Hockey Book Reviews.com

When The Death of Hockey appeared in 1972, Bruce Kidd and John McFarlane were issuing a warning. They argued that hockey — once a community-rooted expression of Canadian identity — was being eroded by the growing influence of commercialization and Americanization. Their title was intentionally provocative, but the book itself is a thoughtful, passionate, and thoroughly Canadian meditation on what happens when a cultural touchstone becomes an industry first and a pastime second. Kidd and McFarlane write with the conviction of insiders who feel they are watching something precious slip away. They evoke the traditional rhythms of the game: frozen ponds, volunteer-run rinks, neighborhood rivalries, and the informal mentorship that defined Canadian hockey for decades. These passages are the book’s emotional anchor, capturing the romantic ideal of hockey as a community ritual rather than a commercial product. But The Death of Hockey is not merely nostalgic. The authors systematically exami...

Jeff Z. Klein and Karl-Eric Reif’s The Death of Hockey (1998) arrives as a sharp, impassioned polemic aimed squarely at what the authors saw as the NHL’s accelerating decline in the late 20th century.  Written with a mix of wit, anger, and deep affection for the game’s traditions, the book argues that professional hockey was being systematically degraded by corporate greed, overexpansion, and the encroachment of spectacle over substance. Klein and Reif, seasoned journalists with a keen eye for the culture of the sport, paint a dramatic portrait of a league losing its way — a league where too many teams, too many games, and too many business-first decisions were threatening the integrity of “the greatest game on earth.” The book’s underlying thesis is that money and mismanagement were killing hockey from within. The authors criticize league executives for chasing television markets over hockey markets, expanding into regions with little interest in the sport, and diluting on-ice ...

In The Don Cherry Story, Cindy Cherry offers a warm, intimate, and often disarmingly candid portrait of her father, the famously polarizing hockey commentator Don Cherry. Rather than attempting a traditional biography, Cindy constructs the book as a deeply personal memoir—one shaped as much by her own experiences growing up in the Cherry household as by Don’s public triumphs and controversies. The result is a narrative that feels refreshingly unfiltered, emotional, and unmistakably authentic. The book shines brightest when Cindy writes about the man behind the loud suits and louder opinions. She paints Don as a fiercely loyal, deeply caring family figure who was shaped by hardship, unwavering work ethic, and an immense love for the game of hockey. She recounts the difficult years in minor-league coaching, the challenges Don and her mother faced, and the unexpected ascent to national fame through Hockey Night in Canada. These personal stories give the reader a richer, more human versio...

I still remember when the affable James Duthie released his first book. The Day I Almost Killed Two Gretzkys was a joy to read, full of fun stories. He subsequently came out with The Guy On The Left, referring to his famous role as TSN studio host, and Beauties. His newest book, Certified Beauties, is a continuation of the previous title. The series is a fun and sometimes heartfelt celebration of hockey as more than just a sport.  In this collection, the TSN broadcaster curates a rich tapestry of stories that range from hilarious pranks to deeply emotional moments, pulling back the curtain on what players, coaches, and hockey lifers really talk about when the cameras are off. This particular book features a bit too much locker-room bravado for my liking. But that is just me. I tend to not want to know what hockey heroes are like off the ice. I just care that these guys are great hockey players, and really good people. After hour pranks - such as the time Darcy Hordichuk captured an...

I live in a small northern town and magazines and books are not easily found outside of our small Walmart. So whenever I travel to the city (Vancouver or Victoria usually) a stop at Chapters or Indigo (and the many great independent and used bookstores on Vancouver Island) is always a must. Being able to see and physically handle all the new hockey books is a pure treat. Nothing will get you appreciating the ability to flip through a book in a bookstore than living in the far north. On my most recent trip I stumbled upon a very interesting periodical at YVR airport that I had no idea even existed. Though I initially thought the layout and presentation was not as appealing as I would have liked, I decided to spend fifteen bucks and read it on the youninety minute flight home.  Fifteen bucks for a magazine that you flip through once and forget about is a lot. But let me tell you I was completely wowed by the captivating writing throughout the publication. The magazine is O Canada: Wa...

First and foremost, it should be said that this is not a hockey book. It is a book written by one of hockey's most interesting people and best writers. Ken Dryden has always been more than the sum of his résumés. Goaltending icon, Member of Parliament, cabinet minister, lawyer, thinker, and bestselling author — his books have long revealed his gift for stepping back from life and seeing the larger patterns beneath it. In The Class: A Memoir of a Place, a Time, and Us, Dryden turns that lens inward, but the result is far broader than a personal memoir. This is a thoughtful, often moving examination of how ordinary lives unfold within the currents of social change, and how the people we grow up beside quietly shape us. The “class” of the title is Grade 9G at Etobicoke Collegiate Institute, the so-called “Selected Class” of 1960, a group of 35 students chosen for an advanced academic stream. Dryden reconnects with many of them more than sixty years later. He calls them, visits them, ...

More than four decades after first attempting to tell his story, Dave “The Hammer” Schultz has finally set the record straight. Hammered: The Fight of My Life is a raw, honest, and surprisingly reflective memoir from one of hockey’s most feared and misunderstood enforcers. Written with acclaimed journalist Dan Robson, this new book gives Schultz the voice and depth he was denied back in 1981 — when his first autobiography, ghostwritten by Stan Fischler, left him dissatisfied and misrepresented. In the 1970s, Schultz was the face of the Philadelphia Flyers’ “Broad Street Bullies” — the bruising, brawling teams that brought both fear and back-to-back Stanley Cups to Philadelphia. He was the NHL’s ultimate enforcer, setting records for penalty minutes and embodying the rough-and-tumble ethos of the era. Yet beneath the blood and bravado, there was always a more complicated man, one wrestling with his own identity, guilt, and the consequences of his violent role. Hammered finally gives...

For those who live and breathe goaltending — who understand that the crease is both sanctuary and battlefield — Goalies: Guardians of the Net is a visual and historical treasure. Authored by Denis Brodeur and Daniel Daigneault, this 1997 release is an ambitious and loving tribute to hockey’s most unique and misunderstood position. With more than 150 goaltender biographies and well over 500 action photos, the book serves as both an encyclopedia of puck-stoppers and a photographic celebration of their art. The strength of Goalies: Guardians of the Net lies in its remarkable imagery. Many of the photos are drawn from the vast personal collection of Denis Brodeur, a man who lived a life immersed in the crease and in the rink. Brodeur, a former Canadian Olympic goaltender who backstopped his country to a bronze medal at the 1956 Cortina Games, later became one of the most respected photographers in the NHL. His eye for the position is unmistakable — every frame captures not only the athlet...

As a lifelong fan of the Vancouver Canucks and especially of the electric 1994 squad that came so heart-breakingly close to winning the Stanley Cup, I found the new Gino Odjick biography to be an essential read—not just for its tribute to one of our cult heroes, but for the full portrait it gives of the man behind the jersey, the Indigenous role-model, and the teammate who made a difference on and off the ice. Gino: The Fighting Spirit of Gino Odjick profiles one of the most beloved athletes in Vancouver history. It is written by local journalist Patrick Johnston and Gino's close personal friend Peter Leech. It was a must write turned into must read book. Sadly the project happened after Gino's premature death. Gino Odjick arrived in Vancouver as a raw, imposing presence—an enforcer by trade, but quickly becoming so much more. The authors trace his origins from the Algonquin community of Kitigan Zibi (near Maniwaki, Québec) where Gino’s father Joe, himself a survivor of Canad...