Wendel And The Great One by Mike Leonetti

Hockey super-author Mike Leonetti annually releases a children's title. Previous titles include Gretzky's Game, The Greatest Goal, The Goalie Mask, Number Four, Bobby Orr!, A Hero Named Howe, Maple Leafs A-Z and the incredibly successful franchise starter My Leafs Sweater.

I'm a big proponent of spreading hockey history as Leonetti continues to do, though sometimes I'm surprised today's kids under the age 10 of ten would be interested beyond the great illustrations. But Leonetti usually works the hockey history into a story about a fictional youngster that today's readers can relate to.

Leonetti mixes that formula perfectly in his 2008 title Wendel and The Great One. It is published by Scholastic and features the excellent illustrations of Greg Banning.

Leonetti's historical focus is on the classic 1993 playoff series between the LA Kings and the Toronto Maple Leafs. It is a smart topic, as it allows the writer and publisher to cash in on Gretzky and on the Leafs. That's fine, because it gives us older readers a trip down memory lane as we read it to our own kids.

But unlike in the past, Leonetti does not just tell the story of what happens. No. Instead, he creates the story of a young player named David who was surprised to be chosen as the captain of his hockey team.

The genius of this book is that the story is not really about Gretzky or the Leafs, but about a youngster trying to figure out what a captain and what leadership are all about. He turns to his two heroes, Gretzky and Wendel Clark, as well as some other great figures away from the rink, to discover what it means to be a leader.

On the surface it is a fun book, aided nicely by the Banning's art work. Deeper beneath it is a title will hopefully teach youngsters the values of work ethic and leadership.

Wendel and The Great One is definitely worthy of placing under a Christmas tree in 2008. Check it out today!

By the way, this book is also available in French - Wendel Clark et le grand Gretzky

Buy The Book - Amazon - Chapters

The Hockey News: Greatest Masks Of All Time

First Jim Hynes and Gary Smith released their new book Saving Face: The Art And History Of The Goalie Mask.

Then the Hockey History Blogger listed his Top 10 Goalie Masks Of All Time.

Now here comes The Hockey News with their special interest publication Greatest Masks Of All Time.

The issue is available digitally, and will be hitting news stands everywhere soon. The collector's edition magazine is supposed to be on display all NHL season.

Keep this new magazine in mind for stocking stuffers!

Interviewing Johnny Bower About New Book The China Wall

Blip.TV's James McCreath recently had the opportunity to interview none other than Johnny Bower about his new book The China Wall

Reflections 2008: The NHL Hockey Year In Photographs

The book: Reflections 2008: The NHL Hockey Year in Photographs, Paperback, 160 pages
The Author: The National Hockey League
The Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre
Release Date: October 3rd, 2008
Order: Amazon - Chapters - Amazon.com

Book Description
Reflections 2008: The NHL Hockey Year in Photographs gathers together the highlights of a year’s worth of hockey memories, offering a spectacular pictorial chronicle of the 2007–08 NHL season.

With this photographic yearbook, fans will relive the season by poring over images of Sidney Crosby, Nicklas Lidstrom, Jarome Iginla, Vincent Lecavalier, Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo, Mats Sundin, and many other stars of the NHLl.

They’ll recall the great outdoor game where snow fell quietly as the “boys of winter” played before seventy thousand fans. From the first drop of the puck to the hoisting of the Stanley Cup, it’s all here.

The National Hockey League and the NHL Players’ Association are proud supporters of Hockey Fights Cancer, and a share of proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the cause.

About the Author
THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE AND THE NHL PLAYERS’ ASSOCIATION are proud supporters of Hockey Fights Cancer, and a share of proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the cause.

Joe's Comment: Folks, I got a quick look at this book at the book store today. Amazing photography. And the best part is some of the proceeds goes to a great cause.

Buy the book at: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com

Free Patrick Roy Books

Wiley is giving away two copies of Patrick Roy: Winning, Nothing Else. This offer is exclusive to readers of HockeyBookReviews.com!

All you have to do is email me the names of three other 2008 Wiley hockey book releases. Here's a helping hint - there are currently 5 2008 Wiley titles reviewed at HockeyBookReviews.com. It's just that easy! Then email your answers to hockeybookcontest@hotmail.com.

As always, those with the correct answers are put into a draw, with two lucky winners being selected randomly. One entry per person. Contest is open to North American mailing addresses only. Winners will be announced on October 15th.

The Montreal Canadiens: 100 Years Of Glory by D'arcy Jenish

As the Montreal Canadiens embark on their centennial season, it comes as no surprise that 2008 will see a number of titles about Les Habitants hitting bookstore shelves.

The Montreal Canadiens are unquestionably hockey's most celebrated team, including in the literary world. Over the years there are several significant volumes that have not only captured the Canadiens mystique, but contributed to it.

I'm thinking of books like The Montreal Canadiens by Claude Mouton, or Lions In Winter by Allan Turowetz and Chris Goyens or The Habs by Dick Irvin. And the absolute best of the best - The Game by Ken Dryden, My Life In Hockey By Jean Beliveau and The Hockey Sweater and Our Life With The Rocket, both my Roch Carrier.

Can this oncoming onslaught of Canadiens books really offer us anything new?

We will have to judge each book on it's own merits. But I can confidently say that The Montreal Canadiens: 100 Years of Glory by D'arcy Jenish does a great job of telling us the story of the Montreal Canadiens. And in doing so he offers us a new look at that history.

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

Jenish is an exhaustive researcher, spending four years souring through literally miles and miles of microfilm at archives and libraries. Why? Because he believes that too much of Montreal's glorified history has been passed on has been retold and skewed by wonderful nostalgia. By accessing the long forgotten work of the sports journalists who were reporting the moment history actually happened Jenish believes, rightfully, that his book captures the spirit of history as it unfolded.

By doing so Jenish captures the true history of the Montreal Canadiens, warts and all. He looks at the team's formation and near failing 100 years ago. He looks at how the team survived two World Wars and the Great Depression, barely, before becoming, some 40 years later, the greatest hockey team ever. He carries us through the glory years of the 1950s through the end of the 1970s, when the team unthinkably won 15 Stanley Cups in 23 seasons. Jenish then looks at the past 30 years of relative quiet, where fans have had to learn to be patient and have lowered expectations.

Along the way Jenish, a personal friend of Montreal Canadiens boss Bob Gainey, writes about many key figures in Montreal's history, correcting nostalgic misconceptions about many while remembering some of the more overlooked.

And he does this all largely through the work of the talented newspaper writers of yesteryear.

The book, published by Doubleday Canada, is a great read, and certainly a must for any true fan of the bleu, blanc et rouge. If you don't rush out and get it right away, make sure Santa knows it is on your Christmas list.

Saving Face: Top Ten Goalie Masks

Inspired by the new book Saving Face: The Art And History Of The Goalie Mask, I rank my personal top ten goalie masks of all time over at Top Ten Tuesday at GreatestHockeyLegends.com.