Hockey Book Reviews.com

Dave Bidini is hands down the best writer in hockey these days. So news of a new release from Bidini is greeted with eagerness. When that book is about Dave Keon and the Toronto Maple Leafs, the anticipation was rightfully through the roof! To no one's surprise, Bidini delivers. Bidini is the most creative hockey writer of our time, and  Keon and Me  is nothing short of a fantastic piece of literature that even non-hockey readers will thoroughly enjoy. This book is an instant classic that transcends the hockey world. Buy The Book:  Amazon.ca  -  Chapters  - Amazon.com While Keon And Me is a non-fiction book, Bidini presents the protagonists as wonderful characters that are easy to connect with. Obviously Toronto Maple Leafs legend Dave Keon is one of the main characters. He's a fascinating case study under any circumstances. After all, he was one of the most beloved players in the history of "Canada's Team" yet he has essentially been estranged from the spo

When the ghosts of hockey's past reminisce about the 1960 Chicago Blackhawks, they almost always focus on superstars Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita with Mr. Goalie Glenn Hall also getting a lot of attention. Not as many people know the story of Pierre Pilote, the Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman who was so instrumental in Chicago's success and 1961 Stanley Cup championship. That can all change this year as  Pilote brings readers rinkside in this compelling biography,  Heart of the Blackhawks: The Pierre Pilote Story . It is an authorized biography co-written with L. Waxy Gregoire and David M. Dupuis. Buy The Book:  Amazon.ca  -  Chapters  -  Amazon.com From his upbringing in northern Quebec in which he played in a Monday night beer league, to captain of the Blackhawks, his captivating story of success has it all. Any sports fan will enjoy the stories of Pilote teaming up with the likes of Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Glenn Hall, Moose Vasko, Tommy Ivan, Rudy Pilous, and Billy R

With the help of writer Don Yeager, Chris Nilan has released his autobiography,  Fighting Back: The Chris Nilan Story . Buy The Book:  Amazon.ca  -  Chapters  - Amazon.com Has there ever been a more aptly named book? The former Montreal Canadiens tough guy is the fifth most penalized player in the violent history of the National Hockey League. In one game he managed to accumulate a NHL record 10 penalties in one game! Nicknamed "Knuckles," Chris Nilan was one of the most feared fighters ever. But as we have come to find out in later years, the biggest fight of Nilan's life has not been against Jay Miller or Dave Brown or Bob Probert. No, it has been Nilan's fight to stay away from drugs and alcohol. Nilan reveals his off-ice battles with an addiction to pain killers developed into a life-and-death struggle with booze, heroin and depression. He is open about his downfall because he hopes no one else has to go through it. Like recent books by Theo Fleury

Every few years the Hockey Hall of Fame comes out with a fantastic new book highlighting the greatest players in the history of the game: the enshrined members of the Hockey Hall of Fame. 2013 brings us the  Hockey Hall of Fame Book of Players   . It is right up to date including the 2013 inductees Scott Niedermayer, Brendan Shanahan, Geraldine Heaney and Chris Chelios.   It reminds me a whole lot of the 2011 release  Official Guide To The Players Of The Hockey Hall of Fame . That book was almost a real thick pocket book, where as the new release is in large coffee table format. Which is actually nicer in that the photos that tend to dominate these Hall of Fame books are more enjoyable in the larger size. But other than that the two books have a very similar feel to them. The content is rewritten but essentially says the same thing. This must always be a challenge for the Hockey Hall of Fame. Their tried and true formula with these books is heavy on the photos and lean

The Hockey News'  latest book,  The Biggest of Everything in Hockey  is a mix of all things, well, big in hockey's past and present. It is a book for fans of all ages. Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com Chapters feature the biggest player, the biggest feud, the biggest brawl, the biggest save, the biggest goal, the biggest upset and the biggest comeback. There are lots of fun topics like the biggest nose, the biggest fashion faux pas, the biggest beard and even the biggest fan! A number of honourable mentions are acknowledged in each category, offering readers with great stories about larger than life figures, events and oddities in hockey history.  The Hockey News annually puts out up to a couple of book releases each fall. If you've been reading my blog long enough you know I've been critical of the production value of THN texts in the past.  The Biggest of Everything in Hockey  escapes that criticism due to their glossy presentat

Chris Chelios, just inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame here in the Fall of 2013, is considered by many to be the greatest American hockey player of all time. Others might suggest Brian Leetch or Brett Hull or Mike Modano or Pat Lafontaine. Regardless, you'll note they are all very modern stars. America has been playing hockey pretty much as long as Canada has been, but they have not developed superstars until relatively recently. Sure, there was a Frank Brimsek here or a John Mariucci there, but they seemingly lack that star quality over the years. While they may not be able to boast an Eddie Shore or Howie Morenz or Cyclone Taylor, the Americans do have a number of very important players in the course of their own hockey history to be acknowledged. Enter Roger Godin. He is one of the top hockey historians in the world. He is a proud member of the Society For International Hockey Research and an even prouder Minnesotan. His work over the years has him so highly regarded that

D'arcy Jenish, one of the most thorough hockey historians you will ever read, is back with a new title:  The NHL: 100 Years of On-Ice Action and Boardroom Battles . Jenish previously wrote  The Montreal Canadiens: 100 Years Of Hockey Glory , wowing readers with the depth of his research. Mr. Jenish takes this to a whole new level in his NHL centennial book. The NHL centennial is not until 2017, so Jenish and Doubleday Canada are getting a good head start here. I know for a fact that there are several centennial books already in the works. They will have a tough standard to meet with Mr. Jenish coming in first in line. Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com I was curious as to why Jenish, the former senior writer for MacLean's magazine, and Doubleday Canada were in such a hurry to release this title. Just reading the introduction to the book reveals why. Jenish is not so much writing the history of the National Hockey League, at least not the story we'v

It’s hard to believe, but we’re already at the 30th anniversary edition of Ken Dryden’s The Game . Buy The Book:  Amazon.ca  -  Chapters  -  Amazon.com Widely acknowledged as the best hockey book ever written and lauded by Sports Illustrated as one of the Top 10 Sports Books of All Time, The Game is a reflective and thought-provoking look at a life in hockey. Ken Dryden, the former Montreal Canadiens goalie and former president of the Toronto Maple Leafs turned politician, captures the essence of the sport and what it means to all hockey fans. He gives vivid and affectionate portraits of the characters—Guy Lafleur, Larry Robinson, Guy Lapointe, Serge Savard, and coach Scotty Bowman among them—who made the Canadiens of the 1970s one of the greatest hockey teams in history. But beyond that, Dryden reflects on life on the road, in the spotlight, and on the ice, offering a rare inside look at the game of hockey and an incredible personal memoir. It may have been thirty years since