Z Is For Zamboni by Matt Napier

Are you looking for a good children's book which you will enjoy as much as your child? Z is for Zamboni: A Hockey Alphabet, written by Matt Napier and illustrated by Melanie Rose, is a an excellent choice.

Published by Sleeping Bear Press, the book obviously devotes a hockey theme to each letter of the alphabet. The book is not traditional in the sense that it's purpose is not necessarily to teach the alphabet.

While each letter is displayed in both upper and lower case, it is done in a most understated way. Rather than the alphabet it is hockey that definitely takes center stage. The brilliant illustrations are eye catching and elegant. Napier's writing compliments Rose's drawings nicely. Napier, son of former NHL star Mark Napier, writes a catchy 4 line poem that is fun for kids to read along to. Much to the delight of the parent, the content of the poem is featured with some educational text in the sidebars. This information often allows for parents to immerse themselves into the book. Often this will lead to the parent sharing their own love of hockey with their child. And is that not the sign of a great kids' book?

The book features very strong selections for each letter. A is for Arena, G Is For Gretzky, P is for Puck. I also like that the women's game is included more than once. As much as I appreciate the historical references in the book, such as references to Bobby Hull, Bobby Orr, the 1972 Summit Series and the 1980 Miracle on Ice, I always wonder how kids will react to hockey that is not pertinent to them. Perhaps kids would rather see Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin nowadays? Maybe it is just tough for me to believe that there are other youngsters out there like me, eager to devour hockey history.

Perhaps my criticism is moot. After all, the book received the Best Canadian Children's Picture Book award courtesy of the Ontario School Libraries Association. That prestigious award is picked by the kids themselves.

That award is proof that this book is critically acclaimed and a worthy inclusion on your child's book shelf.

Readers familiar with Sleeping Bear Press may remember a similar previous publication in M is for Maple: A Canadian Alphabet by Mike Ulmer and also illustrated by Melanie Rose. Not only is the scope of the project similar, but even the layout is very much the same. Other similar projects by this publisher include K is for Kick, a soccer related title, and H is for Home Run, baseball, J is for Jump Shot, basketball, and T is for Touchdown, football.

Hat Tricks Count by Matt Napier

Following their successful 2002 release Z is for Zamboni: A Hockey Alphabet, author Mark Napier and illustrator Melanie Rose returned in 2005 wtih Hat Tricks Count: A Hockey Number Book.

While Zamboni looked at the alphabet, Hat Trick looks at the numbers 1 through 12, 15, 20, 21, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100, with 99, obviously, also getting special mention.

I am not quite sure for the reasoning behind picking the particular numbers that they did, but regardless it all adds up to 1 great book.

Like Zamboni, this book's primary focus does not appear to be teaching numbers so much as hockey. The numbers are understated in comparison to Melanie Rose's continued great art work. Most of Napier's sidebar text, which is often historical in nature, has more to do with hockey than numbers.

Still, I see this is another solid offering from Napier, Rose and Sleeping Bear Press. A parent and a child can enjoy this book together. Perhaps they will enjoy it on different levels, but I am happy to support any book that gets parents and kids sharing time together as well sharing a love of, books, learning and hockey.

I Spy With My Little Eye Hockey

The visual puzzle book I Spy with My Little Eye Hockey, written by Matt Napier with the photography of David Milne, is a fun book that all members of the family will enjoy.

You will undoubtedly find this book in the children's section of your favorite book store or library. That being said, parents will enjoy doing these puzzles with the help of youngsters.

I Spy is a collection of look-alike photographs filled with hockey treasures such as masks, sticks, pucks, trading cards, jerseys, trophies, and so much more. Each seemingly identical photograph is actually quite different. There are many subtle alterations from one photo to the next, and it is the reader's, I mean spyers', job to identify all the changes.

My first thought was this is really cool, but it's not really I Spy. But hey who cares! This book is fun, visually stunning, and informative.

Milne's rich photography is a real treat. Napier, the son of former NHL star Mark Napier, provides a short rhyme scheme for each of the photo sets. He also provides a fun "photo fact" that will teach readers of all age a few things they may not have known about the frozen game. Learn interesting tidbits about sticks, skates, Zambonis and even the Stanley Cup.

My only criticism would be that there is no real way to keep track of all the subtle changes from picture to picture. I mean, you could mark up the book with a pen, but it is too attractive to deface. I know this would add to the cost, but providing some sort of reusable sticky or magnetic arrows to point out all the differences would be nice.

This book, offered by Sleeping Bear Press, would make for a fun Christmas gift.

2008 Hockey Books

Black And Gold
Black Ice
Canada On Ice
Dominant Dany Heatley
Don Cherry's Stories and Stuff
Good, Bad, Ugly: Rangers
Good, Bad, Ugly: Flyers
Habs Heroes
Hockey Now!
Hockey's Top 100
Honoured Canadiens
Ice It Down
Ice Warriors
Legendary Stanley Cup Stories
Meaning Of Puck
Montreal: 100 Years Of Glory
My Greatest Day
Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems
NHL Guide & Record Book
Official NHL Hockey Treasures
Open Ice
Patrick Roy
Reflections 2008
Road To Hockeytown
St. Michael's College
Saving Face
Slap Shot Original
Shooting From The Lip
Then Perreault Said To Rico
Unbeatable Martin Brodeur
Ultimate Book Of Hockey Lists
Win, Tie or Wrangle
100 Great Cdn Sports Moments

Also See
2008 Paperback Releases
2008 Hockey Books For Kids
Bargain Books at Chapters
2008 DVD Releases

Honoured Canadiens Contest

One of the top selling books so far this season is Honoured Canadiens.

It is a truly beautiful book, and it hints that it has a companion website http://www.honouredcanadiens.com. The site has largely remained dormant, almost as if the marketing team never really did figure out how to best utilize the companion website.

The site now hosts a contest entry form for one heck of a grand prize: Trip for two to Montreal, two nights accommodation, 2 tickets to a Canadiens game, either against the Devils or Leafs, a VIP evening at the Bell Centre, including dinner for two, a tour of the Bell Centre, and the chance to meet a Habs' Hall of Famer!

Now that is a grand prize! Hall of Fame autographed copies of the book serve as secondary prizes.

So check out http://www.honouredcanadiens.com for your chance to win!

Slap Shot Original by Dave Hanson with Ross Bernstein

Many think the 1970s cult classic movie Slap Shot is as synonymous with hockey as Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe and hockey fights. It is mandatory viewing for any hockey fan. And many fans have, since, believe it or not, Slap Shot is the second most rented movie ever.

Slap Shot looked at the rough and tumble world of minor league hockey in unforgettable fashion, often using an explosive cocktail of glorified violence and crazy humour. The adventures and hijinks of the Charlestown Chiefs has spun off two sequels, Breaking the Ice in 2002, and Slap Shot 3: The Junior League, just released directly to DVD.

The original Slap Shot starred none other than the late Paul Newman as the foul-mouthed coach, but the stars of the show became The Hanson Brothers.

The lovable, entertaining, violent, and bespectacled Hansons were loosely based on three actual hockey playing brothers - Steve, Jeff and Jack Carlson. Jeff and Steve actually play Jeff and Steve Hanson in the movie. Jack Carlson could not meet the movie's filming because he was called up to the WHA for the playoffs. Teammate and buddy Dave "Killer" Hanson stepped in and played Jack. The Hanson Brothers were born.

In the movie the happy-go-lucky Hanson Brothers drew big crowds to the rink. When all three retired from their actual hockey careers they came to realize the Hanson Brothers drew big crowds wherever they went. They were treated as heroes.

So the trio "put on the foil," the glasses and the Chiefs jerseys and traveled all over the world, raising huge sums of money for local, national and international charities and putting smiles on fans faces everywhere they went. If you have ever had the chance to meet them you know it is truly a case of Hollywood characters coming alive right before your eyes.

All in all it is a pretty amazing story, one that Dave Hanson tells with bestselling author Ross Bernstein in the newly released book Slap Shot Original: The Man, the Foil, and the Legend.

Ross Bernstein is a prolific sports author of over 40 titles, including The Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Retaliation in the NHL. In contacting Dave Hanson for his thoughts about fighting in hockey, he became enamored with Dave's love of the game and his endless great stories he could share.

The two became good friends, and, with the help of Triumph Books, their mutual idea for the book became a reality.

After reading through entertaining forewords by Bob Costas and Gordie Howe, the book looks at Hanson's youth and rise in hockey to his minor league days and on to his big league career in the WHA and NHL, where he played with Detroit and Minnesota.

Of course Hanson talks lots about the Hanson Brothers and the movies. He gives readers not only a behind-the-scenes look at what life was like on the set during the filming of the classic movie, but also treats them to stories from the actors and players themselves. Some of these stories will leave you in stitches while others will have you digging through your DVD pile to rewatch Slap Shot all over again.

After reading this book I have come to the conclusion that the only thing more fun than the on-screen antics of the Hansons was their behind the scenes escapades. The practical jokes, often involving Paul Newman, are hilarious, especially the car crash and naked bus stories.

Hanson also offers his views on hockey, specifically fighting and violence in the game. He also comments on many of the people he encountered along the way, telling real life stories that were probably too zany for even Hollywood. Such as the time he ripped the wig off the head of hockey legend but follicle-challenged Bobby Hull, or the time his teammate Frank "Seldom" Beaton raced on to the ice from the dressing room, completely naked, to participate in a full scale brawl

Though the Hanson characters are set in their fictional ways, this book attempts to separate the real Dave Hanson from his Jack Hanson character. Though he has embraced his fictional folk-hero alias, Hanson is, surprise surprise, a real person with a zeal for life, his family, and hockey dreams. He is not to be cast off as an exaggeration of hockey violence like his alter-ego. He is shown as an honourable hockey tough guy, doing a job that is expected of him.

This book is worth it just for all the behind the scenes tidbits Hanson shares about the movie, let alone his own amazing journey both on and off the ice. It is an entertaining read, and just under $20.

Then Perreault Said To Rico....by Paul Wieland

Author Paul Wieland and Triumph books offers one of the more interesting titles of the 2008 hockey book season, especially if you are a fan of the Buffalo Sabres.

Then Perreault Said To Rico... The Best Buffalo Sabres Stories Ever Told is a 200-plus page collection of the many interesting and humorous stories, many behind the scenes, about the Buffalo Sabres and some of their famous (or in some cases infamous) players and coaches.

There's that infamous Fog Game. Jim Lorentz's slaying of a bat. Gilbert Perreault and the Wheel of Fortune. The fictional Tara Tsujimoto of the Tokyo Katanas. Mike Foligno's emphatic jump. The Donut King's tragic death. Oh, and two little known Sabres known as Eddie Iceberg and the Turtle. And, of course, lots and lots of stories of practical jokes, hijinks and drinking exploits.

The book is full of rollicking stories that will leave you telling all your friends about the latest entry you've read.

The book also serves as historical compendium of sorts, though more from the vantage point of what went on in the locker room, on the ice and behind the bench.

So much of the Sabres nearly 25 years are covered here. Wieland touches on how the Knox brothers convinced the NHL to give Buffalo an expansion team in the first place. He looks at the formation of the French Connection line, Punch Imlach's great imprint on the 1970s teams, and the team's meteoric rise to Stanley Cup contenders after just five seasons in the league. He looks at the contributions of Tim Horton, Roger Crozier, Danny Gare, Craig Ramsay, Jim Schoenfeld and so many more.

Wieland has been collecting these stories for years because he had great access to the team and it's cast of characters. Wieland joined the Sabres early in their inaugural season, and spent 25 years serving as public relations director, communications director and executive producer of television sports for the team's TV broadcasts. In that time he was able to mingle with many of the Sabres greatest players, collecting the hilarious stories. He even got Scotty Bowman to write a forward for this book.

Wieland left the Sabres in the mid 1990s and has become a professor at the Jandoli School of Journalism at St. Bonaventure University in northern New York. He has also taken to writing, and is also working on a novel to be released at a future date.

The book has a cover price of $22.95, and that also includes an exclusive audio CD featuring interviews with many of the Buffalo Sabres greats. There are also some rare, interesting, black and white photos scattered sparsely throughout the book.

All in all I have to say that this is a fun book. I have absolutely no reservations in say that if you are a fan of Buffalo Sabres, especially of the old Sabres teams of the 1970s, this book is a must have.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - A new series from Triumph Books

Alright, let's get down to business. There's two new books I want to talk about today, both from Triumph Books. They are identical in approach, layout and more or less cover image. And, with a little success at the cash register this season, I think we can expect future editions featuring different teams.

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly series looks at the great, the not so great, and the downright odd moments and people in a franchise's history. Triumph Books has had success with this series in football, basketball and baseball titles, and is now directing this ship to the frozen waters of the NHL.

To kick off the series here in 2008 they asked Newsday's award winning beat writer Steve Zipay to write The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: New York Rangers. Meanwhile Adam Kimelman, a deputy managing editor of NHL.com, was put in charge of writing The Good, the Bad & the Ugly: Philadelphia Flyers.

Assuming you are a fan of either team, you will enjoy this book. Others will enjoy it, too. I might have soft spots for old teams like the Rangers and Flyers, but I certainly would not call myself a fan of either. But I found both books to be entertaining and informative.

As I said earlier, both books follow the same template. Both authors look at the best and worst moments. They celebrate Stanley Cup championships and near misses, while they lament playoff collapses and choke jobs. They honour great players and great performances, while they painfully also remember overrated stars and washed-up has-beens. It's all here. The highlights and the low lights. The greats and the not-so-greats. The heroes and the goats. The wonderful and the wacky.

Interestingly, I thought anyways, the Rangers title is 120 pages thinner than the Flyers, despite having been around for 40 years longer. I really enjoyed Zipay's writing, though I found many of his player profiles, highlighted moments and especially his classic rivalries section to be a bit brief. Or perhaps a bit rushed? Despite the shorter text, I did appreciate Zipay's helmet tap to some real old timers like Alf Pike, Art Coulter and Snuffy Smith.

Perhaps the smaller page count also explains the nicer proportional distribution of the black and white photos that are scattered throughout each title, too.

Adam Kimelman offers strong writing, but that is no surprise. Before taking his current editorial job at NHL.com he spent five years covering the Flyers for The Times newspaper of Trenton, New Jersey. So he definitely offers a lot to the project.

But I thought he dragged out some pieces at the expense of others. For example, while there is over 30 pages dedicated to the Eric Lindros affair, I felt full biographical features on a number of Flyers players were missing. Most of these players do get brief mentions when talking about Stanley Cup victories and long playoff runs, but they are hard to find. An index is definitely missed here.

Would these books be good for newer fans who are looking to learn more about each team's history? Yes, but not in any definitive fashion. Zipay even warns readers of his Rangers' book of that, comparing it more to a jazz tune - "sometimes sweet, sometimes discordant" - where you never really know what you are going to get when you turn the page.

I don't think either of these books will go down as a classic hockey book. But if you are a fan of either the Rangers or the Flyers, these books are certainly worth a thumb through at your local book store. There is enough here to capture the attention of a fan of either team.

The Corporate Blogosphere

We are starting to see the future of blogging in hockey. Organizations like SB Nation, AOL Fanhouse and even The Hockey News are now offering prime writing opportunities to the top blog writers out there. The best part is these passionate bloggers are now seeing a paycheck, and that is long, long overdue.

A few of my regular readers have expressed surprise that I have not joined one of these organizations. There is a simple explanation really. GreatestHockeyLegends.com and HockeyBookReviews.com are very unique blogs, not concentrating on any one team. As a result, my work does not fit into the cookie cutter world of the corporate blogosphere.

So for now I will remain defiantly independent. I try to encourage my readers to make their online purchases at Amazon or chapters.indigo.ca via my various links. Aside from Google Ads, the bookstore affiliation is my only real source of off-setting costs associated with the websites. So if you enjoy the sites and are planning on buying some books online, I hope you consider entering Amazon or chapters.indigo.ca via my links.

I'm also going to post a PayPal donation button on the site. I would be incredibly surprised to see any donations come in, but if there is any chance occasional reader Ted Leonsis is feeling generous, I wanted to have the donation option open to him!

Canada Reads Hockey 2009

Canada Reads has announced its list of books and panelists for the upcoming competition in 2009.

Canada Reads is a CBC radio annual contest where they determine one book each year that every Canadian supposedly will enjoy.

In 2008, a hockey book, of sorts, won. Paul Quarrington's King Leary, defended in the competition by hockey writer/musician Dave Bidini, is a novel about a legendary retired ice hockey player living in a nursing home. The novel replays his life in flash backs as he journeys to Toronto to record a ginger ale commercial.

Past winners include Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill, A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews, Rockbound by Frank Parker Day, The Last Crossing by Guy Vanderhaeghe, Next Episode by Jean-Louis Major, In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Odaatje.

Quarrington's book was the first hockey book ever nominated in 7 years of this competition. No hockey books were nominated for the 2009 competition. Instead, we will find a winner from one of The Book Of Negroes by Lawrence Hill, Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards, The Outlander by Gil Adamson, The Fat Woman Next Door Is Pregnant by Michel Tremblay, translated by Sheila Fischman and Fruit by Brian Francis.

These are all undoubtedly worthy, but none have anything to do with hockey. And that's why you are, and that's why I am here.

So here are some suggestions of the top hockey books for future editions of the wildly popular Canada Reads competitions:

The Game by Ken Dryden.
From Amazon.ca: An enduring classic, Ken Dryden's The Game has lost none of its luster since its original publication in 1983, and remains the one book every hockey fan must know. he Game is funny, acutely observed, and full of insight into human nature and the importance of sport in today's society. Dryden's portraits of his teammates are precise and unforgettable. Catching the balance between banter and seriousness, Dryden describes Scotty Bowman's pep talks; Serge Savard motivating teammates; the river skater Lafleur, in uniform hours early, reappearing and startling everyone into focus with a whack of his stick on the table; Larry Robinson sensing the wrong atmosphere before a game against a weak opponent and resetting the stakes with the unanswerable remark, "Gotta play it--might as well win it." The Game remains the classic insider's account of Canada's national sport.

Our Life With The Rocket by Roch Carrier
From Amazon.ca: Quebec fans revered him: They followed his accomplishments with tenacity; they taped pictures of Richard and his family to their kitchen walls, to their shop windows and to their store cash registers; and they memorized his statistics, his history and the names of his children. His season suspension in March 1955, after an on-ice brawl, ignited the infamous Richard Riots in Montreal, riots that some Canadian historians have suggested were a noisy precursor to Quebec's Quiet Revolution. In this lyrical and beautifully wrought narrative, Carrier evokes the thrill of watching or listening to the Rocket and his teammates play, the joy and agony of the Canadiens' rivalry with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the struggle of daily life that formed the backdrop for Maurice Richard's spectacular accomplishments. Our Life with the Rocket also follows the history of a young boy, Roch himself, whose youthful worship of Richard was tempered by politics and personal life and evolved into an entirely different sort of appreciation for an extraordinary man.

Open Ice: Reflections and Confessions of a Hockey Lifer by the late Jack Falla.
From HockeyBookReviews.com: Open Ice is a collection of heartwarming and witty essays about hockey. The brilliance of the book is the author's effortless ability to make each individual essay flow from one into another. He accomplishes this using highly personal and reflective look back at hockey and of life. Each essay is part of the author's personal journey. Through his collection of hockey essays Falla is very open in engaging the reader in his struggles and dislike of aging.

What other books do you think deserve mention?

Win A Copy Of Hockey Now!

This autumn Firefly Books and Mike Leonetti returned with the fifth edition of the annual book Hockey Now!

To celebrate the 5th anniversary, Firefly Books is giving away 5 copies of Hockey Now! exclusively to the readers of Hockey Book Reviews.com.

Here's what you have to do to win. Email me with your choice of who is the best player in hockey now. Not the best player of the past, not the best player of the future, but who you believe is the best player right now.

Is it Alexader Ovechkin? Sidney Crosby? Roberto Luongo? Alexander Semin? Jarome Iginla? Henrik Zetterberg? Nicklas Lidstrom?

All entries will be put into a draw, with 5 lucky winners chosen completely at random!

Good luck, and good hockey!

Cherry, Habs books half price this week only

This week only at Amazon.ca you can save 50% off of all the titles featured in the Globe & Mail Bestsellers list.

This list includes two hockey books: Don Cherry's Hockey Stories and Stuff, now just $15, and Honoured Canadiens, now just 22.50.

This week only! With free shipping for orders of $39.

2008 Hockey Books

Black And Gold
Black Ice
Canada On Ice
Don Cherry's Stories and Stuff
Good, Bad, Ugly: Rangers
Good, Bad, Ugly: Flyers
Habs Heroes
Hockey Now!
Hockey's Top 100
Honoured Canadiens
Ice Warriors
Meaning Of Puck
Montreal: 100 Years Of Glory
My Greatest Day
Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems
NHL Guide & Record Book
Official NHL Hockey Treasures
Open Ice
Patrick Roy
Reflections 2008
Road To Hockeytown
St. Michael's College
Saving Face
Slap Shot Original
Shooting From The Lip
Then Perreault Said To Rico
Unbeatable Martin Brodeur
Ultimate Book Of Hockey Lists
100 Great Cdn Sports Moments

Also See
2008 Paperback Releases
2008 Hockey Books For Kids
Bargain Books at Chapters
2008 DVD Releases

More HB Fenn Titles

HB Fenn has been one of the most cooperative publishers I've had the pleasure of dealing with here at HockeyBookReviews.com

That's why I wanted to make sure you knew about the following four hockey titles. I'm still waiting on review copies, and I should have them by next week.

That might be a little late for you, the online shopper, so I wanted to make sure that you were aware of the following HB Fenn titles:

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The China Wall: The Timeless Legend of Johnny Bower By Johnny Bower and Bob Duff.

As a youngster, Johnny Bowers father told him if he worked hard every day and put passion into his profession, it would pay off in the long run. It was good advice, especially the part about the long run. Bower toiled in hockeys minor leagues for more than a decade, waiting for his chance at the big leagues and it wasnt until he was 33, an age when most players are winding down their careers, that he finally debuted in the NHL. Expected to be a stop-gap measure for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Bower instead became an institution in the city, tending goal for the club for the next 12 seasons, backstopping the Leafs to four Stanley Cups, the last one coming when he was 42-years-old. Bower appeared in four NHL All-Star Games, won two Vezina Trophies, and earned enshrinement to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Bower was 45-years-old when he played his last NHL game on December 10th, 1969, becoming the first player in NHL history eligible to collect his pension while still on the active roster of a league club. Bowers story is more than just a tale of a man who defied Father Time and rated among the greatest puckstoppers of all time. Its about a boy who grew up in the small northern Saskatchewan town of Prince Albert, listening to Foster Hewitts call of Hockey Night in Canada on the radio, dreaming that someday he could emulate Frank Brimsek, the famous Boston Bruins goalie nicknamed Mr. Zero.

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Legendary Stanley Cup Stories by Brian McFarlane

Brian McFarlanes Legendary Stanley Cup Stories is a fun and fascinating collection of some of the most memorable moments from hockeys glory days as seen through the eyes of one of the games most celebrated and respected broadcasters. Brian McFarlane spent his professional career as the face of hockey, calling games and interviewing its many greats. He continues to be one of hockeys most knowledgeable insiders and was credited during his working days as always providing a fair, accurate, and always respectful account of each game, the players, the teams, and its officiating. Through his experiences, he witnessed and was part of many of the most exciting, pivotal, and humourous events of hockeyin particular those which were part of Stanley Cup history. Brian McFarlanes Legendary Stanley Cup Stories, is also unique by what it is not. It is not simply a book of statistics or lists about the Stanley Cup. Nor is it a greatest moments collection told from someone elses memories. It is a first hand, behind the scenes account by a man that lived it. It is McFarlane at his best, doing what he does so well and that is telling candid and colourful stories. Brian was in the backrooms, the dressing rooms, and the boardrooms and has gathered a lifetime of his most enjoyable and interesting moments into this must have volume for all fans of the game.

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IIHF Top 100 Hockey Stories of All-Time

This book is a tribute to the IIHF's 100th anniversary season, 2007-08, which featured the top 100 stories of all-time. In addition, all other important events from the centenary are included, from the 2008 World Championship in Canada to the IIHF's outdoor rink in Zurich, finishing with stories and pictures of the inaugural Victoria Cup game.

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Dominant Dany Heatley

Before entering the NHL, Dany Heatley followed in his father’s footsteps (Professional hockey player, Murray Heatley) and played hockey at the University of Wisconsin. For Heatley, gaining an education was important and he spent two successful years—both on and off the ice—in college. He was the first draft pick of the Atlanta Thrashers and the second overall pick of the 2000 NHL entry draft, though he completed his second year in Wisconsin before debuting with the Thrashers in the 2001-2002 season where he won the Calder Memorial Trophy for Rookie of the Year. In his second NHL season he scored more than a point a game and finished the year with 89 points in just 77 games. In that same season he was invited to play in the All Star Game where he broke Wayne Gretzky record for the youngest participating player as well, scored four goals tying the scoring the record previously held by Vincent Damphouse, Mike Gartner, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. During this time, Heatley continued to represent Canada in international play earning gold at the ’03 and ’04 World Championships and silver in ’05.Heatley began the 2005-06 season with the Ottawa Senators and quickly became a fan favourite by becoming the first player in Senator franchise history to score 50 goals in one season. For the second straight season, Heatley scored 50 goals in 2006-07. He helped lead the Senators to win the Eastern Conference Championship and in to the Stanley Cup finals against the Anaheim Ducks.Most recently in Heatley’s 2007-08 season he was, yet again, asked to play for Canada in the World Championships. For the second time in five years Heatley was awarded MVP and lead the tournament in scoring.Dany is an inspiring player and thrills fans of the game each time he steps on the ice. He is equally as impressive off the ice as a role model to aspiring young athletes. His words are important, candid, and encouraging. He has learned many lessons and in Dominant Dany Heatley, he shares these with his many fans.

Save 50% On Globe & Mail Bestsellers

This week only at Amazon.ca you can save 50% off of all the titles featured in the Globe & Mail Bestsellers list.

This list includes two hockey books: Don Cherry's Hockey Stories and Stuff, now just $15, and Honoured Canadiens, now just 22.50.

Treat yourself to another title, because orders over $39 have free shipping!

Here's all the Globe & Mail Bestsellers links:
Hardcover Fiction
Paperback Fiction
Hardcover Non-Fiction
Paperback Non-Fiction

Bargain Book Alert! Searching For Bobby Orr

Now available at Chapters.ca bargain books section is 2006's smash hit Searching For Bobby Orr by Stephen Brunt.

Brunt provides the definitive if unauthorized biography on one of the sport's biggest names.

This book was the hit of the 2006. Now you can get it for just 10 bucks!

Shooting From The Lip Contest: The Final Winner

For the past five days the fine folks at Firefly Books have been giving away FIVE copies of the wildly popular book Shooting From The Lip by Chris McDonell, exclusively to readers of HockeyBookReviews.com!

Our last winner is Jerrod Bennett, also of Toronto. A lot of Toronto people have been entering this contest this week! Jerrod correctly identified Patrick Roy as saying "I can't hear what Jeremy says, because I've got my two Stanley Cup rings plugging my ears."

Stay tuned. I will be announcing another Firefly Books contest this week!

New Book On Old Senators

I just learned about this new title this weekend: Win, Tie, or Wrangle: The Inside Story of the Old Ottawa Senators.

Published by Penumbra Press, the book is written by retired librarian Paul Kitchen. The Ottawa Citizen, who called the book "an impressively detailed history," recently interviewed Kitchen.

I do not really know much about the book, so you'll have to rely on the two links above until further notice.