Classic Hockey Book

Here's an old book. It's from 1972, published by McGraw Hill Ryerson and written by Andy O'Brien. O'Brien wrote a few books in the 1970s.

To give you a better feeling for the book, here's a few of the more interesting chapter titles:

1. Plante versus Russia
3. I Started Roving In Self-Defence
8. Life With A Legend: Rocket Richard
10. Only Three Bruins Could Make '58 Habs
11. When Hull Shoots I Must Not Blink

The Jacques Plante Story is this week's Hockey Book Reviews.com Classic Hockey Book Of The Week!

Two New Montreal Canadiens Collectible Edition Magazines Out

There are two new collectible edition Montreal Canadiens magazines available at your favorite newsstand.

The Hockey News has released A Century Of Montreal Canadiens: 100 Years Of Excellence. It retails at $9.99 Cdn.

The best part of this photographically spectacular 146 page publication is the 1-100 feature. THN takes look back at each of Montreal's 100 seasons, as well as numerous features corresponding to each number. It is a potpourri of fast facts, records, jersey numbers, and famous players.

For all the action packed pages, there really is not a whole lot to the magazine besides of the great photo collection, to be honest. Outside of Ken Campbell's introductory 100 Years of Glory article and Brian Costello's back page story about Uncle Herb Gardiner, there is not enough of the usual feature content expected from Jason Kay's top notch crew.

Also just released is Sports Illustrated's The Canadiens Century, available for sale at amazon.ca

Feature content is not lacking here. In addition to new retrospective articles, Sports Illustrated's Adam Duerson went through the SI Vault and collected some great articles from the past. Hockey history, as it happened. Brilliant.

The SI crew adds tons of photos, as well as decade by decade capsules of information. The best of the sidebar specials is the All-Era Teams, honoring the best players from each decade.

The commemorative issue finishes with a nice one page piece written by none other than Jean Beliveau. The Habs' great writes about the team's special connection to Quebec, calling it the team's greatest legacy.

This Sports Illustrated special is pretty pricey at 15 bucks, enough to make me balk initially. But after a thorough flipping-through, I quickly determined it was worth the price.

If 30 bucks (including various sales taxes) is too much for both magazines, I would definitely recommend buying Sports Illustrated's The Canadiens Century over THN's A Century of the Montreal Canadiens.

Tough Guys by Jim Kyte Postponed

First it was Lions In Winter. Now it's Tough Guys. The book by former NHL defenseman Jim Kyte has been indefinitely postponed.

Not surprisingly Red Deer Press offered no real reason for the delay, only reassuring me that the project is still very much in their plans.

Releasing a hockey book in January is an odd decision. After all you miss out on the NHL season opening and the all important Christmas sales season.

My guess is this book will still hit bookstore shelves in 2009, but in the much more traditional autumn months of October and November.

Will The E-Book Kill The Book?

Chances are extremely good that if you are reading this article, you love books. Hockey books in particular, but also books in general.

Who does not like hanging out at bookstores? Perhaps it is the big national chain store, complete with a Starbucks and author signings. Of course we equally enjoy those small used bookstores, eagerly searching for that surprise find.

If you are like me you collect too many books, and are eager to display them. And the only thing you are more proud of is your library card.

But is the book, at least as we've known it for 100s of years, on the endangered species list?

That was the question posed by CBC Radio's Ottawa morning host Kathleen Petty. She looks into the fast-approaching world of the E-Book, where we will simply download books to our laptops, our iPods, and, if Oprah gets her way, our Kindles.

Kathleen Petty's interview is available on podcast, and is interesting. I encourage everyone to listen to it.

E-Books have been around for a while, and once the technology battle settles, we will soon see E-Books take a major mainstream leap.

I can not envision a book-less world in my lifetime, but it will be interesting to monitor the E-Book's growth. There certainly is great potential.

Forget about the warmth a real book offers when you cuddle up with it by the fire. People spend so much time on buses and planes, in boring meetings, or at kids soccer practices or hockey games. What better way to pass time than to pull out the iPod and read something entertaining or educational.

Forget about the common complaint that it is hard to read anything of length on a computer screen. The fact of the matter is soon a whole new generation of people will have read more online than they have on paper. I'm not part of that generation, but already I rely heavily on the online world for much of my news, sports, weather and information. I do not particularly miss newspapers or even magazines.

And just think of all those students and researchers who would love nothing more than to easily keyword search entire volumes in just seconds, as opposed to spending hours scouring textbooks and encyclopedias for some boring tidbit of information?

Long before the economic crisis hit the world, the publishing industry has really struggled with the financial challenges it faces. Publishers will likely embrace the new E-Book world, salivating at reduced production costs.

Add to all of that the increased ability for anyone and everyone to produce their own books, and the E-Book is soon to become a significant force in our literary world.

Seahawk: Confessions Of An Old Hockey Goalie

I have a confession to make.

When former US Navy pilot Bruce Valley told me about his personal hockey memories, I was not expecting a whole lot. His book reminisces about his lifelong love affair with the game of hockey, but more specifically his youth playing with the local team in small town New Hampshire.

Who is going to want to read that, was my silent question. The answer turns the answer is every real hockey fan and then some.

The book is called Seahawk: Confessions Of An Old Hockey Goalie. Remember that name because it is an early 2009 release, but it will get a lot of attention in hockey circles, not to mention serious consideration for the 2009 HockeyBookReviews.com Hockey Book Of The Year Award.

Upon receipt of the book I was shocked to see the ringing endorsements on the book's back cover and opening page. Dave Bidini, author of Tropic of Hockey and The Best Game You Can Name, not to mention one of few true literary geniuses in the world of sports literature, absolutely raves about this book.

"With Seahawk, the author rescues a great and moving hockey story from oblivion and, in the process, creates a world where sport and the lives of players are explored in exquisite detail with assured, writerly poise."

But Bidini takes his praise to a much higher level when he compares Mr. Valley's efforts to that of two legends of the hockey book world.

"A fine literary descendant of Jack Falla's "Home Ice" and Peter Gzowski's "The Game of Our Lives." Like any good hockey book, it teaches us more about the world than hockey itself."

Wow. With an endorsement like that, I had to dive into the book right away.

The book is a compelling and intimate read about hockey and life. Valley is a life long goalie, still basking in glow of his greatest hockey moment, even though that came back in the 1950s.

Valley was a teenage goalie for the home town Rye Seahawks, a team made legendary, at least locally, by grizzled veterans of the second World War. Valley grew up dreaming of playing for the Seahawks. They were his NHL, his Boston Bruins.

Valley is amazing at recapturing his youthful love of hockey and of the Seahawks. He is a gifted writer, beautifully sharing his insights in a most enjoyable read. Though he is writing this book in reflection, he speaks with great exuberance that it is as if his youthful innocence never left him.

But of course it has. He is now in his 60s. He flew planes in the US Navy for years before starting his own aerospace company. He had a family. He explored his love of jazz and poetry. Yet he continued to play hockey. Hockey keeps him young. Hockey keeps him alive.

In reading his passionate words, we the reader rediscover our own childhood lust for hockey. It is a great experience. Depending on how old the reader is, we can all relate as Valley moves on from his youth through his life. We all take different journeys, but hockey is always with us.

An obviously sentimental and reflective man, a reader will quickly realize that Seahawk is not so much a history of a hockey team in New Hampshire, but a tribute to the game in it's purest form, a thank you to the World War II veterans, and a revealing coming-to-grips account of getting older.

In fact, the aging theme reminded me very much of another New Englander, the late Jack Falla, who wrote about hockey and aging in Open Ice: Reflections and Confessions of a Hockey Lifer, the HockeyBookReviews.com Hockey Book Of The Year in 2008. Both have similar stories about outdoor rinks and, more importantly, life.

What was it that Dave Bidini said again?

"Like any good hockey book, it teaches us more about the world than hockey itself."

Seahawk: Confessions of an Old Hockey Goalie is a very good hockey book.

A note about the book's release - Seahawk is scheduled for general release in June, but has been available in parts of New England since before Christmas, 2008. Early success has prompted publisher Peter E. Randall Publishing to make the book available through Amazon.ca and Amazon.com early. You can also get copies from the author's website.

Lions In Winter Project Shelved

Amazon and Chapters have listed January 15th, 2009 as the day we get to see the updated and republished Montreal Canadiens classic book Lions In Winter.

Now comes word that we will not be seeing this book anytime soon.

I got this message from a Wiley representative:

"We received notice before the holidays that, unfortunately, Lions In Winter has been cancelled with no immediate plans to pick up the project at a later date. If that should change, I’ll let you know."

Wiley has no further comment. January is an odd time to release a hockey book anyways. Hopefully we will see this project picked up for autumn 2009.

Lions In Winter, written by Chrys Goyens and Allan Turowetz, was released in the mid-1980s in hard cover and in paperback. You can continue to get copies of those versions commonly in used bookstores.

The Hockey Player Sonnets by John B. Lee

Back in 2008, I raved about an unorthodox hockey book, Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems . It was a collection of Randall Maggs poetry. Though each poem was written individually, when put altogether in the right order, Maggs created a brilliant look at the life and career of one of hockey's most famous players, Terry Sawchuk.

That book was put out by Brick Book. Well it turns out Penumbra Press had already experimented in combining the worlds of hockey and poetry. The Hockey Player Sonnets was released first back in 1991, with the Overtime Edition coming out in 2003.

Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com

The book features the poetry of John B. Lee. In the world of poetry, he's really big. He has won over 60 international awards for his work. He has a masters in English and teaches at the University of Windsor in southern Ontario. He also serves as a visiting professor and a very-in-demand guest speaker at a number of universities and private schools across North America. And he's written over 40 books.

But he's not just some academic hoitytoity. No, he is a poet of the people. And given his adolesence, you can see how he formed that way.

Lee is a good ol' Canadian boy, born and raised on a farm in a little know southern Ontario town of Highgate. He grew up like any other Canadian kid, including loving hockey.

Many of his poems are about hockey as a youth, reminiscingwith odes about games on the frozen pond, playing keep away from the dog with the puck, table top hockey and lamenting about the having to shovel out the outdoor rink yet again.

He moves on to much more mature topics, as he grows from his adolescent look back to his young adult and later adult memories of the game. The book contains rich elegies to players past and evocative imagery all while exploring the game of our lives.

As I said about Nightwork: The Sawchuk Poems, I'm not much of a poetry fan, but there is some good reading here. I can appreciate several poems in particular for what they are, although I do not find the book flows together nicely to form a grander picture a la Nightwork.

There is a good chance you that this text book will be your university text book if you take a class in a post-secondary education class, either in English or Canadian Studies classes. I had this book back a few years ago when I took a Canadian Studies class from Simon Fraser University. We had to look at how the author's work further cements popular myths in our man-made culture of hockey worship in our country and questioning how these myths effect masculinity and gender.

Yeah, it was a pretty dry class. I think I would have far better enjoyed the book in more recreational reading. And you might too. So check out The Hockey Player Sonnets today.

Hail Cesare by Jason Farris

Author Jason Farris (see also Hockey Play-by-Play), a goalie at heart, set out to take a fresh approach to writing a hockey book. He certainly accomplished just that in his homage to his favorite hockey player since childhood - Cesare Maniago.

Perhaps homage is not quite the right word. He has created an absolute shrine to a goalie best remembered for his days with the Minnesota North Stars and the Vancouver Canucks.

This book is an interesting undertaking, as it hints at several formats all in one. In doing so the book is visually appealing though quite unconventional.

Maniago was a very popular player in both Minnesota and Vancouver, as well as his many minor league stops where he served as arguably the best goalie outside of the 6-team NHL. His unique name and his valiant efforts made him the fan favorite of some real weak teams. He was at times as spectacular as his teams were bad.

Because he played on so many weak teams, he never received many accolades or notable success. He quite literally was these teams' saving grace, and Farris created this book partly to revise history's dismissal of this cult hero.

Through in-depth statistical analysis and comparison, Farris argues Maniago was a far better goalie than history remembers him as. His case is compelling. Farris uses statistical analysis far deeper than hockey's primitive measuring sticks such as wins and losses and goals against average. In doing so Farris makes a good case that we should hold Maniago in the same esteem we remember Gerry Cheevers, Tony Esposito, Rogie Vachon and Gilles Meloche.

This book really comes alive courtesy of two features.

First off, the use of scrapbook-like imagery in this book is a real treat. The vivid mixture of memorabilia and action photography is superb. It really is like flipping through someone's album of memories.

Secondly, Cesare Maniago contributes his own commentary which provides fascinating insight into a unique goalies in a unique era. Through these interviews the book teases of an autobiography.

I think my favorite Maniago insight was the time he and Boston's Eddie Johnstone pretended to fight in order to give the fans something to cheer about.

"I never really got into a fight with a goalie. Eddie Johnstone and I once pretended a bit for the fans that who really loved it when the goalies met at center ice curing during an altercation. He and I dropped the gloves and were hanging onto each other asking about each other's family. We'd let the other assholes go at it, mind our own business and just talk to each other. Then we'd tell each other to pretend to be mad as hell. Hhe'd tell me to get my right arm up like I was going to whack him and he'd do the same with his arm so we'd give the fans something to roar about."

The book challenges many publishing standards. Though it is unconventional, it works, albeit with some constructive notes of criticism.

The book is a little thin at just 56 pages, many of them full of only photos or statistics. Some more written text, either in the form of Maniago's own comments, Farris' memories or perhaps reflections from Maniago's peers could really provide much needed bulk to this project otherwise full of interesting side features.

The book also features awkwardly over sized pages, of which I'm not a big fan of. This is one industry standard that did not need to be challenged.

All in all, this book is absolute must have if you were ever a fan of Cesare Maniago. It is an interesting project for fans of hockey in the 1960s and 1970s. It is also worthy of perusal for younger fans curious about the great era of hockey gone by.

You can buy the book via the Hockey's Best Books website.

The Five Hole Stories by Dave Bidini

Dave Bidini is quite well known in hockey literary circles. He is best known as the author of Tropic of Hockey and The Best Game You Can Name, and here in Canada we also know him for his band, the Rheostatics, and for his hockey documentary, the Hockey Nomad.

Bidini penned three other books. Baseballissimo is about baseball, while On a Cold Road is about life in a band. Both were, not surprisingly, critical and commercial successes.

But did you know Bidini had another hockey book out? Back in 2006 he released 6 fictional short stories under the title The Five Hole Stories.

Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Amazon.com - Chapters

Here's the publisher's promo sheet on this lesser known book:

Each of the six stories in Dave Bidini’s playful, irreverent new book takes a headlong run at the hockey dressing room, and each knocks the door down. What’s happening when the door opens next is anyone’s guess.

In one story, a chronic minor-leaguer discovers the wonders—and the pitfalls—of the game in Europe, both on and off the ice. In another, an NHLer is tight with his teammate, the league’s leading goalscorer, but dreams of getting MUCH tighter. A star on a losing streak turns to a magical salve to turn his game around. A conversation between two friends yields surprising facts about Joan, everyone’s favourite female goalie. A hundred bucks is all that stands between a hockey groupie and eternal happiness in 1950s Detroit. And finally, the eponymous ’Five Hole’ itself speaks—though it never reveals all of its secrets.

Full of sex, drugs and high-sticking, each of The Five Hole Stories runs its proverbial tongue down hockey’s seamy, steamy underbelly and then finds language to tell us what it tastes like. A scintillating look at hockey with its clothes off, in six ambitious poses.

In a word, wow. Probably not quite what you were expecting. It is mostly quite humorous, with some tragedy also taking center stage. It certainly is an interesting undertaking by a proven writer not afraid to take chances.

In fact, Bidini turned this book into a theatrical play, which earned some attention and, again not surprisingly, critical acclaim.

The Uninvited Guest

As you can see by the cover, this hockey book is far different than most hockey books I usually take a look at.

Penned by poet-turned-author John Degen, The Uninvited Guest is a novel about a whole mess of things you would think would never work well together. But through the author's masterful crafting they do, neatly tying together hockey, backgammon, Canada, and Eastern European history.

Buy The Book - Amazon.ca - Amazon.com - Chapters


A fellow named Dragos Petrescu is the first Romanian-born player to win the Stanley Cup. As is tradition, Petrescu gets to celebrate with the Cup, so he brings the trophy back to Romania for his wedding day.

The Cup can not travel alone, of course. In this piece of fiction the Cup's guardian is a fellow by the name of Tony Esposito Chiello. Hmm....perhaps the author is a fan of the Chicago Blackhawks?

Chiello is new to this Cup guardianship job, handpicked by the long time Cup keeper "Two Second" Stan Cooper. Cheillo will never forget this assignment to Romania. Partly that is because he loses the Cup, which in turns leads to his life altering experience that at the end of the day will make him a better person.

This book has achieved a lot of critical acclaim, including being short-listed for Canada's prestigious First Novel Award.

Another ringing endorsement comes from the great hockey player Igor Larionov. Here's what "The Professor" had to say:

"I enjoyed this book because I've lived the inside story. The Uninvited Guest offers a fictional and philosophical lens on a wide range of subjects from the lives of professional hockey players to the keepers of the Cup to Eastern European history to storytelling, and blurs the whole spectrum together in a finale full of love, community and companionship."

But I think it was The Globe & Mail's Steven Galloway who summed this book up best when he said "rarely is an uninvited guest so enjoyable."

Lots of New Hockey Books In January, February

The traditional release period for hockey books is October 1st to December 15th, or thereabouts. This makes perfect marketing sense, coinciding with the beginning of the NHL and local hockey seasons, and capitalizing on the Christmas shopping periods.

But hockey books are released after Christmas too, and January 2009 looks to be a busy time. Here's a look at what is coming out next:

Tough Guys: Hockey's 50 All-Time Toughest Players, as selected by NHL Players and Alumni by Jim Kyte with Dave Best. Fitzhenry and Whiteside. Release Date: January 19th, 2009.

Lions in Winter by Chrys Goyens and Allan Turowetz. Wiley. Release Date: January 15th, 2009.

The Greatest Hockey Records by Matt Doeden. Edge Books. Release Date: January, 2009.

Collins Gem Hockey 2008-09 by Andrew Podnieks. Collins. Release Date: February 2009.

There are some new instructional books:

101 Youth Hockey Drills by Stuart Dempster and Dennis Hay. A&C Black. Release Date: January 15th, 2009.

Backyard Sports 05 Inside Edge by Micheal Teitelbaum. Grosset and Dunlap. Release Date: January 27th, 2009.

Hard Core Hockey: Essential Skills, Strategies, and Systems from the Sport's Top Coaches by Rand Pecknold and Aaron Foeste. Release Date: February 13th, 2009

There is also a set of books aimed specifically at public and school libraries, although you can also buy them via my Amazon links.

The Story of the New York Rangers by Michael Goodman. Saunders Book Co. Release Date: January 2009.

The Story of the Detroit Red Wings by Michael Goodman. Saunders Book Co. Release Date: January 2009.

The Story of the Boston Bruins by John Nichols. Saunders Book Co. Release Date: January 2009.

The Story of the Philadelphia Flyers by Michael Goodman. Saunders Book Co. Release Date: January 2009.

The Story of the Montreal Canadiens by Michael Goodman. Saunders Book Co. Release Date: January 2009.

The Story of the Colorado Avalanche by Bill McAuliffe. Saunders Book Co. Release Date: January 2009.

The Story of the Chicago Blackhawks by Jason Skog. Saunders Book Co. Release Date: January 2009.

The Story of the Toronto Maple Leafs by Bill McAuliffe. Saunders Book Co. Release Date: January 2009.

Amazing Athletes:Sidney Crosby(Gr.2-5) by Jeff Savage. Lerner Publishing Group. Release Date: February 1st, 2009.