Hockey Book Reviews.com

Two of the bigger names in hockey journalism (Damien Cox and Gare Joyce) combine forces to bring us the new book The Ovechkin Project: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Hockeys Most Dangerous Player . Buy the book - Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com The book, however, disappoints. It is written with a negative theme, as if the authors' mandated their vision right from the outset. I heard one of the authors (Joyce) try to defend their approach as painting him as tragic figure. I don't buy it. The book reads as if the authors go out of their way create an image of a spoiled prima donna more interested in the spotlight than winning. The book is split between two storylines. The first is of Ovechkin's youth in Moscow, where they treat his mother as a controlling freak, detached from emotion and pushing him too hard. On the other hand they treat his father as a happy-go-lucky dolt. They should have spent more telling us about the effect his brother's death had on him. Whi...

The Chapters Bargain Book section has a number of hockey titles. Be sure to check it out.

2010 brings the sixth edition of the very popular series Hockey Now! by Mike Leonetti. Aimed at younger fans and newer fans, Leonetti looks at the best players in the game today in this book complete with lavish photography. The series seems to run every other year. There is little change from edition to edition, except for presentation and selection of players. The hottest players in today's game are all featured. Hockey Now! is always a pleasing book, full of glossy colour photography, interesting side bar facts and quality biographies of all of today's stars. This book is always a hit with youth and teenage hockey fans, as well as novice adult fans. Buy The Book - Amazon.ca -  Chapters - Amazon.com Here's the specs: Paperback: 176 pages Publisher: Firefly Books; Sixth Edition edition (Aug 1 2010) Language: English ISBN-10: 1554076390 ISBN-13: 978-1554076390 Here's more information from Firefly , the publisher: Hockey Now! provides hockey fa...

Author David Skuy and lead character Charlie Joyce are back, chasing hockey dreams but learning so much more about growing up and life in general. The new book is called Making the Cut . Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com   This is the third book in the Game Time series. The previous stories are Off the Crossbar and Rebel Power Play . The whole series is aimed at boys aged 10 and up who are amongst the most reluctant readers out there. No doubt they would rather be playing a sport or a video game, so anything that could lure these youths to the wonderful world of books is definitely welcome. For those familiar with the series, the book continues on nicely from previous stories. But by no means do you have to have read the first two books to pick up this title. It works as well as a stand-alone read as it does as part of the series. Here's the specs: Paperback: 240 pages Publisher: Scholastic Canada (Oct 1 2010) Language: English ISBN-10: 1443104833...

W.C. Mack has her first hockey themed children's book out. Aimed at readers 8 through 12, Hat Trick is a story of young hockey player JT McDonald who is unhappy to be bumped by a new player as the best player on the team. JT is none to happy about that, and that only leads to trouble away from the rink, too. But soon enough JT learns his new rival could turn into his best friend - on and off the ice. It's a good story with a good message. It is no classic by any stretch, but it is great that more and more hockey themed stories are becoming available for boys aged 8 through 12. After all, that is probably the most reluctant group of readers at the youth level. If hockey can get these boys to read more books, then that is a great accomplishment. The book is as much about doing well in school as it is doing well on the ice. So if you have a young hockey fan who is perhaps a reluctant reader or struggling a bit in school, W. C. Mack's Hat Trick may be the perfect stocking...

Backed by Northwind Press, author David Ward and illustrator Brian Deines bring us a story of how two kids new to the neighborhood make all the friends they could ever want thanks to their father's grand Christmas gift - a back yard hockey rink! The book is titled One Hockey Night . Their previous release, The Hockey Tree , was a real gem of a story so my expectations were high with their new project. I was not disappointed. The story is a heartwarming story of hockey and holidays. The story is very well written. Even the earliest of readers (the book is aimed at readers aged 4 to 8) can feel the emotions in this easy to read text. Many kids will certainly relate to having to move away from their friends and home. But the grand surprise at the end of the story will make any reader smile and feel good. And the illustrations nicely compliment the book. The best part is there really are two main characters here - the hockey loving son Owen, but also the goaltending star daugh...

In what appears to be the first in a series of new titles from Scholastic, veteran childrens/young adult author Mike Leonetti offers us Hockey Greats: Awesome Centres . The book, aimed at ages 9 through 12, looks at the lives and careers of three of hockey's greatest players: Jean Beliveau, Wayne Gretzky and Vincent Lecavalier. The 110 pages are full of surprisingly in depth biographies and color photos as well as statistics and facts. The book is very eye catching and, despite the lack of contemporary star players, the book is sure to be a hit with its intended audience. Knowing nothing about the book previously, I was surprised, almost disappointed, that only three centers were featured. Why not include today's biggest star Sidney Crosby? Or why not the amazing story of cancer survivor Mario Lemieux? As pleased as I was about the quality of the features presented, I would have liked to have seen more players profiled. I suppose that would have come at the expense of spa...

Celebrated children's author Mike Leonetti returns, with side kick illustrator Greg Banning by his side, for the next installment of his hockey history-themed children's books. This time he's back with The Mighty Tim Horton .  Buy the book - Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com This is the latest in long line of hockey history themed children's books by Leonetti. He has the formula down perfectly. The aspiring hockey dreams of our young lead character Trevor are heightened by a chance meeting with his favorite player - Tim Horton of the Leafs. The storyline is inspiring and well done, ready to be enjoyed by your children and yourself as your own hockey memories come back. As always, Banning's illustrations are incredibly realistic and a treat to enjoy on their own. I've never quite understood why kids would want to read a book about a hockey star they've never heard of before. But every kid in Canada knows of Tim Hortons, the iconic coffee and don...

Bryan Gruley is the author of the critically acclaimed mystery novel series Starvation Lake . He incorporates lots of hockey into his novels, making for a unique setting in fictional literature. The second installment of the series, The Hanging Tree , came out in the summer of 2010. Here's the HockeyBookReviews.com interview with author Bryan Gruley. Buy The Book - Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com You are a life long hockey fan and player. What are some of your favorite hockey memories? Winning the Michigan state title as a defenseman for Detroit Catholic Central High School in 1974. Watching the US team beat the USSR in the 1980 Olympics. Going to Plaster Rock, New Brunswick, each February for the World Pond Hockey Championship. You live in Chicago. How exciting was the Blackhawks Stanley Cup run last season? I guess it was pretty exciting if you’re a Hawks fan. I’m a lifelong fan of my hometown team, the Red Wings. Nevertheless, it was fun to see my Chicago hockey...

A war of words is brewing between Damien Cox, co-author of the new book The Ovechkin Project andTed Leonsis, Ovechkin's billion dollar employer. Along with Gare Joyce, Cox penned the unauthorized biography of Ovechkin. When Cox spoke critically of Leonsis concerning Ovechkin's contract , Leonsis fired back . The 13 year deal signed by Alex Ovechkin was a simple deal. His salary is straight-lined across the life of his contract. There was never an issue with the structure of the contract with the NHL. It was all done in the light of day - honest and transparent. By the rules. The writer of this article knows that. He is just mad because he didn’t have access to Alex Ovechkin when he wrote his book. We don’t agree with his point of view in his book and we won’t have anything to do with him and his book now. He is on his own. The writer can say anything he wants about me. He doesn’t scare me. He just can’t distort facts. We won’t let him and he is being called out on this one ...

This rare book was written by Fred Stenson in 1994. It is 144 pages of fiction called "Teeth." "Teeth" is collection of humorous short stories centered around Dougie Burns, a high scoring forward with the NHL Bisons. Losing a tooth in a bench clearing brawl sets Burns on a course that leads to an odd encounter with a dentist and his assistants, his marriage, a stint as a television commentator, and finally coming to terms with his hero Guy LaFleur. I am not sure about the success of this particular book, but I suspect Mr. Stenson has found more success in recent years. His 2000 novel The Trade was shortlisted for Canada's Giller Prize. His 2008 novel The Great Karoo was nominated for the 2008 Governor General's Literary Award in Fiction and is a nominee for the 2009 Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book. As for Teeth, you will have to search used bookstores to find this true rarity. Try AbeBooks Canada . One of the stories is retold in Doug Beards...