Selling The Dream by Ken Campbell and Jim Parcels

It's not a free ride to the NHL.

Veteran journalist Ken Campbell and hockey industry insider Jim Parcels expose the high cost of pursuing Canada's national dream in a new book Selling The Dream : Paying the NHL price…on and off the ice.

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Both Ken Campbell and Jim Parcels have been involved in the game at different levels for the better part of two decades.

Selling the Dream takes a hard look at Canada's national pastime and exposes the real issues faced by parents today; the realities of advancing to hockey's highest level in an elite system, the increasing costs of playing minor hockey, the expected career duration in each league, and the odds of playing in the NHL.

Costs now prohibit a huge number of potential players from advancing to the NHL. Drawing on research and experience, the authors expose some of the misconceptions around playing junior, college and professional hockey, telling the stories of the extremes some parents go to advance their children in the game.

The investment, say the authors, is much more than just money. Elite hockey players intent on making the NHL chase the dream, often at the expense of education, social development and other opportunities. The investment is just as much emotional as it is financial.

Two summers ago, Ken Campbell did a story on the cost of producing an NHL player and used Calder Trophy winner Patrick Kane as a prime example. After sitting down and crunching the numbers with his parents, they came to the conclusion that the total cost of Kane's NHL career was about $250,000. Considering that Kane will earn $6.5 million next season and an average of $6.3 million over the next five as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks, this looks like a very wise investment.

But when you consider that the odds are thousands-to-one against playing so much as a shift in the NHL, that money might just as easily been seen as a very expensive lottery ticket. Hundreds of players (and their parents) make the sacrifice and have nothing to show for it.

Campbell and Parcels showcase the successes and failures of Canadian players who have passed through the system, and tell the stories of the parents who have gone to the extreme to elevation the profile of their hockey playing progeny.

Is the Canadian junior hockey system equivalent to child slavery? Who are the money makers? Has commercialization killed the dream? Campbell and Parcels identify those who are making money off the dream at all levels of hockey: from arena operators, minor hockey team owners, personal coaches and scouting services.

Selling the Dream is a must-read for parents and players before they make the decision to pursue a hockey career. It's a book for all Canadians who love the game.

Best Seat In The House by Jamie McLennan

Jamie McLennan offers us a back-up goalie's hilarious behind-the-mask look at life in the NHL in his first book, The Best Seat in the House: Stories from the NHLInside the Room, on the Ice and on the Bench.

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Jamie McLennan spent twenty years playing professional hockey. Sort of. As the backup for such legendary goalies as Grant Fuhr, Ron Hextall, Roberto Luongo, and Miikka Kiprusoff, he saw everything—except much playing time. In The Best Seat in the House, McLennan looks back on his unique career, from breaking into the NHL, to working with the legends, to life on the road and in the league, offering readers an unprecedented glimpse into life inside the locker room.

Filled with tales of camaraderie and crazy antics, the book covers 20 years on and off the ice—including McLennan's disastrous meeting with Gene Simmons, accidentally calling Lady Gaga a troll to her face, charging an opposing team's mascot on the orders of legendary coach Billy Smith, and even how he hid a hotdog in his gear for an in-game snack.

• A collection of hilarious, strange, and sometimes unbelievable stories about hockey, the NHL, and celebrity from throughout the career of NHL backup goalie Jamie McLennan
• A deeply personal account of life on and off the ice, packed with hilarious personal anecdotes
• Co-written with Sportsnet's Ian Mendes

The Best Seat in the House is an irreverent look at the life of a professional hockey player, on the ice, on the bench, and in the dressing room, that is sure to delight hockey fans everywhere.

Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun relays this story from the book:

In his new book, The Best Seat in the House, career backup Jamie McLennan details his first meeting with goaltender coach Billy Smith. McLennan was playing in the minors for the Islanders at the time when the legendary Smith popped in to get a look at him.

At the end of his first game, a rather strong performance, Smith called McLennan said: “I need to talk to you.” McLennan thought he was about to be praised for how well he played. Instead, he was read the riot act for allowing a minor league mascot in St. John’s to stand in his goal crease prior to the game. “I don’t care how many pucks you stop,” Smith said to him. “Don’t you ever let a $%^& mascot stand in your crease. If he’s there the next game, you %^^&$* run him over. Do you understand?” McLennan understood.

He started the next night and just as he was told, skating to his crease at full speed, he sent the mascot flying. He felt horrible about it. And he played horribly that night. But the goalie coach didn’t seem to care. “That’s how you do it, kid. That’s how you get respect in this league.”

The book, like McLennan, is full of these kind of gems from a very funny man.

Reflections 2012: The NHL Hockey Year In Photographs

The NHL and NHLPA may not be able to agree to much these days, but they did get together again for their annual photo-book release Reflections 2012: The NHL Hockey Year in Photographs

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A spectacular pictorial commemoration of the 2011-12 NHL season that captures the power, speed, and grace of professional hockey.

Hockey is a sport that inspires passion and dedication in both players and fans. Since its humble beginnings on the uneven ice of frozen ponds, the game has brought people together to rejoice in victory and commiserate in defeat. Reflections 2012 presents a year of hockey''s joys and sorrows, all captured by the sport''s best photographers.

Relive the season through stunning images of the NHL''s brightest stars -- Henrik Lundqvist, Claude Giroux, Henrik Zetterberg, Steven Stamkos, Nicklas Lidstrom, Evgeni Malkin, and many others. Revisit the NHL Winter Classic where snow fell on the latest dramatic battle in the historic New York-Philadelphia rivalry. From the first drop of the puck to the hoisting of the Stanley Cup, every moment that matters is here.

With more than 150 thrilling photos, an introduction to the incredible year that was, and a full section of year-end statistics, Reflections 2012 celebrates the speed and strength, the emotion and excitement of hockey played at its highest level.

Battle On The Hudson

The monumental spring 1994 face-off between the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers is recaptured in Tim Sullivan's mesmerizing account, Battle on the Hudson: The Devils, the Rangers, and the NHL's Greatest Series Ever

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Arguably one of the greatest series in NHL history, it changed the face of hockey in the New York metropolitan area through 27 periods in seven games across 13 days, during which Ranger captain Mark Messier guaranteed a game-six victory.

The book presents a definitive portrayal of these two determined teams: the Rangers, an original-six franchise desperate to win their first title in 54 years, and the Devils, the underappreciated new kid from across the Hudson River who feverishly wanted to forge an identity of their own.

This in-depth retrospective conducts an unforgettable rollercoaster ride of emotions that lives in the hearts and minds of hockey fans forever.

Rookie by Lorna Schultz Nicholson

Released in March 2012, prolific author Lorna Schultz Nicholson has expanded into the realm of Young Adult novels. Nicholson is well established in the middle grade fiction category as well as hockey non-fiction for various audiences.

Nicholson's foray into the YA shelves of your favorite bookstore includes the hockey themed book Rookie.

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Fresh off the plane from Vancouver, sixteen-year-old hockey player Aaron Wong is excited to be starting his first year at Podium. Aaron has to make friends and fit into a new high school, while adjusting to a new home and a family. Things seem to be going well for the rookie, but the hockey team captain has it in for him. Aaron’s world is turned upside down when the captain makes him the target of a brutal hazing at the team’s first party. To turn his year around, Aaron has to overcome his embarrassment and confide in friends and coaching staff.

The 144 page book is an easy read. It would be a perfect choice for the young reader in your life, especially if he or she is a reluctant reader to begin with.

Also released earlier this year by Nicholson and Lorimer books is a title called Vegas Tryout. It is about a Toronto girl who goes to Las Vegas in pursuit of her synchronized swimming dream.

Launch Party For Dave Bidini's 1972 Summit Series Book

Those in Toronto on September 11th can take in the ECW Press launch party for Dave Bidini's new hockey book A Wild Stab For It: This Is Game Eight From Russia.

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Red Rising: The Washington Capitals Story

Ted Starkey and ECW Press offer the new book Red Rising: The Washington Capitals Story.

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From the depths of the National Hockey League basement in 2003, to the league's most recognizable, successful, and offensively potent team just seven years later, this book chronicles the rebranding and reemergence of the Washington Capitals.

Fueled by the arrival of charismatic Russian superstar Alexander Ovechkin, as well as other gifted young players, the Caps have transformed themselves from a chronically underachieving organization with an eroding fan base into an organization that players, media, and fans respect.

Featuring original interviews with Capitals players, coaches, and staff from the past decade, including team owner Ted Leonsis, as well as the expertise of dozens of the NHL's most informed media personalities, this work examines how the once-anonymous hockey franchise became not only a success in Washington, but around North America and the world.

Hockey Superstars 2012-13 by Paul Romanuk

Paul Romanuk is back with the latest rendition of his annual Hockey Superstars series.

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Here's more from the publisher:

Learn about more of the NHL's greatest stars in this perennial favourite!

More than twenty-five years after this annual''s first publication, kids (and their parents!) still look forward to Paul Romanuk''s Hockey Superstars each season.

Seventeen NHL superstars are profiled with glossy, full-page, full-colour photos, as well as bios, previous-season stats, and pull-out interview quotes.

Hockey Superstars also features fun, interactive fill-in pages so kids can choose and track their favourite players, learn about referee signals, and count down to the Cup!

This all-star collection features Phil Kessel, Steve Stamkos Evgeni Malkin, Marian Hossa, Zdeno Chara, Marian Gaborik... and many more!

A must-have for any hockey fan as they head into the next exciting hockey season!

Flyers Lives: Philadelphia Hockey Greats Share Their Personal Stories

Jakki Clarke, the daughter of the Flyers legend Bobby Clarke, is coming out with Flyer Lives: Philadelphia Hockey Greats Share Their Personal Stories.

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Stretching back to the team’s birth in the National Hockey League expansion of 1967, this record follows the Philadelphia Flyers’ story, starting with the rabid fan base they built during their “Broad Street Bullies” era of the 1970s. The hard-charging Bullies’ back-to-back Stanley Cup victories in 1974 and 1975 are documented, and the team’s status as a perennial contender is illustrated through their 34 playoff appearances. Penned by charismatic superstar and team manager Bobby Clarke’s own daughter Jakki, this account reflects the personal relationships the author established with many of the team’s best skaters. 

Drawn from up-close interviews with more than 30 of the Flyers’ greats regarding their lives, playing careers, challenges, and successes, this compilation is a must-have keepsake that all Philadelphia hockey fans are sure to cherish. Players from all eras are represented—including Billy Barber, Bernie Parent, Mark Howe, Keith Primeau, and more—sharing never-before-told stories about learning to skate, playing pranks in the locker room, enjoying the fruits of victory, and overcoming crushing defeat. Containing valuable advice for both athletes and parents, this is an intimate look at a group of men who have experienced the ups and downs of a demanding sport at all levels.

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Straight Shooter: The Brad Park Story

The official biography of an NHL legend - Available now!

By the time he retired, Brad Park had surpassed the great Bobby Orr in career assists by a defenseman. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame the first year he was eligible, and later named one of the Top 100 NHL players of all time by The Hockey News, Park will forever be remembered as one of the greatest men ever to take the ice. The first and only authorized biography of Park's life and career, Straight Shooter: The Brad Park Story , delves deeper into his legendary success than any book has before, bringing together exclusive, candid insights from Park himself, as well as interviews with dozens of players, family members, and key figures from the hockey world.

Covering Park's early years growing up in Toronto, to his first exposure to the NHL with the New York Rangers and his stellar performance with the Boston Bruins, through the twilight of his career and retirement, the book examines every aspect of his remarkable life in unprecedented detail. Giving hockey fans a full, frank look at the career of an NHL legend—including the challenges Park faced in his personal life, including caring for his physically handicapped son—Straight Shooter is a fascinating look at one of the game's true greats.

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The Year of the Los Angeles Kings

The Year of the Los Angeles Kings: Celebrating the 2012 Stanley Cup Champions , is the only officially endorsed and licensed Championship book by the NHL and is the must-have Stanley Cup collectible for all fans of the game!

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The Los Angeles Kings won their team's first Stanley Cup after a dominant postseason run that saw them go 16-4 while setting a record for Playoff wins on the road. They started the season as unlikely contenders, built a strong team over the season, and then battled their way through the two-month marathon that is the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

In the end, the Kings' roster not only looked like a Cup champion, but played like one. Led by American-born captain Dustin Brown, the Kings dominated the postseason. Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar, complemented by newly acquired forwards Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, formed the core of a team that faced the best in the League, and won. But the emergence of Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Quick was the true key to the Los Angeles victory.

Now On Kindle: Cold War by Roy MacSkimming

One of the best books on the 1972 Summit Series is now on available as an ebook.

Cold War: The Amazing Canada-Soviet Hockey Series of 1972 is newly re-released available on Kindle for just $9.99.

Here's my original review of the identical traditional release :

Roy MacSkimming is a gifted Canadian writer, as proven in the book Cold War. He attempts to re-capture much of the drama, suspense and symbolism of both the on ice action and off of it. Of course, it is nearly impossible to truly relive the era, especially to audiences that never lived through it in the first place. Even it has become even harder to explain to newer generations as the world in 1972 is as foreign to them as the Soviet players were to us.. Regardless, MacSkimming comes as close as anyone has in reliving the series in it's original context as anyone has in print.

The book definitely serves as a definitive history of the 1972 Summit Series. Factually the book is very solid. The author also stretches a bit and attempts to reveal the impact on the players, on North American hockey and on Canadian culture in general.

If you are to read only one book on the 1972 Summit Series, make Roy MacSkimming's Cold War.