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Showing posts from January, 2015

He Shoots, He Saves by Jon Waldman

He Shoots, He Saves by Jon Waldman. Buy The Book -  Amazon.ca  - Chapters - Amazon.com From the publisher: Whether it’s a ticket stub from a game that father and son saw together, an autographed photograph from a hero, or a puck that went up and over the boards, hockey memorabilia is a record of our beloved sport’s history. He Shoots, He Saves looks at hockey’s collectibles from hockey cards to commemorative beer cans to postage stamps. The book features artifacts from all 30 NHL teams, the greatest players of all-time, the WHA, the international game including the Summit Series, and the women’s game. Hockey greats such as Martin Brodeur, Frank Mahovlich, Ted Lindsay, and Sidney Crosby recall their own days collecting and offer their perspectives on memorabilia. Joe's Take: This is an interesting book in that while it is very much about hockey collectibles, it is also a very neat introduction to the history of hockey. The book's first 70 pages or so look exclusiv

2015 Hockey Books: Who Is Wayne Gretzky?

Who Is Wayne Gretzky? Buy The Book:  Amazon.ca  -  Chapters  -  Amazon.com The latest in the successful Who is ... ? (or Who was ... ?) series is  Who Is Wayne Gretzky?  The elementary children series looks at famous people - past and present - and tells their story. Gail Herman and Nancy Harrison write Gretzky's story, hitting all the major talking points nicely but without including unnecessarily too much. It's just a perfect fit. Ted Hammond provides the series' trademark illustrations As a kid I would have loved such biographies. The series includes  Who Were the Wright Brothers? ,  Who Was Isaac Newton?  and  Who Was Jackie Robinson?  This is a fantastic series that should be in elementary school libraries and classrooms, but in parents' homes. I know I will be getting a few for my nephews over the next few eyars.

Black Ice: The Val James Story

This is the cover image of Black ice, a new autobiography by former NHLer Val James. Black Ice: The Val James Story Buy The Book - Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com  Who is Val James? He is an almost entirely forgotten about hockey player from the past. But hey, I don't blame you for that. He played only 11 NHL games (plus 3 more in the playoffs) in his career and there are 1000s of guys like that who equally as memorable than him. So why has Val James his autobiography and, more importantly, why should you read it? First off, a bit more about the book. From the back cover, "Val James became the first African American player in the NHL when he took to the ice with the Buffalo Sabres in 1982, and in 1987 he became the first black player of any nationality to skate for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Born in central Florida, James grew up on Long Island and received his first pair of skates for his 13th birthday. At 16, James left home to play in Canada, where he was t

Chill Factor: How a Minor League Hockey Team Changed A City Forever

The hockey world will set its eyes on Columbus, Ohio next weekend as the National Hockey League mid-season All Star Weekend visits the city. It is the first time that All Star Weekend will be held in Columbus. That's not really a surprise. The Columbus Blue Jackets have only been in the NHL for 15 years now. For the most part the Blue Jackets have had little impact in the hockey world. There was the expected expansion growing pains followed by a few years of irrelevance, at least outside of Ohio. They made great strides in 2013-14 with strong performances from Ryan Johansen and Sergei Bobrovsky, but have regressed this season thanks in large part to injuries. Through it all the hockey fans in Columbus have been loyal and supportive. It is proving to be a good hockey market, which has surprised many of us. We wondered about corporate support and lack of a hockey history in a city that loved it's college sports, especially football, which ultimately is a commentary on our i