Hockey Book Reviews.com

I recently re-read Jonathan Gatehouse's book  The Instigator: How Gary Bettman Remade the League and Changed the Game Forever . Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com "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...

The Tales From The Locker Room series has spanned many franchises in North American pro sports, including several NHL hockey teams. Over the years the series has tired, thanks largely to hit and miss products based largely to the choice of author. Well Skyhorse Publishing - who recently purchased the series from Sports Publishing - certainly picked the right guy when they asked Robert Lefebvre to write  Tales from the Montreal Canadiens Locker Room: A Collection of the Greatest Canadiens Stories Ever Told . Buy The Book:  Amazon.ca  -  Chapters  -  Amazon.com Lefebvre's status as a Habs historian can not be questioned. He established one of the top blogs in all of hockey -  Habs Eyes On The Prize  - based largely on his fascination with hockey history. He left the blog a couple of years back to pursue another Habs history related book (which I can not comment on, but I eagerly await it's release!). In his study of that subject his knowled...

Amazon.ca Widgets A look at the upcoming 2012 hockey book releases: 1972 Summit Series: The Untold Story Angela James: First Superstar of Women's Hockey A Season In Time by Todd Denault A Wild Stab For It by Dave Bidini Barry Melrose: Dropping The Gloves Battle On The Hudson Bernie Parent: Unmasked The Best Of Down Goes Brown Best Seat In The House by Jamie McLennan Brass Bonanza Plays Again Breakaway: Untold Stories of Hockey's Great Escapes Captain James T. Sutherland: Battle for HHOF Chicken Soup For The Soul: Hooked On Hockey Coach: The Pat Burns Story Concussed! - Keith Primeau and Kerry Goulet Crosby's Golden Goal  by Mike Leonetti Derek Sanderson: Crossing The Line  with Kevin Shea Dit: Dit Clapper and the Rise of the Boston Bruins Empire Of Ice: Rise and Fall of PCHA Flyers Lives by Jakki Clarke The Goal That United Canada: 72 Amazing Stories Gold Mine To Gold Medal by Ivan McLelland Hockey Hall of Fame: Book of Jerseys Hockey Ni...

Before Twitter, before 24-hour sports channels, long before fans watched highlight goals on their phones—long before something called a “highlight” had been invented—there was  Hockey Night in Canada . It was cutting-edge technology back then. Anywhere in Canada, a hockey fan could come in from the snow, sit down by the radio, listen to a game played in Montreal or Toronto, and experience the thrill of a game played hundreds, or thousands, of kilometres away. Before all of what we call Canada had joined Confederation, even before the “Original Six,” there was  Hockey Night in Canada  to define both the country and the game. Then, sixty years ago, another technological marvel changed the game—and the country—and launched the longest-running program in the world. CBC’s  Hockey Night in Canada , for the first time, was on television. At first fans worried that television would ruin the game. Now Canadians can hardly imagine the game without the CBC broadca...

"Where was the first organized indoor hockey game played? When did the tradition of engraving winners’ names on the Stanley Cup start? Which six brothers collectively played in more than 5,000 NHL games? Answers to these questions and many more can be found in H Is for Hockey: A NHL Alumni Alphabet . Formed in 1999, the National Hockey League Alumni Association is affectionately known as “Hockey’s Greatest Family” for good reason. Members of the NHL Alumni are considered hockey ambassadors, supporting the game and its history through many charitable causes and programs. Written by one of the game’s foremost historians in Kevin Shea, this book pays tribute to them and the sport they love. Adding a personal touch are the memorable quotes sprinkled throughout the text. When 17-year-old Sidney Crosby was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2005, he said, “This is amazing. It’s been a lot of hard work and a lot of sacrifices. It’s unbelievable!”" The book is wonderfully...

Wearing the "C" insignia on the uniform-a badge of honor reserved for team captains-is professional hockey's highest honor, and this study discusses how many of the NHL's all-time greatest players were captains. The exciting new book - Wearing the "C": Leadership Secrets from Hockey's Greatest Captains - an entertaining and enlightening blend of hockey stories and leadership lessons-reveals the secrets of hockey's greatest captains by asking questions such as: What does it take to lead a team to championship?  What are the keys to overcoming unexpected adversity?  How does a captain manage strong egos from diverse backgrounds into a unified, focused team?  To get the inside story, author Ross Bernstein interviewed more than 100 of the all-time greatest captains, assistant captains, and head coaches, including Wayne Gretzky, Scotty Bowman, Phil Esposito, and Joe Sakic. For me this is a fascinating read. I thoroughly enjoy the chance to l...

Mike Leonetti is back with yet another in his long line of hockey history inspired children's titles. This time his work was inspired by and titled with Crosby's Golden Goal Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com Missing NHL hockey this season? Maybe Mike Leonetti's newest release  Crosby's Golden Goal  will help you rediscover your love for the game, all while spending some quality time with the children. This book relives the excitement of Sidney Crosby's "golden goal" at the 2010 Winter Olympics through the eyes of a young hockey fan. Tyler has grown disheartened with hockey too, but for different reasons. But in this fine book he  rediscovers the joy of hockey through Sidney Crosby''s famous gold medal goal. Tyler's life has always been about hockey: hockey after school, hockey on weekends, hockey on holidays... hockey, hockey, hockey. So his parents are surprised and disappointed when Tyler abandons the game he...

Some players, such as the great defenseman Chris Pronger, are blessed with the opportunity to turn their amazing physical abilities and talent into a Hockey Hall of Fame career. Most players are nowhere near as fortunate. They spend their careers riding buses in the minor leagues, spending their meal allowances at McDonalds and staying in no-name motels. If they are really lucky they get a chance to play in the NHL, often with a weak, new expansion team where they experience more losing than winning. Maybe they can parlay that into appearances with a stronger NHL team, though more likely serving as a healthy scratch than not. Those players are affectionately termed as journeymen. Players such as Chris Pronger's brother, Sean Pronger. In 12 professional seasons Sean Pronger played with 16 different teams in 5 different leagues spanning 3 countries and 2 continents. In fact, in only 3 of those seasons did he stay with the same team for the entire season. The older Pronger ...

Stanley Cup: 120 Years of Hockey Supremacy is the definitive book on the history of the Stanley Cup and the championship teams that have won it. In honor of the 120th anniversary of the first winner of the Stanley Cup, author Eric Zweig has collected the details of every cup winner from 1893 to present. Hockey fans can chart the course of hockey history and revisit the dynasties and Cinderella stories of each and every decade. Zweig presents each Stanley Cup winner in an illustrated two-page spread, detailing playoff brackets, club rosters and playoff statistics, as well as providing stories and sidebars outlining the incredible journey each team took to achieve hockey supremacy. Presented between seasons are highlights of some of hockey's best and most controversial playoff moments, such as Brett Hull's "no goal" in the 1999 final or Bobby Baun's overtime winning goal for the 1964 Stanley Cup. Also included in this expansive volume are personal stori...

This a long over due book. Sudden Death: The Incredible Saga of the 1986 Swift Current Broncos  tells the story of heartbreaking tragedy that shook a Canadian town and the whole hockey world to it's core. On December 30, 1986, the Swift Current Broncos set out for Regina to play the Pats. A few kilometres east of Swift Current, their bus left the highway and four players died in the crash. Trent Kresse, Scott Kruger, Chris Mantyka, and Brent Ruff (younger brother Buffalo Sabres legend Lindy Ruff) were killed. The rest of the team, led by future NHL star Joe Sakic, played out the season despite the loss. In a move to memorialize the fallen players, the WHL now awards the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy to the league's Player of the Year. Two seasons later the Broncos won the 1989 Memorial Cup. Graham James, general manager and head coach, was the hottest thing in hockey. But few were aware of what was going on behind the scenes. In 1996, having moved on to the Calgary Hitmen...

Notable children's writers/illustrators Gilles Tibo and Bruno St-Aubin have teamed up to give us the new hockey themed children's book The Big Game . It's a beautiful book with a nice story - kinda Robert Munsch-like. Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters Nicholas has his parents, his coach, the other spectators, and even his sister doling out advice on how to take on the top team in the league. But with opinions coming at them from all sides, Nicholas and his teammates can't decide who to listen to. Between periods, Nicholas comes up with an ingenious plan to save the day — and stop every shot on goal! When he shares his winning strategy with the rest of his team, they can't help but come out on top. Featuring Nicholas, the star of the bestselling Where's My Hockey Sweater? and The Best Goalie Ever, fans will love this new story that puts him back on the ice! About The Authors Gilles Tibo is a compulsive writer. As one of Canada's most import...

Count all the ways to have fun at the hockey rink! Over at the rink Where the anthem's sung, The whole town gathered For some hockey fun. Set to the catchy rhythm of the traditional counting song "Over in the Meadow", Over at the Rink: A Hockey Counting Book describes a delightful jaunt to the local ice rink. The story of the game is counted up to ten, when the players finally hoot, "Let's play again!" Scot Ritchie's expressive, humourous illustrations capture the excitement of the day, perfectly complementing the rhyming story. This is one title that will have young readers yelling, "Let's read it again!" Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters

Jeremy Roenick, one of the premier hockey players of his generation and one of the greatest American stars the NHL has ever known, shares his life story in this frank and unflinching autobiography - J.R.  Buy The Book -  Amazon.ca  -  Chapters  -  Amazon.com After making his debut as an 18-year-old with the Chicago Blackhawks, Roenick thrilled fans with his flashy style, take-no-prisoners approach, and jaw-dropping skills. A native of Boston, Roenick went on to play for four more franchises—including the Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings—during his incredible 18-season career. By the time he was through, Roenick had racked up 513 goals—the second most of any American-born player—and 703 assists. Now a tells-it-like-it-is commentator for NBC and the NHL, Roenick takes readers on a behind-the-scenes, warts-and-all tour through his illustrious career, both on and off the ice. Written with Kevin Allen. My take - Oh good ol' J.R. Either you...