Hockey Book Reviews.com

Andrew Podnieks is back, with an impressive lineup of research and writing help, to give us Fast Ice Superstars of the New NHL . At first glance I was really excited about this title. Wonderfully presented throughout it's glossy and colourful pages, this book profiles more than 60 of the top young players in the National Hockey League today. Since I'm known much more for hockey history, I have to admit to not knowing as much about the up and coming stars as I would like. Cam Atkinson was an All Star last season, and I knew nothing of him. Vincent Trochek isn't from Eastern Europe?! Sam Reinhart - now which of Paul Reinhart's kids is this? And with Lucas Aykroyd, Rob Del Mundo and Carol Schram helping to put these biographies together, I was certain this was my chance to learn some fascinating things about today's young stars just as the 2017-18 season gets underway. Unfortunately I found the brief biographies to be very pedestrian. Given the talent crew work...

Veteran hockey writer Andrew Podnieks has teamed up with up-and-rising Rob Del Mundo (of TMLFans.ca fame) to give us the new book "The Best, Worst, and Biggest NHL Trades of All Time." At $12.99 this 240 page book is going to be a hit. Buy The Book - The book is available exclusively at  Chapters/Indigos stores in Canada and websites . Shipping is available throughout Canada and the United States. What a great trip down memory lane. For me, and many fans of my generation, the trades that rocked my world the most were the Gretzky to LA and Lindros to Philadelphia trades. To the authors credit, they didn't get too crazy re-hashing these two trades. Yes, they are among the most important moments in the history of the game, but their coverage has been largely exhausted. The authors don't allow any trades to dominate the book. While the Gretzky and Lindros trades jump to mind immediately, the authors certainly do not forget about Brett Hull or Doug Gilmour leaving...

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 ...

Andrew Podnieks and the NHL have teamed up again for their annual summer release honouring the Stanley Cup champions. Of course that means The Year of the Chicago Blackhawks: Celebrating the 2013 Stanley Cup Champions is an absolute must-have for all Chicago fans. Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com Now I know in the past I've been a little bit critical of this series. It is rushed out just a few weeks after the hockey season has ended and as a result follows a rigid template year after year. I would like to see the NHL take a little more time and come up with something a little more unique from year to year. The Stanley Cup champion and their fans deserve that. But the 2013 release, published by Fenn/McClelland and Stewart, is a gem as is. The Blackhawks season, which started with an unprecedented winning streak and ended with Lord Stanley's mug, is brilliantly captured by Podnieks' writing and by the beautiful photography that fills the 144 pag...

Andrew Podnieks has put together the new commemorative book Team Canada 1972: The Official 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Summit Series Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com Podnieks, who has put together over 50 hockey books now, offers a comprehensive text complete with in-depth interviews of every surviving player and a large collection colour photographs. Team Canada 1972 is the definitive look at the Summit Series 40 years later, still powerful, still resonating, still remarkable. With every living player contributing to the book with personal memories and thoughts of the series, this official publication provides fans with the most detailed and exciting look at the series. Brian McFarlane put out a similar book for the 30th anniversary. At 293 pages, Podnieks' version is m ore in depth. He retells the familiar story of the 1972 Summit Series events by letting the players' memories take center stage. All in all, if you are a well studied ...

With it's fiery cover and colorful, action packed, photo intense content, the NHL and author Andrew Podnieks  had those popular Guinness Record and Ripley's Believe It or Not books in mind when they put out  NHL Records Forever: Hockey's Unbeatable Achievements . Buy The Book:  Amazon.ca  -  Chapters  -  Amazon.com This book celebrates many of the NHL''s most amazing stats, records and achievements. Think Hockey Guide and Record Book (though less comprehensive) with a much more contemporary design and loads of incredible hockey photographs. In many ways Records Forever is very much a tribute to the game and to the all time greats. Every vibrant page enthusiastically covers each achievement and explaining why it will never be equalled. In total 50 of hockey's greatest achievements are celebrated. Though perhaps aimed for a bit of a younger audience, the content can be enjoyed by any hockey fan. It is a great way to reminisce or learn about...

Yet another Andrew Podnieks offering in 2011 is Sid vs. Ovi: Crosby and Ovechkin - Natural Born Rivals . The book is published by Fenn/McClelland and Stewart. Buy The Book: Amazon.ca  - Chapters - Amazon.com - Kindle eBook Here's more from the publishers: Even before Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin began their NHL careers in 2005, the two players were rivals. They first met at the World U20 (Junior) Championship, playing for the gold medal, and ever since they have been opponents in the NHL and international arenas. No two star players could be so different. Crosby is the consummate captain and team player, the responsible face of the NHL. Ovechkin is the loose cannon on ice and off, capable of a great play or a cocky comment. Sid vs. Ovi traces this intense rivalry game by game, year by year, from 2005 to 2011 and beyond. Their biographies are given consideration alongside their in-game performance and career development to present a clear picture of their lives, th...

Andrew Podnieks is back with a look at the weird, wild and wacky with Hockey Superstitions: From Playoff Beards to Crossed Sticks and Lucky Socks . Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com - E-Book Hey, we all have crazy superstitions, especially when it comes to hockey. During the 2010 Olympics I discovered a winning combination I stuck with to help both the mens and women's Canadian teams win gold. I had to sit in the same spot, with the remote control facing a certain direction. Most importantly, I had lucky Canadian flag socks that I did not wear but rather kept folded to the right of me. During moments of the game I deemed to be the most crucial, I would then hold the socks. Hey, it worked! Twice, even. Double gold medals! So what are some of the more crazy superstitions in hockey history? Here's a top ten list of crazy superstitions and good luck symbols as per Andrew  Podnieks new book, Hockey Superstitions: From Playoff Beards to Crossed Sticks and L...

2010 features yet another Andrew Podnieks offering with Retired Numbers: A Celebration of NHL Excellence . In this book he looks at all the players who have had the highest team honour possible - the retiring of their jersey number. This big book lists all 116 retired honourees in chronological order in terms of the dates of the number retirement. Each player is profiled with a two page spread. Two photos and a very brief career synopsis are included, as is a look at the result of the game played on the jersey retirement night. Most interestingly, and too often too short, is a section reserved for each player talking about the actual retirement ceremony. What special moments were featured, who were the special guests, what was the honouree's response. It is interesting to contrast such ceremonies by era and by franchise. Otherwise the book is a bit of a generic briefing of great players from yesterday, presented in a nice but formulaic format. The book could use some more col...

Andrew Podnieks and Fenn Publishing have already released the 2010 Stanley Cup championship commemorative book The Year of the Blackhawks . The book offers few surprises in that it uses the same layout and approaches as it does every year. Hence the fast publishing date.What you get it is a glossy, photo-filled celebration of the Chicago Blackhawks 2009-10 Stanley Cup title. It is simply a must have for any Blackhawks fan. Buy the book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com Here's the specs: Paperback: 184 pages Publisher: Fenn Publishing Company Ltd. (Jun 18 2010) Language: English ISBN-10: 1551683350 ISBN-13: 978-1551683355 Here's more from the publisher, Fenn: After a 49 year drought, Chicago has again claimed hockey’s greatest prize – winning Lord Stanley’s Cup. It is the ultimate goal. It is the most recognized and sought-after trophy in sport and winning hockey’s greatest prize and hoisting the Stanley Cup in celebration is the dream of every player to e...

Coming March 15th, Andrew Podnieks is churning out a must have 2010 Olympics keepsake for Canadian hockey fans. Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters Also, keep your eye out for commemorative magazines issued, including this one by Sports Illustrated: And this one by Sports Illustrated Canada And of course The Hockey News:

This is one of my most favorite hockey books in my extensive collection: Andrew Podnieks' Canada's Olympic Hockey Teams: The Complete History 1920-1998. I bought before Christmas 1997 and a year later I bought another copy as a back up because I referred to it so often that it was breaking down. It is also a book that people constantly asked me how they could get a copy. The book surprisingly disappeared pretty quickly as the publisher remaindered the book and offered it for as little as $3.99 before everyone could get a copy. Enter the year 2009, and we have excellent news to report. Podnieks is back with a beautiful updated book called Canada's Olympic Hockey History, 1920-2010 . Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com Produced by HB Fenn and The Hockey Hall of Fame and endorsed by Hockey Canada, this beautiful 256 page book is every bit the must have book as the original. Only this time, it will not be nearly the secret. The book is full of some of the most am...

Oh there is just something absolutely wonderful about flipping through a book. As amazing as the internet's potential is, and despite all of the challenges facing the publishing industry, I do not think that will ever change. Take for example IIHF Top 100 Hockey Stories of All-Time , a joint project of the International Ice Hockey Federation and HB Fenn. As part of the IIHF's 100th anniversary celebrations, IIHF.com counted down the 100 top international hockey stories from their past century, 1908-2008. Every day for over three months they slowly revealed their choices. It was a taxing read, at times boring, easy to forget and painstakingly drawn out. Now they put the exact same text and many of the same photos into a 180 page book, and voila, a whole new, and much improved, experience is born. The book is well laid out and attractive. It is a little small to be termed a coffee table book, but it is an enjoyable and fun book to pick up and flip through. The mix of black and w...

The 2008-09 season was setting up nicely for Martin Brodeur. He was likely to set all time NHL records for wins and shutouts by a goaltender, all but crowning him as the greatest goalie of all time. After a strong start, a torn bicep shelved the New Jersey Devils great for four months, and certainly putting any coronation on indefinite hold. So what is Marty doing for four months? Perhaps he has spent some time reading Andrew Podnieks new book The Unbeatable Martin Brodeur . Actually, it is more likely that he has spent time promoting the title. That is because he is well aware of the juvenile title, cooperating fully with Podnieks. Brodeur wrote the introduction himself, and had his father supply all the color photos in the book. Published by HB Fenn , the 96 page paperback is an easy read. Podnieks nicely chronicles Brodeur's childhood right through to his Stanley Cup and Olympic glory. The book is a fast, action-packed look at one of hockey's extraordinary nice guys. After l...

The book: Honoured Canadiens , hardcover, 256 pages The Author: Andrew Podnieks The Publisher: HB Fenn Release Date: October 1st, 2008 Pre-order: Amazon - Chapters Book Description The beginning of the 2008/2009 NHL season marks a significant date in hockey history, for it celebrates the centenary of one of the leagues most storied franchises the Montreal Canadiens. Through their hundred years, the Montreal Canadiens have demonstrated their will to succeed by capturing more Stanley Cups than any other team in hockey history (24) . The Stanley Cup is the most recognized trophy in sport and the most coveted trophy in the hockey world. Montreal's ability to win as many times as their history shows would not have been possible without the contributions made by their many talented members and this book is dedicated to them. The Montreal Canadiens have sent 62 Players and Builders on to the Hockey Hall of Fame. From coaching and managerial legends including Sam Pollock and Scotty Bowma...

In 2008 the International Ice Hockey Federation is holding the world championships in Canada for the very first time. Obviously the worlds clash with the NHL playoffs from a timing stand point, and traditionally the worlds aren't as overly accepted in Canada as they are over in Europe, but somehow it seems odd that hockey's world championships have never been held in the sport's motherland. What makes it even weirder is 2008 marks the 100th anniversary of the IIHF, a fact I don't think a lot of North American fans realized until recent marketing campaigns. With the games coming to Quebec City and to Halifax, the IIHF has many commemorative projects in the works, including special events, ceremonies, and interactive exhibits both in person and online. A full list of events can be seen here . For hockey book lovers, the IIHF has just released a beautiful 228 page coffee table book, World of Hockey: Celebrating a Century of the IIHF . The project was closely directed by S...

The hockey book writing machine better known as Andrew Podnieks churned out another gem with the 2006 Greystone Books release A Canadian Saturday Night: Hockey and the Culture of a Country . The author of nearly 50 titles takes a look at how tightly connected hockey is with all aspects of Canadian culture. He examines how hockey, which began as "a geographic and meteorological fact," developed into such a significant part of our everyday lives. Even those Canadians who do not enjoy the sport can not escape it. Hockey is the quintessential Canadian experience. Podnieks does not approach this book with any grand thesis or encyclopedic chronicling. Instead he provides an admittedly subjective history of random things that have transcended the game itself to shape us culturally, socially, politically and mythologically. Podnieks goes on to dedicate a full page of text and unique and beautiful color photos of great Canadian experiences such as yelling "car," humming t...