Welcome To Maple Leaf Gardens: Photographs and Memories Of Canada's Most Famous Arena

Author Lance Hornby joins forces with photographer Graig Abel to bring us Welcome to Maple Leaf Gardens: Photographs and Memories from Canada's Most Famous Arena

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Rome has the Basilica of Saint Peter. India has the Golden Temple. The Middle East has the Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Canada has no such spectacular place of worship. But there was a time that (at least in English Canada) Maple Leaf Gardens was about as close as we came.

Okay, so that's a bit of a stretch. But for hockey fans of a certain age there was no more hallowed ground than Maple Leaf Gardens. Hockey is the most dominant religion in Canada, after all.

Built in 1931 thanks to the vision and determination of team owner Conn Smythe, the corner of Church and Carlton streets became the centerpiece of hockey excellence not only in Toronto, but from coast to coast (minus Quebec thanks largely to those hated rivals the Montreal Canadiens). Modern day fans may have trouble believing it, but there was a time when Maple Leaf Gardens - now a grocery store/University athletic center - was the home to numerous Stanley Cup championships and many Hall of Fame players.

King Clancy. Charlie Conacher. Red Horner. Syl Apps. Turk Broda. Bill Barilko. Frank Mahovlich. Dave Keon. If hockey was a religion, these guys were the apostles.

Graig Abel and Lance Hornby carved out their own little place in the history of the Leafs and in the Gardens. Abel was hired by the team in the 1970s as the official photographer, a post he still holds today. Hornby has been on the Leafs beat for the Toronto Sun nearly as long, since 1981.

The two have teamed together to produce the new book Welcome to Maple Leaf Gardens: Photographs and Memories from Canada's Most Famous Arena.

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

The book is loaded with Abel's eye-catching photography over the years. With every turn of the page the reader is treated to amazing photos - mostly of hockey but also concerts, and other sporting events and professional wrestling. He has done an excellent job of chronicling the history of "the Carlton Street Cashbox.|

But the real highlight of the book is Abel and Hornby's commentary. They treat us to countless of inside stories of the Gardens and the Leafs. I particularly enjoyed learning about legendary public address announcer Paul Morris and an ice cream salesman named Pops, as well as small anecdotes about players and even celebrities.

Maple Leaf Gardens may have been the ultimate hockey shrine, but just like every other rink in the country it is not so much about hockey than community. Same goes for churches and mosques. And anyone who has ever had any connection to Maple Leaf Gardens - even if it was through their radios or televisions back in the day - will love to reminisce with this excellent new book.

Anchorboy by Jay Onrait

In the sports broadcasting world Jay Onrait is the comedic equivalent of Will Ferrell or David Letterman. To promote his new book, Anchorboy , he offers this Top Ten List:

TOP TEN THINGS YOU’LL LEARN WHEN YOU READ THIS BOOK:

10) Jay was beaten up by an MMA fighter on live television

9) Interviewing Will Ferrell can be a harrowing experience

8) Jay once ruined a perfectly good pair of underwear on Christmas Eve

7) Failing as a stand-up comedian can lead to a job in broadcasting

6) Jay ran a marathon to get a ticket for the 2010 men's Olympic gold-medal hockey game

5) Jay was sexually harassed at TSN by a senior citizen every day for ten years

4) Jay appeared as the Phantom of the Opera on national television

3) Jay was entertained nightly by free live sex shows throughout university

2) Jay was single-handedly responsible for Winnipeg's second NHL team being called "The Jets" (he claims)

1) Running around in a full-body unitard at the London Olympics is a bad idea

All this and more awaits you inside Anchorboy

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Don't Call Me Goon: Hockey's Greatest Enforcers, Gunslingers and Bad Boys

Co-authors Greg Oliver and Richard Kamchen bring us Don't Call Me Goon: Hockey's Greatest Enforcers, Gunslingers, and Bad Boys. The book is one of the earliest books to hit the store shelves just prior to the 2013-14 hockey season.

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There are three types of fan favourites on every team in hockey. There is the ace scorer. There is the star goaltender. And there is the tough guy. Often it is the tough guy who ranks highest on the list.

It is hockey's most controversial role. Violence in hockey has existed since the first time they dropped a puck. Not everyone likes it, but when these masters of mayhem drop the gloves everyone in the stadium is sure to get out of their seats. The fights are often highlighted later that night on SportsCentre.

They play an under-appreciated role on every team, even if it is a role that is tough to justify to a newcomer to the game. They are there to self-police the game, defending the game's honour by holding the trouble makers accountable. The best can also play the game, score a few goals, and shadow and intimidate the top stars in the league.

The book is a collection of dozens of profiles on hockey tough guys. Old timers like Joe Hall and Red Horner are honoured here, along with legendary heavy hitters like Tiger Williams, Stu Grimson, and Bob Probert. There are the fan favorites like Tie Domi and Georges Laroque, and today's stars like Arron Asham and Brian McGrattan.

The best part about the book is all of the first-hand accounts the authors have collected in what must have been hours and hours of interviews. Who better to talk about a hockey tough guy than another tough guy who took a beat down from him only to do it again the next time they meet? The respect factor between tough guys is completely evident in this book, and that really adds to the project credibility. Hearing Jay Miller talk about John Kordic, or Todd Ewen talk Bob Probert, for example, is fascinating reading.

And some of the stories these guys can tell! The stories about Bob Gassoff taking on all comers. Or the lengths Tony Twist went to to train himself for hockey fights. And the names like "Charlie" Manson or "Mental Case" Durbano immediately tells the reader that they have to read about these guys!

This book does not shy away from the controversies involved over fighting in hockey. The never ending debate about violence in hockey is examined as well as the new controversy regarding brain injuries. They also look at what I consider the biggest concern in terms of hockey violence these days - the rise of the rats.

Regardless where you stand in the fighting in hockey debate, this book is an entertaining read that offers a chance for what all tough guys ultimately want from the fans - respect as people and respect for what they do. Mission accomplished.

The Instigator: How Gary Bettman Remade The League And Changed The Game Forever

I recently re-read Jonathan Gatehouse's book The Instigator: How Gary Bettman Remade the League and Changed the Game Forever.

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"Two decades of lockouts, soaring ticket prices, and on-ice tinkering have convinced many hard-core fans that the NHL’s long-time commissioner Gary Bettman is the devil in disguise, but this book examines his motivations, peels back his often prickly demeanor, and explains how he manages to lead, confound, and keep order."

That's the book's opening selling line, though it reallly had me intrigued after the opening chapter describes the bizarre story of what Gary Bettman was doing during the 2011 Stanley Cup riots in Vancouver. After that one chapter I had incredibly high expectations that this book would give us a real look at the man behind the corporate figure.

Unfortunately the book never really gets back to that opening promise.

Instead the book details - lengthily, I might add - the history of the business side of the game in the past 20 years or so. The same 20 years that Bettman has autocratically ruled the NHL. But it never gets close to allowing us to know the real Gary Bettman. In no way does the book characterize Bettman in any way whatsoever, though it does acknowledge both sides of his perceptions - as a visionary leader and most successful NHL boss in history, and as a heartless businessman who only cares about the bottom line and not so much the game itself. Gatehouse does a good job of not defining Bettman but leaving that up to the reader (who probably enters this book with well-entrenched perceptions, anyway)

There are even lengthy stretches where the author offers some very interesting behind-the-scenes looks at the more contentious business issues in that time, but almost forgets about the commissioner during these examinations. The look behind the return to Winnipeg, the television network deals and a possible Canadian government bail-out plan are fascinating storylines, nonetheless.

It is important to remember to judge a book based on what it is, not what it is not. The Instigator: How Gary Bettman Remade the League and Changed the Game Forever has a lot to offer, especially as a detailed history of the business side of the NHL during Gary Bettman's reign. Anyone interested in these topics will find value in the text.

Still, I find it disappointing that the book did not go where I had hoped it would - offering a whole new perspective on Bettman the man and and appreciation for the job he does.

The Kid Who Missed The Bus by Matt McCoy

Matt McCoy is a former pro hockey player turned first-time author. His 226 page novel, “The Kid Who Missed the Bus ” was released by Central Avenue Publishing earlier in 2013.

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The main character is Danny Boy Doyle - “the Real McCoy” - hinting that this is in part an autobiographical tale - an Irish born kid who ends up on British Columbia's north coast. He falls in love with the game of hockey, though he has more determination than skill. Still, he leaves home at 15 to play junior hockey, never getting close to the NHL. But he is able to get some college education and plays some pro hockey in some oddball places like England and Texas.

That all sounds pretty stereotypical but McCoy fills the gaps with good storytelling.  McCoy has an honest writing ability, which is obvious from the start. He is very detailed in his descriptions which helps to quickly capture the readers attention. From there it is a fast read with something to offer on nearly every page. It's great to see the quality of hockey fiction improving with authors like McCoy.

Ultimately this book is not so much about hockey, but the growth of a very interesting main character from a youth, to a cocky young hockey player, to a guy who makes a few mistakes along the way to the man he is today. It is a coming of age story that is generating a lot of buzz on Amazon.ca in particular.

The stories do explore Danny Boy's affairs with women and alcohol. That's where the story gets a bit lewd and crude, and the writing does, too. The best way I've seen it described is uncomfortable. By no means are these storylines uncommon in a lot of young hockey players' worlds, especially for the players not on the NHL track. While there are lessons to be taken from these stories, beware buying this book for young adults or for readers who would rather just stay away from that.

Hockey, unlike baseball, has never really transcended the mainstream literary market. Sure there's lots of hockey biographies and photo-filled coffee table books and, dare I say it, colouring books. But only recently are we starting to see a serious crossover into other genres like fiction, mystery and even smut where hockey plays the supporting role. It is good to see another solid contribution to this growing marketplace.

A Very Hockey Christmas

All Nicholas wants for Christmas is . . . everything hockey!

Nicholas can hardly contain his excitement leading up to Christmas. There's only one thing on his wish list: hockey gear!

When the big day arrives, Nicholas is ecstatic to discover that he got what he asked for! Only — uh oh — nothing is quite right . . .

When Nicholas realizes he's not the only one with this problem, he has a big one-size-fits-all idea to save the day.

A Very Hockey Christmas is a 32 page children's book is put out by Scholastic. It is written by Gilles Tibo and illustrated Bruno St-Aubin. They have teamed up in the past to bring us hockey titles such as Where's My Hockey Sweater?, The Big Game, and The Best Goalie Ever. Check it out!

Buy A Very Hockey Christmas at Amazon.ca or Chapters. You can also buy the book in French - Le Noël de Nicolas

Sneak Peek At 2013 Hockey Books: Where Countries Come To Play

Where Countries Come to Play: Celebrating the World of Olympic Hockey and the Triple Gold Club by Andrew Podnieks.

Preview: Where Countries Come to Play chronicles each Olympic tournament, from the 1920 Antwerp games to Vancouver in 2010. Illustrated with photographs from the IIHF archives, the book features rare pictures of games and players, as well as memorabilia and artifacts. Each event is retold through a detailed narrative that will offer fans a complete history of Olympic hockey, including amazing stories from both on and off the ice, organizational challenges, bitter battles, player's tales, and spectacular hockey action. The book also contains a prelude to 2014 Sochi and a detailed appendix of Olympic hockey stats.

As well, Where Countries Come to Play celebrates the IIHF's Triple Gold Club, whose members have each won an Olympic Gold Medal, a Stanley Cup, and a World Championship. For the first time in book form, the elite club's twenty-five members are profiled and the story of their accomplishments told.

The book will be publsihed in advance of the Sochi Winter Games and is the must-have hockey book for all fans of the game and for anyone that has ever cheered for their nation as they skated out onto the ice.

Pre-Order The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com

2014 Hockey Calendars

A Great Game by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper

From the National Post:

The Canadian public got its first look at the title and cover for Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s long-anticipated non-fiction book about the early days of professional hockey.

Set for release on November 5, A Great Game: The Forgotten Leafs and The Rise of Professional Hockey tracks hockey from the first years of Canadian confederation to the First World War.

A promotional website launched by publisher Simon and Shuster promises the book is “a fascinating look at the hockey heroes and hard-boiled businessmen who built the game” and features a one-minute video showcasing black-and-white photos of early hockey teams against a triumphal soundtrack.

Notably, the website makes no reference to the day job of author “Stephen J. Harper,” but assures that he writes with a “fan’s passion.”

Here's the full story