Hockey Book Reviews.com

I'm just starting the book Now is the Winter , and to say the least it is very promising if not already spectacular. It is an academic's view of hockey, somewhat of a rarity in the sport. Editors Jamie Dopp and Richard Harrison explain in the book's introduction: "There was (and still is) a massive body of hockey writing in Canada; however, most of it was hockey journalism chronicling the exploits of colorful players, teams or eras, and rarely, if ever, studied in the academy. Hockey-related biographies kept fans happy, but weren't curriculum material - the lone exception lying, perhaps, in Ken Dryden's groundbreaking and meditative 1983 memoir, The Game. And though there were also many hockey histories, events in hockey rarely figured in textbooks on Canadian history as a whole, with the exceptions of the Richard Riot in 1955 because of its connection with the Quiet Revolution, and the 1972 Summit Series because of its links to the Cold War. Both of these were...

Parry Sound, Ontario. Just the mention of this town evokes the image of hockey. Why? Because it is the hometown of none other than Bobby Orr - perhaps the greatest player to have ever played. While Orr may have put this town on the map, hockey in Parry Sound has a far richer history than just what it's most famous hero offers. Hockey on the Georgian Bay goes back to the late 1800s, over half a century before Orr was even born. Rick Thomas, who grew up playing hockey on the Seguin River and is best known as a long time minor hockey coach in the area, has been busy preserving hockey's amazing history in Parry Sound. He has just released his first volume of research, looking at the pre-Orr years from 1896 to 1941. It is called Early Hockey Years in Parry Sound. Thomas does a wonderful job of piecing together the city's hockey history by exhaustively combing through the archives. His self-published book is a wonderful effort, very professional and appealing to the eye. Now obvi...

Theo Fleury is unveiling his very own video and audio podcasts on his website, www.theofleury14.com . Fleury talks about current happenings in the world of hockey, bringing his unique perspective on the game as one of the sports' greatest players. His first podcast features discussion about Patrice Cormier's disturbing hit and the Stefan Auger/Alex Burrows incident. With the Olympics nearly upon us Theo also shares his golden memories of 2002. I was also in conversation with Kirstie McLellan Day, Fleury's autobiographer. She is currently working on new material for an updated paperback release of Fleury's bestselling book Playing With Fire , including Theo's attempted NHL come back and the media blitz about his book. There is no confirmed date for the paperback release, but I would expect to see it hit store shelves in autumn 2010.

Women on Ice: The Early Years of Women's Hockey in Western Canada is the first book to focus on the early history of women’s hockey in western Canada. Buy The Book - Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com This beautiful book more accurately follows the history of the Vancouver Amazons, Vancouver's second notable women's hockey team. They were perhaps the most famous western Canadian women's team in the 1920s, although not necessarily the most successful. They had unique connections with men's major professional hockey, specifically Frank and Lester Patrick, who let them practice at their arena complete with artificial ice. The author does a good job covering the story of the Amazons, likely because their history was a little easier to trace given Vancouver's newspaper archives. So many of the other women's teams in western Canada at the time came from smaller centers, and their histories have only been sporadically recorded. Mr. Norton touches on western Canad...

Former NHL referee Ron Wicks has a new book out called A Referee's Life. Wicks was a NHL referee for 26 years, so he must have an amazing collection of stories to choose from to compile this book. I have not yet seen a copy of this title yet, but NorthernLife.ca has a good rundown and interview with Wicks. For more than 25 years, Ron Wicks has been blowing the whistle on some of hockey's greatest legends. Sporting a sweater with names like Howe, Hull, Orr, Lemieux or Gretzky left little impression on the official who, in a way, became an NHL legend himself. “I put them, and hundreds of others, in the penalty box because they deserved it,” Wicks wrote in the introduction to his new book, A Referee's Life. “Rules are rules, and I called 'em whenever anyone broke 'em.” You can read Laurel Myers full article here .

As promised, I will do a monthly Non-Hockey Book Review . It forces me to read something not about hockey. And I figure why not share my thoughts here with you guys. Maybe you'll be intrigued by the book, too. Einstein's Refrigerator is a collection of oddball but true stories. Usually each story fills 3 or 4 pages in this 180 page book, making it a perfect book to pick up and put down. You can quickly read a passage or two, and learn something real neat. And learn you will. I had no idea about a molasses flood that plagued Boston, or that George Washington was actually not the first president of the United States, or that for years there has been a chicken, named Mike, who has running around with his head literally cut off. Some of the stories are a bit crude, like Fartman, and others are downright amazing, like that of Nikola Tesla, the scientist most of us have never heard of but he was smarter than Einstein. Oh and speaking of Einstein, did you know he spent several years l...

The first book of 2010 appears to be Wendel Clark's book Wendel: My Life In Hockey. The book is published by Jackson Events, which is a handling service for celebrities, namely hockey players. It is available at Chapters but not Amazon so far. I am trying to get a review copy. In the mean time, be sure to read Mike Zeisberger's Toronto Sun article about the book. Also be sure to check out WendelClark.ca and his Facebook and Twitter feeds for more information on the book and sales locations.

Chapters has recently put the Patrick Roy biography , written by his father Michel, on the bargain shelves. You can now pick up the hard cover book for just $7.99. Just visit Chapters and look in the 90% section. You can expect a number of hard cover titles to hit the Chapters bargain sections in the coming weeks as publishers prepare for paperback releases in autumn 2010. Also consider: Bruce Dowbiggin's The Meaning of Puck, now just $5.99.

John Thompson grew up in Mildmay, Ontario, a little known town in the South Bruce area north of London and Kitchener. Nowadays Mildmay is home to about 1200 people. Mildmay is typical of any small Canadian town. In fact is not so different than many neighborhoods and inner-communities within Canada's bigger towns and even large cities. The hockey rink is much more than a place of sport. It is a place of community, a place of social gathering. This was especially true in the years after World War II when Thompson was growing up. It was a time of innocence. For the young hockey players of the Mildmay Monarchs, this was their glory days. Published locally in 2006, Thompson goes on to document hockey's great history in this small Ontario town. He scours through the news archives, retelling stories of yesteryear, from great victories to the day Rocket Richard came town. He relives his youth while keeping alive the memories of local heroes gone by, names like Hat Trick Harry Dosman, ...

Alright, it's January 2010, which means we are still a good 10 months away from the peak of this year's hockey book season. But I have big plans for Hockey Book Reviews in the meantime. With the Olympics coming fast, we will soon be looking at some great international hockey books. Of course we will be previewing the hockey book class of 2010. I have a couple of texts I have to catch up on: So, You Be Keon and I'll Be Mahovlich by Oksanna Crawley and Hockey Night in Mildmay by John Thompson. And I'm also introducing a new feature called 2 Minutes For Booking, where I will share a favorite passage from a hockey book in my library. In addition to enjoying the quote, hopefully it will introduce you to some old hockey books for you to add to your own library. My first installment of 2 Minutes For Booking features Bruce Dowbiggin's 1998 book Of Ice And Men. And just for fun, I thought I might throw in the odd non-hockey book I find of interest, and maybe you would to.

Here's a great quote from Bruce Dowbiggin's book Of Ice and Men : "They say it is a true story, and even if it isn't, it's too good not to tell. Pugnacious junior Link Gaetz of Spokane showed up at the 1988 amateur draft sporting two black eyes. To everyone in attendance at the Montreal Forum that day, the burly defenseman looked the essence of hockey toughness - to everyone except Glen Sather, that is. Asked to appraise the young prospect, the Edmonton Oilers president, general manager, and, at the time, coach - took one look at the battered Gaetz and said, "I'll take the guy who gave him the black eyes." Published in 1998 by McFarlane, Walter & Ross, Bruce Dowbiggin's Of Ice and Men is a collection of four biographies. Dowbiggin takes a look at Detroit's great leader, Steve Yzerman; Chris Chelios' two way brilliance; Dominik Hasek's uncanny goaltending; and master architect Glen Sather. The book is a bit dated, as all four of th...

Here's a look back at the class of 2009 hockey books. 100 Rangers Greats Biggest Book of Hockey Trivia Blue Ice Canada's Game: Hockey and Identity Canada's Olympic Hockey History, 1920-2010 Coast to Coast: Hockey & WWII From The Broadcast Booth : Brian McFarlane Gabby : Bruce Boudreau Goaltenders: The Expansion Years Good, Bad, Ugly: Detroit Red Wings Gretzky's Tears : Stephen Brunt Hat Trick: Harley Hotchkiss Hockey Dad: Bob McKenzie Home Ice: 2010 Olympic Hockey Guide I'd Trade Him Again : Pocklington Jacques Plante: Man Who Changed Face of Hockey Leafs Abomination Le Québec mis en échec Let's Talk Hockey Let The Games Begin Making It In Hockey NHL Guide & Record Book Now Is The Winter Pelle Lindbergh: Behind The White Mask Pick Up Hockey Playing With Fire : Theo Fleury Puck Funnies Reflections 2009 7 Pre-Game Habits of Pro Hockey Players Squaw Valley Gold The Hockey Goalie's Complete Guide The Pursuit of Hockeyness The Rangers, Bruins & End Of...