Cornered Best Selling Book In Canada

Guess what is the best selling Canadian non-fiction book? Not just best selling hockey book, but all books period.

According to The Globe And Mail Bestsellers List, it's Ron MacLean's new autobiography, Cornered. The book is co-written with Kirstie McLellan Day, who has previously topped the list with Theo Fleury and Bob Probert!

MacLean's book tops such books as Cold Hard Truth by Kevin O'Leary, The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha, The Vinyl Cafe Notebooks by Stuart McLean and Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. (Somehow The Wealthy Barber Returns by David Chilton tops MacLean on one list, but not Canadian non-fiction)

Congratulations Ron and Kirstie!

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Hockey Hall of Fame MVP Trophies and Winners

Hockey Hall of Fame MVP Trophies and Winners tells the story of hockey's three most prestigious individual awards: the Hart Trophy (Most Valuable Player of the NHL regular season), the Ted Lindsay Trophy (MVP of the NHL regular season as voted by the players) and the Conn Smythe Trophy (MVP of the NHL playoffs).

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

The authors present the history and origins of each trophy, as well as a biography of those whom the trophies are named after. Authors Bob Duff and Kevin Shea profile every winner of each trophy and make their own selections for the winners of each award in the seasons preceding each trophy's existence. Solid photography compliments the book.

MVP Trophies and Winners recounts the most controversial selections and surprise winners. Readers will be able to relive the best seasons and performances hockey has ever seen as Duff and Shea profile the NHL's multiple MVP winners and the most seminal seasons ever recorded. This is perhaps the most fascinating undertaking in the book.

The authors are MVPs of their own world.

Bob Duff is a hockey historian and a member of the Society for International Hockey Research. He is the sports columnist for The Windsor Star and covers the NHL for MSNBC.com. He was previously a featured author in the Hockey Hall of Fame Book of Goalies and is the author of the Johnny Bower biography The China Wall.

Kevin Shea is a hockey historian and best-selling author. He is the editor of publications for the Hockey Hall of Fame and teaches hockey history at Seneca College in Toronto, Ontario. He is also a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs Historical Committee and the Society for International Hockey Research. His most recent book is Toronto Maple Leafs: Diary of a Dynasty, 1957--1967.

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Interview With Translator: I Hate Hockey's Peter McCambridge

I recently had a chance to sit down with Peter McCambridge, Francois Barcelo's translator for the new book I Hate Hockey.

In my book review I expressed some concerns about some of the plot lines in the book. McCambridge answers my questions about that, the main character's flaws and the challenges in translating a book.

Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters
You can also purchase the original book in French - J'haïs le hockey

Aside from the fact that our narrator obviously hates hockey and that his son plays the game, how is this a hockey book?

I Hate Hockey might not be a “hockey book” in the sense that the narrator devotes whole chapters to the Summit Series, but it is most definitely a hockey novel. By that I mean that Canada’s game is a character in the book. The book wouldn’t be the same if it was called I Hate Soccer or I Hate Lacrosse. It just wouldn’t work. As it is, it is hockey that separates Antoine Vachon from his wife, his son, his boss and ultimately everyone around him. Hockey is the one sport that brings all Canadians together and instead our anti-hero finds himself with his back to the TV in a sports bar, asking for the sound to be turned down. Even a trip to the Bell Centre isn’t the bonding experience he had hoped for with his son. Any other sport wouldn’t have the same impact on the narrator’s life, the power to act as a wedge between him and the rest of society. (This aside from the fact that the entire plot is driven by what happens when our narrator is roped into coaching his son’s hockey team for the evening and that one of the six chapters is devoted to that particular game.)

The book has some pretty dark issues, such as racism, murder, underage sex and suicide. Why does the author explore these topics to build the narrator's character?

I wouldn’t want to answer for the author here and I’m not sure he’s making any comments on the sport in particular. What I would say is that the novel is a dark comedy. Unlikely though it may be, François Barcelo manages to find plenty of potential for comedy in these dark issues. If you like to laugh at characters as much as with them, if you like to enjoy a chuckle as you think “Oh my God, did he really just say that? Does he honestly think that? Did that really just happen?” then it’s packed full of laughs. I read and reread the novel a good half dozen times over the course of translating it, and I was still giggling away to myself by the end. Which isn’t to say the whole thing is just for laughs. The novel deals with some really serious issues, as you say, and ultimately the reader is left shaken and uncomfortable. Which isn’t a bad state to be left in by any novel, is it?

As for building the narrator’s character, maybe “building” is the wrong word. I don’t think he learns very much over the course of the novel at all. Which is, of course, the source of the tragedy. And the comedy.

Our narrator is quite a flawed character. Not a very likeable sort. Should we feel sorry that all these terrible events are happening to him?

Antoine Vachon is most definitely an anti-hero. In many ways he is the anti-hero much loved by (but by no means unique to) Quebec fiction. He is a racist, xenophobic, sexist pig—and all the funnier for it (it’s a dark comedy, remember?). And despite all his flaws we find ourselves rooting for him throughout the novel. We might be shocked at some of his behaviour, repelled even, but at the end of the day I find it a fun read following him on his hapless whodunit as he puts two and two together and more often than not comes up with anything but four.

Who should read this book?

The easy answer is: “Anybody who loves—or hates—hockey!” I would also add, “Anyone who’s looking for a great Christmas gift!” But the real answer is probably, “Anyone who likes a good read.” Unlike so many novelists these days, François Barcelo doesn’t let good writing get in the way of a good story. I Hate Hockey is a quick, pacy thriller with one twist in the plot after the next. In short, stuff happens. Most of it, outrageous.

What were the challenges for you in translating this book from French to English?

To be honest, the whole novel was a joy to translate. It took me a chapter to find the narrator’s “voice” and to come up with a balance of crudeness and swearing that I was comfortable with in English. There was one tricky pun I can think of, but other than that the whole experience was just great fun.

Do you think this book will be as big a hit in English Canada as it is in Quebec?

I think that, without a ton of luck on your side, it’s tricky for any book to be a hit without a big marketing machine behind it. But they also say that cream rises to the top, and I think this book deserves to (that’s why I choose to translate it, after all). It’s not going to change your life and it’s much more bitter than sweet, but it’s a damn good way to put in an evening—when there’s no hockey on TV, of course!

Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters
You can also purchase the original book in French - J'haïs le hockey

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Reflections 2011

The NHL's annual photographic yearbook lives up to it's own high standards with Reflections 2011.

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

All of the great moments of the magical 2010-11 season are captured forever in an amazing collection of stunning photographs. Feel the chill as you revisit the great outdoor games where both Pittsburgh's Heinz Field and Calgary's McMahon Stadium became, for a day each, the world's largest backyard rink. And the Boston Bruins Stanley Cup championship. Ad Corey Perry's breakout year. From the first drop of the puck to the hoisting of the Stanley Cup, it's all here.

The game is played such a blinding speed. With one blink you miss so many details. The camera catches these details, making this book extra special. I especially love the many facial expressions captured in so many of these 150+ thrilling hockey photos.

As always, one of the best parts about this book is a share of the proceeds from the sale of this book will donated to the joint NHL/NHLPA Hockey Fights Cancer initiative.

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Black And Gold by Steve Babineau and Rob Simpson

Remember this book from 2008?

Well, now that the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011, the book is being re-released. Surprise, Surprise! Now the book will look like this:

Obviously Bruins photographer Steve Babineau has added 32 pages of content, mostly new photos to the book, mostly of the 2011 championship and the 2010 Winter Classic from Fenway Park. Don Cherry jumps on board and writes an all new forward.

Black and Gold: Four Decades of the Boston Bruins in Photographs is a stunning collection of photographs of Steve Babineau, the Boston Bruins official team photographer since 1973. "Babs," as he affectionately is known, has seen a lot of hockey history through his lens in that time. Now, with writer Rob Simpson, Babineau shares his memories of one of hockey's most storied teams.

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

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Behind The Moves: NHL GMs Tell How Winners Are Built

Every hockey fan has two dreams right from childhood.

One is obvious - to be the scoring star who scores the big goal to win the Stanley Cup. Who would not want to be Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux or Sidney Crosby?

The other is to be the team's general manager. Think about it - to be the man who is responsible for assembling a  Stanley Cup champion! It is at the heart of every hockey card trade, hockey pool draft, and water cooler trade rumor debate we have ever engaged in.

Yet how many of us really know what it is like to be a NHL general manager? Most of their work is done behind the scenes, and it is only once his work is all said and done do we get to see his newest draft pick or analyze his big trade or free agent signing.

But now, thanks to a new masterpiece from author/publisher Jason Farris, we can all get a fascinating look into the lives of hockey's general managers. Even better, we all get an insider's look into many of the moves of various general managers past. We get direct insight into trades, signings and decisions that shaped franchises for years. Through an amazing collection of quotes by their peers, we get a look at many of the game's greatest general managers that is nothing short of fascinating.

Jason Farris spent 18 months and 60,000kms travelling the GM community, engaging GMs in conversations about their jobs. He invested incredible time (over 120 hours of interviews on tape!) building trusting and open relationships the greatest general managers in memory. He sat with Glen Sather at his retreat in the Canadian Rockies. He penetrated Lou Lamoriello's bunker. He befriended Brian Burke.

The result is Behind The Moves: NHL General Managers Tell How Winners Are Built. It is appropriately hailed as "the most important hockey book in over a decade" as it offers the most amazing view inside the normally secretive life of a hockey general manager. Everything here is completely unedited. Normally guarded and stoic, these managers magically opened up for Farris, and it was totally all on record. Farris shares all the best in this truly one of a kind book.

Buy The Book - NHLGMs.com

At its heart this book is a thick coffee table book. As with all Jason Farris books, the layout and presentation are top notch and rich with imagery and sidebar content. I've often felt a major publishing house should hire Farris to be in charge of the visuals inside hockey books. His books are always beautiful to look through, sometimes overshadowing the text itself. The various clips of hockey memorabilia, newspaper headlines and captivating photos catch the eye on every page.

The content packing the 252 pages is almost overwhelming. Statistical registers. Time lines and genealogy posters. Biographies of all 174 men who have been a GM. Former NHL president John Ziegler offers an essay on the NHL general management, while Detroit Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch and LA Kings CEO Tim Leiweke offer a final words on the men they have hired.

There are four main sections with in the book. 

Farris first introduces us to the GM community. With the mind of a team owner he looks at how GMs are evaluated and hired. He also offers a dictionary of GM lingo and their unwritten rules. 

He moves on to look at the modern GM, specifically looking at how the job has changed over the years in the expansion era. Readers definitely get a better understanding of the business and legal side of their job.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the book is when Farris looks at the challenges of a being a GM. Through countless quotes from hockey's greatest general managers, we get incredible insight as to what GMs have to deal with. That includes dealing with owners, coaches, players, agents and media; trades, free agents and drafts; managing the salary cap; building team chemistry; and achieving success in the playoffs. There are some lighter moments included here, as GMs show it is not just the players who are capable of a little hijinx and tomfoolery. 

In the final section of the book is actually broken into multiple chapters. Farris looks at the best of the best, the so-called "GM Godfathers" and other GMs who were instrumental in hockey history. He also offers biographies of all 174 men who have held the title of a NHL general manager as well as the statistical registers. The bios are mostly comprised of quotes of their peers, which makes for a fascinating read.

All in all, this is an amazing book. The presentation quality is high, and the content is even better. The use of quotes from all his interviews are the heart of text. Though not always presented in conventional chronological order, the author masterfully paints a picture of each topic with the managers' own words. Every page offers a surprise.

The bottom line: Behind The Moves is the most impressive undertaking in hockey literature I have ever seen. You will learn a lot about your favorite team and why your GM made the moves he did. What fan would not want that?

So is there a down side to this book? Yes, and it may be a significant road block to many hockey book buyers.

Behind The Moves is not available in any store. It is sold directly by the author and his publishing company at the website www.NHLGMS.com. No big deal. But it costs a minimum $99.95 (Canadian or US). For $139.95 you can upgrade and get the professional edition/deluxe GM package which includes the Timeline of NHL GMs wall chart, the NHL GM Genealogy poster, the 40-page Statistical Register of NHL GMs, and an NHL GM League Information Card. You can choose from several limited editions which are autographed by various general managers.

Be it $100 or $140, that's a lot of coin for a hockey book. That represents the hockey book budget for many readers. You can pick up a half dozen books for the same amount of money.

Is it worth $100 or more? I can tell you that this book may be the most interesting book HockeyBookReviews.com has ever seen in the four years this site has existed. Behind The Moves: NHL General Managers Tell How Winners Built is a luxury item, yes, but this book really is an amazing undertaking and incredible final product. Don't take my word for it. Ask these guys:

“Nothing like this book has been done before. An invaluable addition to hockey history and hockey lore.”
– Frank Selke Jr., former NHL general manager and son of legendary Montreal Canadiens GM, Frank Selke

“Behind the Moves provides direct access to the greatest living hockey minds. It pulls back the velvet curtain on the GM community and lets readers access insiders’ information about successful NHL general managers.”
– Neil Smith, GM of the 1994 Stanley Cup Champion New York Rangers

Be sure to check out www.NHLgms.com to learn more and see exclusive looks inside the book.

Update: Read Brian Burke's book review

Behind the Moves is part encyclopedia, part history book, part manual for would-be managers. And it's your ticket to the general manager's office, where you'll find out all about the trades, the championships, the negotiations with agents, and the day-to-day dealing with owners and the media. You'll enjoy it, and you'll learn a lot, too.  Full Review

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The Magnificent Mario by Mike Leonetti

Long time readers of this website know I am a huge fan of Mike Leonetti's long running hockey history themed children's books. 2011 sees the newest book to the series - The Magnificent Mario

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

The book is also available in French

This time around the illustrations are provided by a fellow named Gary Chatterton. He takes the series of a books to an amazing new level with the life-like illustrations are simply amazing. If nothing else, just crack the spine of this book to admire the art work.


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Product Description: A young hockey player learns the value of playing one's best — no matter what the circumstances — from real-life hockey hero Mario Lemieux!

Tyler is already a big Mario Lemieux fan, but he still loves looking at his dad's memento — Mario's rookie card — and hearing about how Mario started out with the worst team in the NHL. Tyler is also on the worst team in his league, and losing so often gets very frustrating.

He is inspired by his hero's work on the ice, especially as he watches Mario through the 1990-91 season, giving a magnificent performance during the playoffs, and, of course, scoring an unbelievable goal against the Minnesota North Stars in the finals.

As Mario and the Pittsburgh Penguins become the Stanley Cup winners, Tyler learns that things can change, and a team can become stronger if you give your best — the way Mario did for his team.

About the Author - Mike Leonetti has written numerous books for both children and adults about the good ol' hockey game. His current picture book series with Scholastic is about hockey heroes and includes titles such as Wendel and The Great One, The Rocket, and The Mighty Tim Horton. A lifelong Toronto Maple Leafs fan, Mike lives in Woodbridge, Ontario, with his wife and son.

Gary Chatterton's incredibly life-like illustrations have appeared in advertising campaigns for major corporations such as Molson Canada, Labatt, Bell, and the Biodome de Montreal. Gary lives in Beloeil, Quebec.

Interested in this title? Previous history-themed children's titles by Leonetti include The Mighty Tim Horton, Wendel and The Great One, Maple Leafs A-Z, Gretzky's Game, The Greatest Goal, The Goalie Mask, Number Four, Bobby Orr!, A Hero Named Howe and My Leafs Sweater.

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Overtime by David Skuy

Charlie Joyce is back in David Skuy's newest entry in the Game Time youth novel series, Overtime.

Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters

Teenage hockey player Charlie Joyce is facing a new school year, and a whole new set of problems — both on and off the ice.

The year has barely begun when Charlie finds out his school is in jeopardy because of some damage to the building. Under threat of being separated and bussed to different high schools, Charlie and friends leap into action to raise some money and keep their high school (and hockey team!) intact.

Using all of their skills, they cook up as many fundraising events as they can — until one day a gift comes to them in the form of a hockey tournament with a $5000 prize. Charlie is ecstatic to get his team on the ice — until he realizes that their line-up must be co-ed to compete.

It's a whole new lesson in good sportsmanship at Terrence Falls High School. Can they pull it off and save their school?

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Line Change by W.C. Mack

JT McDonald is back and dealing with a difficult hockey coach — his dad!

That's the basis of the new 144 page youth novel Line Change

Buy The Book - Amazon.ca - Chapters

JT McDonald is finally back on the ice with his team, doing better at math thanks to tutoring from his teammate Eddie and sporting the awesome new helmet he bought with his prize money from the Vancouver Canucks contest. Everything seems to be getting back on track for JT. That is, until Coach O'Neil has a bad fall on the ice and the team is left without a coach mid-season.

JT is thrilled when his dad steps in to lead the team — but his teammates have a harder time adjusting to the new coach. Suddenly practice time isn't fun anymore, they're fighting among themselves, and they're devastated when they lose a game that should have been an easy win. Can the Cutter Bay Cougars get back on track before the season ends?

This book is the long awaited sequel to Mack's Hat Trick

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The Devil And Bobby Hull

As the epic battles between Rocket Richard and Gordie Howe reached their zenith in the 1950s, another superstar arrived in the same stratosphere. Bobby Hull - hockey's Golden Jet - was every bit as good as his counterpart #9s. In fact, he was kind of a hybrid of the two. He had Howe's size and strength, and Richard's flare for the dramatic.

He may have been the greatest player of his era, the 1960s, carrying the torch from Howe and Richard until Bobby Orr came along. Hull was pro sports first million dollar man, and he had the million dollar smile to go with it. Not unlike Wayne Gretzky after him, his personality was contagiously appealing, almost as important as his athletic prowess. He transcended the game to almost Hollywood proportions

But, for a variety of reasons, Hull's lasting legacy does not measure up with the likes of Howe or Richard or Orr or Jean Beliveau. Instead he is painted as a more dastardly character. His key role in jumping to the WHA ruffled many feathers, leaving him estranged for decades with the Chicago Blackhawks, the team he is most associated with and won the Stanley Cup with. The Wirtz family, owners of the team, held a deep grudge and did what ever they could to keep Bobby out. Of course the narcissistic Bobby also has himself to blame in his tainted legacy, thanks to a very messy and very public divorce (Tiger Woods could relate) that swirled with domestic violence.

Gare Joyce offers a look at one of hockey's greatest players in The Devil and Bobby Hull: How Hockey's Original Million-Dollar Man Became the Game's Lost Legend. As Joyce says, "the world of hockey glory was his to lose. And he did."

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

Bobby Hull ranks as one of hockey's most important figures ever. On the ice he had few equals, and remains one of the top ten players of all time. His records and brilliance are truly rarefied. His off ice contributions are every bit as important. By taking his stand against the NHL and jumping to the WHA, Hull became a millionaire, but a huge cost. He also made a lot of other hockey players rich, as his stand directly led to the spike in player salaries. Every player from the 1970s forward owes Bobby Hull a debt of gratitude.

Author Gare Joyce does a good job in building up the case for Hull as arguably hockey's greatest figure. But the he goes on to cover Hull's demise, but does not do it in a tabloidish manner which is much appreciated. With the estrangement from the Hawks and the bitter and public divorce, Hull never really recovered his golden boy image. That hurt Hull in many ways.  In the aftermath of all this the author goes on to paint Hull as a tragic character, a shadow of the legend he once was.

This is a book that very much should be considered for your reading list. It is a well rounded unauthorized biography (though Hull is prominently interviewed) of one hockey's greatest yet most tragic figures.

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East Coast NHLers

The best selling hockey book in the Canadian maritime region this year probably will be East Coast NHLers: The stories of the lives and careers of players from the Maritimes and Newfoundland.

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

Veteran hockey author Paul White looks at the career and lives of hockey players from Canada's maritime provinces and Newfoundland. Highlighted by Sidney Crosby, Al MacInnis, and Brad Richards, there might not be a lot of Atlantic Canadians in the NHL but their journeys are all fascinating.

Modern day fans will appreciate White's look at Crosby's rise from Coal Harbour, Nova Scotia to hockey superstardom, or the day Richards brought the Stanley Cup home to Prince Edward Island, or when Detroit's Dan Cleary and Boston's Brad Marchand and Michael Ryder brought the trophy home to Newfoundland.

Every bit as interesting is White's look at some players from the past. He looks back at Nova Scotia's Al MacInnis and his feared slap shot. He looks back at Darryl Sittler and Lanny McDonald's old Maple Leafs running mate Errol Thompson, and Steve Yzerman's old winger Gerrard Gallant, both from Summerside, PEI.

How many people knew Willie O'Ree, who broke the NHL's colour barrier, was from Fredericton, New Brunswick? White also looks back at Nova Scotian goalie Al MacNeil, tough guy Forbes Kennedy, sniper Danny Grant and old time Hockey Hall of Famer Gordie Drillon, all from New Brunswick.

White also offers a special look at the game in Newfoundland in the chapter "Hockey on the Rock." He pays special attention to Newfie hockey legend Alex Faulkner and lesser-knowns like Keith Brown, Doug Grant, Joe Lundrigan, Tony White and Bob Gladney before moving forward to more recent times. Darren Langdon, Teddy Purcell and world juniors hockey legend John Slaney get brief profiles.

Obviously this will be very popular under the Christmas trees of east coast hockey fans. You should be able to get the book under the sticker price of $17, making this 160 page book very reasonably priced. Don't expect the profiles to dig too deep, but it is an enjoyable and quick read.

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Ron MacLean Signing Copies Of Cornered

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Pucks On The 'Net Interview on Kukla's Korner

Special thanks to Alanah McGinlay-Downie for her Kukla's Korner feature of an interview with me concerning my new ebook Pucks On The 'Net.

Also thanks to Rick Buker for his review on the Pittsburgh fan site PenguinPoop.com
and to Dennis Kane for his review on his Montreal fan site.

Learn more about my third book and first ebook at PucksOnTheNet.com


You can buy the book for just $3.99:

Amazon Kindle

Barnes & Noble Nook 

Kobo 

Smashwords (including .pdf file for any computer) 

and of course Apple iTunes for iPad/iPod/iPhone

Thanks again until next time when put more pucks on the 'net.

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Forgotten Heroes: Winnipeg's Hockey Heritage by Richard Brignall

Four years ago author Richard Brignall and J. Gordon Shillingford Publishing got together and decided to make a book about hockey history in Winnipeg. They call it Forgotten Heroes: Winnipeg's Hockey Heritage.

By pure dumb luck they decided to release the book in October 2011. That decision was made many weeks before the NHL announced the Atlanta Thrashers were moving to Manitoba to become the re-born Winnipeg Jets.

Talk about good fortune! The Jets come back and these guys are ready to welcome them and all the hockey fans back with what promises to be a top notch book about hockey in Winnipeg.

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

And then Brignall and J. Gordon Shillingford Publishing got even more good fortune, as the highly esteemed writer Roy MacGregor boasted about the book in the Globe and Mail's front page feature about Winnipeg's proud hockey history. You can not buy that type of publicity.

The Jets returning to Winnipeg certainly has all of Manitoba caught up in hockey hysteria. But it is kind of funny how the hockey fan's attention completely revolves around the NHL and the Jets. Yes they had 3 WHA championships and some memorable NHL battles. Much of their history has become all about the loss of their beloved team and now about their return.

In some ways that is unfortunate as the Jets completely overshadow the province's rich hockey history. And in that sense Brignall's book Forgotten Heroes is more important than ever.

You will not find much coverage of the Jets at all in this book, and that might make quick bookstore browsers dismiss the title too quickly. That would be a terrible mistake, as Forgotten Heroes is an amazing undertaking and should be mandatory reading for any hockey history fan in Canada, especially in Manitoba.

Brignall's exhaustive efforts cover 70 years of hockey history in Winnipeg. From the years of 1890 through to 1959 city teams were Stanley Cup champions, Olympic gold medalists, world champions and Allan and Memorial Cup title holders. The Winnipeg Falcons, who won Olympic gold in 1920, are famous now, but the Winnipeg Victorias, who won Stanley Cups near the turn of the 20th century, are incredibly significant to hockey history in Canada though all but ignored.

All the great players in that time frame are featured prominently - from familiar NHL names like Terry Sawchuk, Andy Bathgate, and Bill Mosienko to more local legends like Legs Fraser, Zeke Ferley, and the now-celebrated Icelanders. The real old timers like Dan Bain, Tommy Dunderdale and Frank Frederickson get lots of due coverage.

The book is loaded with amazing black and white photos. It is fascinating to look back at hockey in such a foreign time.

The book is incredibly well researched. It is clear the author spent countless lonely hours scouring through newspaper archives to piece together the definitive history of hockey in Winnipeg from 1890 through 1959.

We can only hope a follow up volume is in the works.

The city of Winnipeg is rightfully celebrating it's great hockey history these days. With this book fans will learn just how rich that history is - dating back long before anyone had ever heard of Bobby Hull, Dale Hawerchuk or Teemu Selanne.

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

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Gamble In Goal: The Bruce Gamble Story

Born in Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay), Bruce Gamble's professional hockey career as a National Hockey League (NHL) goalie spanned 14 years, and he saw action with four NHL teams: New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers.

He is hardly the most famous goalie in hockey history. Yet his story, finally told in David Nicholson's new book Gamble in Goal, is very interesting.

Buy The Book: Chapters

Gamble broke into pro hockey in the maskless days of the Original Six. Though he was a solid goalie in the AHL, he never really stuck in the NHL until the late 60's when expansion and the legislated two goalie system saw NHL goaltending jobs grow from 6 to 24.

Previously Gamble was best known as the goalie who refused to be subservient to the so called system. He quit hockey in 1965 rather than report to Eddie Shore's team in Springfield. He had had enough of Shore and his irascible ways. So he took 'Shore leave,' quit hockey and went home and worked in the grain elevators back in Port Arthur.

It was not until Punch Imlach and the Leafs rescued him a year later that he returned to the ice. Soon enough he was playing with the Leafs, serving as their main goalie for stretches in the late 1960s.

Coming off a Stanley Cup dynasty, it was a tough time to be a goalie in Toronto. As the book points out, Gamble goes down as one of the most underrated goalies in team history.

"Undoubtedly, Bruce Gamble is an extremely underrated player," said reporter Jim Vipond. "He's got to practically play goal standing on his head before people recognize him."

"When Bruce is hot he's the best in the league. But when he lows, he blows sky high," said coach John McLellan.

Perhaps reporter of Paul Dulmage summed it up best in the 1969-70 season.

"This season he's averaged about 36 shots per game. When he tries to fall asleep the sheep come at him three on one. Without Gamble the Leafs would have sunk so deep Smythe couldn't have found them using Jacques Cousteau."

By 1972 Gamble had lost his hot hand and was tending goal for the Philadelphia Flyers. While playing for the Flyers in a game in Vancouver, Gamble suffered a heart attack while playing. It forced him to retire.

Gamble mysteriously slipped out of sight soon after that. His marriage fell apart and he kept to himself, moving to the Niagara Falls area. He died of another heart attack in 1982. He was just 44 years old.

The book is published by River Rocks Publishing. All in all it was an interesting about a player I really did not know very much about. The book is very thorough in covering his life. Perhaps the text could have been better expanded to cover the Leafs fall from champs to chump during this time period rather than focusing solely on Gamble.

There is no doubt - if you are looking to read up on former Leafs goaltender Bruce Gamble, David Nicholson's book Gamble in Goal is the definitive resource.

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Back In The Bigs: How Winnipeg Won, Lost & Regained Its Place in the NHL

The Winnipeg Free Press is pairing with Penguin Books to publish a commemorative book that will mark Winnipeg's historic re-entry into the National Hockey League.

Back in the Bigs: How Winnipeg Won, Lost and Regained Its Place in the NHL, will be written by award-winning sports writer Randy Turner, and is due out in September.

Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters

"We want to tell the story by bringing the past to life... not just archives, but dozens of interviews with major players, on and off the ice," Turner said. "There is a direct link to the Jets' early years, which explains why NHL hockey left, but the passion never did -- even for all those 20-somethings celebrating in the streets who barely saw the team play."

The book will track the history of pro hockey in Winnipeg, from the wild days of the World Hockey Association to the Winnipeg Jets's entry into the NHL in 1979; and from the heartbreaking loss of the franchise in 1996 to its triumphant return in 2011.

I had my first chance to view the book while in Toronto at The World's Biggest Bookstore. The presentation quality is high, with some great photos from throughout the years gone by. I could only sample the text, but it seemed deep and interesting.

Because of the beautiful lay out I am sure this book will be a winner with all Jets fans, not only in Winnipeg but throughout Canada and beyond. I will offer a full review when I receive my copy.

In the meantime, The Winnipeg Free Press is offering a free excerpt about John Ferguson's impact on hockey in Winnipeg. Also, check out this video presentation on the book.

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