Hockey Book Reviews.com

Risto Pakarinen had just a wonderful post on his website about his first and still favorite hockey book in his collection - Valeri Kharlamov's 1979 autobiography, written in Finnish. First, he made it clear how much he truly loved this book: It’s dog-eared, it’s underlined, it’s been photocopied and plagiarized (in my school essays), it’s been with me from breakfast to bedtime and back in a day, it’s got food stains and other smudge, I’ve read it as a pre-teen, a teen, a young adult, and as a grown man – and I’ll be reading it again and again in the future. I’ve had it with me on the bus and to the gym, I’ve studied it, memorized it, and lived it. Then, he answered his friend's question as to whether he would sell it to him, for any price. "Not for 20, 30, or 100 euro. A hundred euro is not enough because 500 is not enough. Sure, 500 euro might get me a trip to New York City, or buy me that Lego Star Wars Death Star I’ve been saving for, but I can’t ask a guy to p...

Esteemed author Kevin Shea had some high praise for James Duthie's new book The Day I (Almost) Killed Two Gretzkys . From his Twitter account : James Duthie's 'The Day I (Almost) Killed Two Gretzkys' -- funny as hell. It's early, but gets my vote for the hockey book of 2010.   Here's more information on the first of two James Duthie books to hit the shelves this season. You can also buy the book here: Amazon.ca - Chapters -  Amazon.com  

Earlier this summer we talked about Michael McKinley's highly acclaimed first novel The Penalty Killing . The novel has a definite hockey theme, as the protagonist is a former hockey player framed for murder who goes about solving his own mystery. The book transcends hockey into the world of fiction and pop culture, which is woefully (and strangely) overdue. Today we are going to look at another book just along those lines. It is called The Hanging Tree , written by author Bryan Gruley and released by Touchstone in August, 2010. Buy The Book - Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com This mystery novel is set in the small, fictional town of Starvation Lake, MI, where the winters are cold and hockey is a way of life. Gruley brilliantly captures the hockey culture and interweaves it throughout the story. This novel is one of the best novels I've ever read. I truly believe this should be made into a motion picture.  What is the book about? Here's the official line ...

About a year ago I mentioned a rare book I found in a used bookstore in Chilliwack, British Columbia. It was a cartoon book called Hockey Is A Funny Game Book 5 by sports cartoonist Merv Magus. I was able to contact Mr. Magus and let him know how much I enjoyed the cartoons. I was happy to learn that he was looking into re-releasing the book complete with new content. Magus' idea has now come to fruition with the release of Hockey Is A Funny Game Book 5.5 Magus, a Vancouver based sports cartoonist with over 20 years experience, offers some classic cartoons as well as the popular Hockey History Series. Magus looks at 10 great moments in history, telling you the story while adding his own comical twist. Magus completes the book with a series of puzzles and games designed to test your hockey knowledge. The games are ranked from amateur to pro. Here's a couple of samples of what you can find inside the book: And a sample of one of the puzzles: You can see several mor...

"He changed china, albeit in his own way…" - Anthony Germain, CBC At first glance Canadian vagabond Rudy Kong's discovery of life in China would not be high on the reading list of most hockey book enthusiasts. But I am here to tell you that you would be wrong, and that there is one at least one chapter in Kong's book Dragons, Donkeys and Dust that you simply must read. Kong is a Canadian physical education teacher living in and raising a family in China. I'm still living in the town I grew up in. This guy moved half way around the world! Fortunately I can live vicariously through him in this highly acclaimed book. How acclaimed? None other than CBC's China correspondent Anthony Germain (there's someone who would understand Kong's journey if there ever was one) says the "book is filled with fantastic anecdotes . . . . some marvelously critical, others just very charming." I haven't had a chance to read the whole book. Unless you liv...

Great news hockey fans. The Hockey News Yearbook is arriving in subscribers' mailboxes and store shelves in the coming few days. Finally a break from the summer heat with some anticipation of ice-filled days ahead! Did you know that there actually nine different cover images of the THN Yearbook that are available for sale? Let's take a look at these region by region images: Chicago Detroit  Buffalo/Boston New York/Washington Philadelpha/Pittsburgh Toronto/Ottawa Montreal (English) Montreal (French) Edmonton/Calgary Vancouver

It is a safe bet that Gare Joyce and Damien Cox's new book The Ovechkin Project: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Hockeys Most Dangerous Player .will be one of the best selling hockey books later this year. JP over at Japer's Rink already has excerpts from the unauthorized biography coming available this week. Be sure to check out the critically acclaimed Japer's Rink for more.

Congratulations must go out to Oksanna Crawley. Her children's book, " So, You Be Keon and I'll Be Mahovlich " just got a rating of Excellent from the Canadian Association of School Libraries! " So, You Be Keon and I'll Be Mahovlich " is a heart-warming story about a little boy's dream to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The story cleverly weaves historical fact with fiction as it tells a magical and action-packed tale of the boy's hopes and of the mysterious hockey player who tries to help him overcome his fears and pursue his passion. Buy The Book - Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com Here's more information about the author, Oksanna Crawley .

The first book of 2010-11 hockey season 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.

I love going to used bookstores. Surprisingly, I have never come across either of my own books at any used bookstores. I took that as great news - everyone wants to keep my books! I was able to find a copy of World Cup of Hockey in Russell Books in Victoria when I was on vacation this summer. It was a nice surprise: If you are ever in Victoria be sure to check out both Russell Books on Fort Street and Snowden's on Johnson Street. Also head out to Sidney for 12 other bookstores in all within walking distance of each other. Just go early. Most close early.

From CP: The family of Bob Probert has decided to go ahead with a memoir the longtime NHL enforcer was working prior to his death. “Tough Guy,” due to be published Oct. 26, will recount his career with the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks when he was one of the most feared players in the game, and also delve into his off-ice troubles. Probert was co-writing the book with Kirstie McLellan Day before he suffered a heart attack and died last month. “He was really excited and happy about the opportunity to tell it like it really was — behind the headlines,” Dani Probert, his widow, said in a statement released by publisher HarperCollinsCanada. “After much deliberation, my family and I have decided to fulfil Bob's dream and publish the book.” Here's more from the publisher, HarperCollins: TORONTO (August 13, 2010)—Hockey enforcer legend Bob Probert was hard at work on a raw and candid memoir with acclaimed writer Kirstie McLellan Day when he died unexpectedly of ...

Check out this Vancouver Canucks program from the 1949-50 season. For those who do not know, the Vancouver Canucks joined the NHL in 1970. But they existed in the old Pacific Coast Hockey League which turned into the Western Hockey League from 1945 to 1970. This program featured up coming PCHL games against the New Westminster Royals and the Portland Penguins.

You do not have to dig too deeply into hockey's rich history to realize the impact the community of Kirkland Lake/Timmins has had on hockey. Dozens of players went on to the NHL and Stanley Cup greatness. Countless more are still legends in the area known as The Mile of Gold, as well as around the world. Many Kirkland Lake players made big impacts playing in the senior leagues, especially back in the 1950s and 1960s when, with only 6 NHL teams, the Allan Cup championships really were special. There was even three local legends of the 1958 World Championship team. Richard Buell has compiled it all in his 2004 book The Glory Of Our Game. He told me a second volume is due out soon. "Two volumes?!" I thought to myself. The first book was nearly 300 pages! How can you have another? But it quickly becomes evident that Kirkland Lake's hockey history is so rich and so expansive that you might need the whole Joe Mavrinac Community Complex to house it all. Buell break...

This is Maple Street Press's Maple Leafs Annual 2010-2011 . It is a season preview magazine that focuses specifically on the Toronto Maple Leafs. It will be available on store shelves right across Canada soon. You can pre-order your copy here . For the second year in a row I have had the great pleasure of contributing to the magazine. This year I have taken a look back at the most significant trades in the Maple Leafs history. From King Clancy to Teeder Kennedy to Frank Mahovlich to Darryl Sittler to Doug Gilmour to Wendel Clark, I look at how every distinct era in Leafs history is defined by a major trade. Also contributing to this year's edition are some big names I am happy to call colleagues - Kevin Shea, Greg Wyshynski, James Mirtle, and Dirk  Hoag amongst others. So be sure to watch for Maple Leafs Annual 2010-2011 hitting magazine racks near you soon.

Here's what I would assume would be a rarity - a French publication honoring Rocket Richard's arch nemesis Gordie Howe! I would be curious to learn just how well this magazine sold in Quebec! By the way, published by Robert Desjardins in 1966, the magazine features 120 black & white photos over 66 pages.

Author Helaine Becker and Scholastic Publishing have combined to look at some of the funniest and oddest moments in hockey history in the kids' book The Hilarious History of Hockey . It is illustrated by Bill Dickson. Buy The Book - Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com Here's the specs: Paperback: 172 pages Publisher: Scholastic Canada (Sep 1 2010) Language: English ISBN-10: 1443100390 ISBN-13: 978-1443100397 From the Publisher Did you know that early hockey pucks were made of cow poop? No? Well then crack open a copy of The Hilarious History of Hockey and get the all the funny facts and most ridiculous trivia about hockey history! Young hockey fans will learn the playful truth about the time the Montreal Canadiens left the Stanley Cup in the snow at the side of the road. Oops! And the real scoop behind the debacle of the Hockey Night in Canada Song contest. From trivia about the players to all of the gaffes, misses and downright embarrassing moments in ho...

Here's a rare and odd find from my personal library: It is a Philadelphia Flyers-centric book from 1971. Put together by Ed Conrad, writer for the Philadelphia Daily News and The Hockey News at the time, it is essentially a goofy caption book. There's a couple of dozen dark, grainy black & white pictures, mostly of unknown players then and especially now, with a simple caption to go with each. None of them are particularly hilarious. In fact, I would say the cover shot of the gap-toothed goal Doug Favell is about as funny as it gets.

Here's an odd book I found listed on eBay : It's a "Hockey Tat-oo" book from the 1950s: The near-mint book is listed at eBay at $100. No, I do not have any affiliation with the sale. Here's a couple of examples of the tattoos inside the book:

I once referred to the following title as "obscure" simply because I, a proud hockey book collector, had never seen it. It turns out I was wrong. The book is written by famous New York Times sportswriter Gerald Eskenazi, and he told me just how important the book was in it's time (1969): "When it came out, it sold about 20,000 copies at a (then) pricey $12.95. It was, in fact, the first really good-looking, and serious, big picture book on the sport. Got big play in the Gazette, the Globe and Mail, The New York Times--and a host of radio and television appearances. That led to five other hockey books in quick succession. The book came out just as hockey was bouncing into the 20th Century, a bit late. Expansion was on its way (a few years later, I updated the book into "The Fastest Sport")." I have yet to see the book in person. The book features the photography of Ken Regan. Eskenazi wrote several other hockey books, including A Thinking ...