after seeing what the Soviets, devoted Percival disciples, were capable of, the country was ready for Meeker's entry. People ate up the book and the spin-off television segments.

A whole generation of Canadians grew up with the hockey drills as taught by Howie Meeker. That is why this coaching manual, one of 100s over the years, is the only hockey book to make the Literary Review of Canada's 100 most important books in Canada.

Whatever happened to Butt?

My question: Whatever happened to the two kids on the cover, Andy and Butt:

Cyclone Taylor: A Hockey Legend

So on a recent trip to Kamloops, BC, I walk into a thrift store. Why? Because I'm cheap. But also because I love hunting for hockey book. Trust me, thrift stores are a great place to find some unexpected treasures, and at the cheapest of prices.

In this store I found a copy of Eric Whitehead's 1977 book Cyclone Taylor: A Hockey Legend. I think the book cost $5, but thinking I already had the title in paperback back home, I put the book back on the shelf. But at at the last minute I decided hey why not and picked it up.

It's a good thing I did, because it turned out to be a gold mine.

On the inside title page is the following inscription:

"Jan 22, 78.
For Denome + John Kerr
Fred W (Cyclone) Taylor"

Yep. Autographed by Cyclone Taylor himself.

I would not have the foggiest idea on how to verify if the signature is authentic. Assuming it is legit, I would have no idea how much such an item might be worth in the collectibles market. I suspect a tad more than five bucks.

Perhaps one of my readers can shed a little more light on the value of such a unique and I'd assume rare autograph.

The Legend, The Book

Cyclone Taylor was hockey's first national superstar, known to Canadian hockey fans on both coasts and everywhere in the early 1900s. Whitehead's book brilliantly looks back at Taylor's career and life. While many Canadians may recognized the name Cyclone Taylor, very few know much about him. This book is an excellent resource not only about Taylor, but about early 1900s hockey and other legends.

Hockey Days by Howard Shapiro

Are you looking for a good, short, hockey book to read to your kids? Then you definitely have to consider Howard Shapiro's Hockey Days.

They say don't judge a book by the its cover. That would be good advice for Hockey Days. That sounds mean I know. But the cover illustrations greatly pale to quality graphics inside the book. This is a highly professional project and it deserves a better first impression. I asked several kids and they all concurred, with thoughts ranging from indifferent to turned off.

Which is unfortunate because Shapiro's heartwarming story shares an important message for juvenile readers, and adult readers will enjoy reading the title with them.

Like so many families, a young street hockey-crazed boy named Tom and his father are brought together by sport. Through his father's reminiscing Tom learns the values of teamwork, friendship and always giving it your all. Though the book is about hockey, he is really talking about the grander stage called life.

And that is a great lesson all kids should be hammered with, over and over. Many adults, too, for that matter.

Tom also gets to spend some real quality time with his dad, something which seems hard to do in today's busy life. And by doing so not only are Tom and his dad brought closer together. It also inspired Tom to carry on his dad's traditions, and therefore keeping him closer to his heart.

It is a really well written short story, although I must admit everyone in my household kept stumbling on the term DEK hockey. Even I was not 100% certain that was the brand name of that orange street hockey ball, as mine lost the brand name markings a few years and 100s of street hockey games ago.

Hockey Days is the third independently published title for the Pittsburgh-based accountant Shapiro. He has another hockey book coming out in the second half of 2008 - Hockey Player For Life. Check out the author's website so you can download your very own hockey stick bookmark.

Shapiro's writings are complimented with the illustrations of Kelly Brownlee and the foreword by recording artist Tom Cochrane.

Old Timey Hockey Tales

Freelance illustrator Robert Ullman contacted me in the spring of 2008 about his inaugural issue of "Old-Timey Hockey Tales."

Hockey Tales is a brilliant concept. Ullman tells the story of hockey legends, but presents it it in comic strip-style print. In issue one he looks at the tragic legends of Bill Barilko, Terry Sawchuk and the Rocket Richard riot. He keeps his biographies short and to the point, but somehow captures the legacies of the said players perfectly. He combines that with expert illustration, making for a most unique project.

Where Mr. Ullman is an accomplished cartoonist, and has found success with this cartoon format in other genres, notably bikini clad cartoon-cuties. Yet I can't help but think he's missing a golden opportunity here.

He is issuing Hockey Tales as a slight comic book (issue one has only 8 pages, 12 if you include bonus illustrations on the cover pages), almost newsletter style. What he needs to do is build up a variety of hockey history comic strips and approach a publishing house. With 50-75 legends profiled (or more!) Ullman could have the top hockey history book on the market in any of the upcoming book seasons. So many hockey history books regurgitate the same stories, but Ullman's presentation would make for a huge, huge hit.

Until then, we will have to enjoy Ullman's offerings issue by issue, at the small price of $2 (plus shipping). And it's only available through his website.