100 Things Blackhawks Fans Should Know And Do Before They Die

The latest entry in the Triumph Books "100 Things" series is 100 Things Blackhawks Fans Should Know And Do Before They Die.

It is written by Tab Bamford, the owner and managing editor of CommittedIndians.com and columnist at The FourthPeriod. None other than Jeremy Roenick contributes the foreword.

These "100 Things" books tend to be pretty formulaic. They offer a lot of franchise history which is always a great thing. There are a lot of contemporary fans who have no idea about the glorious history of the Chicago Blackhawks and that is a shame. That is why I recommend this book as a Christmas gift for the Chicago hockey fan on your Christmas shopping list.

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

Here's much more information about the book courtesy of the Triumph Books press release:

The storied Chicago Blackhawks professional hockey franchise has long been full of pride and passionate fans, and the Hawks have provided decades of incredible memories for its legion of loyal followers. The tradition of congregating at the United Center on a cold Chicago evening is the perfect night for any Hawks fan, and author Tab Bamford captures this tradition and others in the new book, 100 Things Blackhawks Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die.

100 Things Blackhawks Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die was written for all of those serious NHL fans in the Windy City who want to enhance their Blackhawks hockey IQ. It reveals special stories and experiences from fans and memorable moments about past and present players and coaches. Sports journalist and author Tab Bamford shares what's really important and he touches on some of the most famous games, players and traditions in Hawks history including:

• The incredible and stirring national anthem rendition by Jim Cornelison
• After a 49-year drought, the Hawks remarkable run to the 2010 Stanley Cup
• The dominant 1961 squad that brought a championship to Chicago
• How Rocky Wirtz, John McDonough and crew dramatically turned around the franchise
• The old Chicago Stadium and the transition to the new United Center

Hardcore Chicago hockey fans will thoroughly enjoy reading about all of these incredible facts, people, and stories that have created such a legacy for the Hawks over the decades. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Bobby Hull, Denis Savard, Stan Mikita, Tony Esposito and many more influential players, coaches and front office personnel are featured throughout 100 Things Blackhawks Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die.

So whether you are heading to the Madhouse on Madison, taking in a road game with the well-traveled Hawks Nation or watching Coach Quenneville run the show on Comcast Sportsnet this season, you know you are part of something special as a fan of the Chicago Blackhawks. If you want to call yourself a true Chicago hockey aficionado, increase your knowledge of the franchise, and experience the full extent of Blackhawks hockey, then 100 Things Blackhawks Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die is a must read.

About the Author:
Tab Bamford is the owner and managing editor of CommittedIndians.com, serves as a columnist at The FourthPeriod and contributes a featured sports blog at ChicagoNow.com. He was proud to be credentialed media during the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, but can usually be found in Section 302 at the United Center. He has professionally covered the NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB and PGA, and lives in the Chicago suburbs with his wife and two sons.

My Country Is Hockey

I got My Country Is Hockey really late in the 2011 calendar year, which is unfortunate because it is a fantastic book. Had I received it earlier it definitely would have garnered serious consideration for 2011 Hockey Book of the Year.

I earlier lamented how fellow 2011 hockey book "How Hockey Explains Canada" really explained nothing at all. If you are looking for explanations, buy this book instead.

Just how did the Canadian self-image become so linked to hockey in the first place? Brian Kennedy examines this question and other as he grapples with what being a Canadian really means. Discover:

Why violence is so deeply engrained in hockey culture, and how those roots can be traced back to a single, seminal moment in Canadian history

The origins of the game to see which community can rightfully claim to be the birthplace of hockey

The deep imprint hockey has made on our culture, from national institutions such as Hockey Night in Canada to the symbolism of the Stanley Cup

How Canada’s values and fighting spirit have been shaped by the toughness and teamwork on the rink.

“An intelligent and reflective look at hockey's place in the fabric of Canadian society... [My Country is Hockey] might be the best read of the current season's hockey offerings.”
-Eric Duhatschek, Globe and Mail sports columnist

My Country is Hockey is an interesting self examination of Canada and Canadians, examining the game's history and myths that have interacted to create an interesting self image.

An intellectual but by no means a heavy academic read, this is the kind of book that I personally need more time with. I need more time to process what this book is saying so that I can decide what I agree or disagree with. But that is the best part about this book. It asks questions, offers hypothesises and, best of all, makes you think about your game, your country and yourself.

Buy The Book - Chapters - Amazon.com

About the Author

Brian Kennedy was born and raised on the outdoor rinks in Montréal, and although he now lives in California, he remains a true Canadian. Brian holds a PhD in English and teaches at Pasadena City College, but his freelance sports writing is his real calling. He covers the Anaheim Ducks and the LA Kings, and his insider access combined with his scholastic background makes Brian Kennedy one of the world’s few true “hockey academics.”

Toronto Maple Leafs Christmas Gift Ideas

2011 Hockey Book of the Year

Congratulations to author Gare Joyce and the fine folks at publisher Wiley. HockeyBookReviews.com has named their book The Devil and Bobby Hull as the 2011 Hockey Book of the Year!

2011 proved to be a tough year to choose a winner as there was no real runaway leader. Runner up was Jason Farris' Behind The Moves. Others that were seriously considered were The Lives of Conn Smythe by Kelly McParland,  The Lost Dream: The Mike Danton Story by Steve Simmons, Wayne Gretzky's Ghost by Roy MacGregor, Cornered by Ron MacLean with Kirstie McLellan Day,  Extraordinary Canadians: Maurice Richard by Charles Foran and Hockey Hall of Fame Book of Treasures.

I gave The Devil and Bobby Hull because it was the one new book that I just could not put down. The content was rich and well researched. Gare Joyce's characterization of Hull was fascinating. The book was also entertaining with stories of the NHL's Original Six and the wacky WHA.

Previous winners of the prestigious HockeyBookReviews.com Book of the Year award include:

2008 - Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems by Randy Maggs
2009 - Playing With Fire by Theo Fleury with Kirstie McLellan Day
2010 - The Day I (Almost) Killed Two Gretzkys by James Duthie

Here's more on the 2011 Hockey Book of the Year!

The Devil and Bobby Hull

As the epic battles between Rocket Richard and Gordie Howe reached their zenith in the 1950s, another superstar arrived in the same stratosphere. Bobby Hull - hockey's Golden Jet - was every bit as good as his counterpart #9s. In fact, he was kind of a hybrid of the two. He had Howe's size and strength, and Richard's flare for the dramatic.

He may have been the greatest player of his era, the 1960s, carrying the torch from Howe and Richard until Bobby Orr came along. Hull was pro sports first million dollar man, and he had the million dollar smile to go with it. Not unlike Wayne Gretzky after him, his personality was contagiously appealing, almost as important as his athletic prowess. He transcended the game to almost Hollywood proportions

But, for a variety of reasons, Hull's lasting legacy does not measure up with the likes of Howe or Richard or Orr or Jean Beliveau. Instead he is painted as a more dastardly character. His key role in jumping to the WHA ruffled many feathers, leaving him estranged for decades with the Chicago Blackhawks, the team he is most associated with and won the Stanley Cup with. The Wirtz family, owners of the team, held a deep grudge and did what ever they could to keep Bobby out. Of course the narcissistic Bobby also has himself to blame in his tainted legacy, thanks to a very messy and very public divorce (Tiger Woods could relate) that swirled with domestic violence.

Gare Joyce offers a look at one of hockey's greatest players in The Devil and Bobby Hull: How Hockey's Original Million-Dollar Man Became the Game's Lost Legend. As Joyce says, "the world of hockey glory was his to lose. And he did."

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

Read the full HockeyBookReviews.com review.

Support GreatestHockeyLegends.com and HockeyBookReviews.com by making your online orders via our affiliate links. Also check out my new ebook - Pucks On The 'Net - for just $4

Hockey Book of the Day: Wayne Gretzky's Ghost

Roy MacGregor has been called "the best hockey writer in the country," and we finally have a collection of his very best hockey writing, revised and updated, in Wayne Gretzky's Ghost: And Other Tales from a Lifetime in Hockey

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

Full book review at HockeyBookReviews.com

Support GreatestHockeyLegends.com and HockeyBookReviews.com by making your online orders via our affiliate links. Also check out my new ebook - Pucks On The 'Net - for just $4

Stan Mikita: Forever A Blackhawk

In 2010 I was very pleased with the autobiography/coffee table style Bobby Hull book The Golden Jet.

In similar format author Bob Verdi and publisher Triumph Books are back with Stan Mikita in 2011 with Forever a Blackhawk. It is every bit as good, and, unfortunately, equally under the radar. This is a fantastic book worthy of your consideration.

The as-told-to autobiography reads a little-too simply, but Mikita`s story carries the book. Like how as a kid in the former Czechoslovakia German troops occupied his home during World War II. Or once he moved to Canada, he loved to play the game but had no early connection with the NHL. When Rocket Richard, Boom Boom Geoffrion and Doug Harvey showed up at his school to sign autographs, he had never heard of them! Then of course there is all the stories of Bobby Hull and the Scooter Line and the Chicago Blackhawks.

It is a fascinating read for any fan of Stan Mikita and the Chicago Blackhawks.

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

The name Stan Mikita is synonymous with greatness when it comes to hockey in Chicago and throughout the NHL. As one of the most charismatic and electrifying athletes of his or any era, Mikita thrilled fans with his unique combination of speed, skill and toughness. Along the way, he became known as one of the finest centers in hockey history and is still widely regarded to be the best at his position of the 1960s.

Mikita now has his electrifying career highlighted in the new book Forever a Blackhawk, where he traces his life and career from his days as a youngster in Czechoslovakia and then Canada to his current role as a Blackhawks ambassador. Throughout the book, beautiful photos reflect on Mikita's greatest moments and achievements, including:

• His days as a youth in Czechoslovakia to being adopted by his aunt and uncle in Canada
• Earning hockey's ultimate prize in 1961: Lord Stanley's Cup and a championship ring
• Leading the league in goals in the 1961 playoffs
• Using his innovative curved stick to win face-offs and set a league record in scoring
• Being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983
• His current role as ambassador of good will to the Chicago Blackhawks

Featuring hundreds of rare, full-color photos from his personal archive and accompanying text from legendary Chicago sports columnist and Blackhawks team historian Bob Verdi, Forever a Blackhawk gives Mikita's millions of fans a never-before-seen glimpse into the life of this hockey icon. Bringing the pictures to life is an exclusive commemorative DVD, which includes highlights, interviews, and behind-the-scenes clips from the Blackhawks' video library.

A must-have keepsake for Blackhawks fans of all ages, Forever a Blackhawk is a rare opportunity to celebrate the life of one of the greatest hockey players in Chicago's history. It is truly a must have for old time fans of the Chicago Blackhawks.

IIHF 2012 Guide And Record Book

Most of you are very familiar with the annual National Hockey League Guide and Record Book. Well now us international hockey fans will have to make more room on their bookshelf as the IIHF has gotten into the same game. Out in late 2011 is IIHF 2012 Guide and Record Book

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

At 640 pages this colossal Guide includes information on every top level event, every IIHF member nation, and, indeed, every player to appear in even a single game since international hockey first took hold in 1920. In all, more than 12,000 players are included, as well as every coach, every referee, every linesman and every stat imaginable.

The 2012 IIHF Guide and Record Book is the official and only complete source of information for international hockey. It covers all top-level events from the Olympics to World Championships to junior events, from men's hockey to women's hockey, from 1920 to the past and present seasons.

At 640 pages, it contains the scores and standings for every international game and event ever contested, the statistics for every player, coach, and on-ice official in IIHF competition history, and the results and histories of every nation that has ever participated in an IIHF event. Full of information on every aspect of the international game, this is the one and only source fans will need if they are interested in the World Junior Championship, Team Canada, or any other aspect of the international game.

With a special section on the World Junior Championships taking place in Alberta this Christmas, this is the most important book hockey fans will need this season.