Twenty Greatest Hockey Goals by Eric Zweig

Earlier I mentioned the new book Game's Greatest Goals where authors Don Weekes and Kerry Banks look at the top 100 goals in hockey history

In similar fashion, author Eric Zweig's new book is Twenty Greatest Hockey Goals where he, rather obviously, looks at the top twenty goals in hockey history.

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Needless to say these two books directly compete against each other. If pressed, I would have to declare Zweig's title as the winner.

Zweig is does not rank his top 20 goals like Weekes and Banks did, and I'm quite fine with that. I found ranking the top 100 goals to be an exhausting and almost silly exercise. Granted ranking the top 20 is far more manageable but I am quite satisfied with Zweig's chronological listing.

Instead of spending time trying to rank these goals Zweig instead focuses on offering the most research possible on each of his top 20. Weekes and Banks went for quick capsules, while Zweig offers a more satisfying read thanks to full background stories, quotes and fascinating tidbits, not to mention 70 photos.

For example, did you know:

• Bobby Baun's famous goal score with a broken leg was not the final game of that playoff series. In fact, he refused to have his ankle x-rayed after the game so that doctors could not declare him medically unfit to play.
• When Bobby Hull scored his record breaking 51st goal of the season, he was given 51 gifts including a hockey stick studded with 51 diamonds, 51 jars of pickles, 51 weeks' supply of tobacco, and 51 tubes of suntan oil? His wife was given gifts including 51 floor mops, while Brett and the other kids were each given 51 clusters of candy bars!
• That Wayne Gretzky's famous slap shot goal against Calgary's Mike Vernon in 1988 was described by The Great One as his "greatest thrill."
• After scoring 3 goals in 21 seconds, Bill Mosienko hit the goal post 45 seconds later. Also, Gus Bodnar assisted on all three of Mosienko's goals.

Also, reading the commentary of Sidney Crosby and Ryan Miller regarding 2010's famous "Golden Goal" from the Olympics is fascinating.

All in all Eric Zweig and Dundurn Press expertly present the Twenty Greatest Hockey Goals. It is an enjoyable read in which I guarantee you will learn something about each of the famous moments in hockey history.

Here's the specs:

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Dundurn (Oct 18 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1554887895
• ISBN-13: 978-1554887897

Here's more from the publisher:

Every hockey fan remembers certain goals scored that stand out from all others. But if one had to name just 20 as the greatest ever accomplished, what would they be?

There's Paul Henderson's third game-winning goal in 1972, the one that clinched the Summit Series for Canada against the Soviet Union. Also Mike Eruzione's upset "Miracle on Ice" winner for the United States against the Soviets at Lake Placid in 1980. And don't forget the famous Stanley Cup winners by the Toronto Maple Leafs' Bill Barilko in 1951 and the Boston Bruins' Bobby Orr in 1970.


From the goal by the Montreal Victorias against the Winnipeg Victorias in the 1896 Stanley Cup rematch that truly made hockey's most famous hardware a national event, to Wayne Gretzky's 77th goal in 1982 that beat Phil Esposito's single-season record for goals, to Sidney Crosby's "golden goal" in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Zweig serves up a slice of exceptional hockey moments that's sure to provoke heated discussion.

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