Hockey Books

This book really is in-depth and has bits of information that you cannot get anywhere else. A must for any hockey fan, let alone an Adirondack Fan.

This book chronicles the Wings inception into the AHL. It profiles players, the management and some fans. It flows and was an enjoyable read.

Dowbiggin writes an exceptionally readable, free flowing account of the business side of the National Hockey League, setting the stage for Bob Goodenow's meteoric rise (and that of the NHL players' compensation in the 90's and early 2000's) before the 2005 lockout resulted in his dismissal as head of the NHLPA.

The book starts out during the frantic free agent season of 2002, when good players like Bill Guerin and Bobby Holik got insane $9 million per year deals from the Dallas Stars and New York Rangers. It's an eye-opening 24-hour tour seen through the eyes of a player agent, whose No. 1 priority is getting maximum compensation for his client, in this case- Holik.

From there, Dowbiggin takes you back in time and deftly navigates from the seeds of discontent amongst the NHLPA sown during the Alan Eagleson/John Zeigler era of the NHL- yet does well in not getting bogged down in the details and minutiae, but instead providing enough hard analysis and historical data to chart the upward swing of player salaries which occurred as expansion ran rampant in the final decade of the 20th century. It's all here- from the early years of Ted Lindsay's aborted attempts to begin a union in the 1950s, to the rise of Eagleson, the shot heard round the world in the trade of Wayne Gretzky to L.A. in 1988, the near removal of Eagleson in 1989, the Scott Stevens, Brendan Shanahan and Adam Graves free agent signings which permanently altered the NHL's free agency landscape in 1990 and 1991.

It is then that he takes you on a wild ride with Eagleson's ouster and Goodenow's fast track in bringing the NHLPA from professional serfs to the league's ultimate power players, wildly escalating the marketplace year after year, while team owners continued to pay today's salaries with tomorrow's dollars, desperate to win, yet saddling themselves with aging, albatross players and contracts as established by the 1995 CBA.

I also like the fact that Dowbiggin's sources are some of the smartest and most articulate, from former players like goaltender Mike Liut (now a player agent but who in 1987 was the NHL's highest-paid goalie with an underwhelming $400,000 per year salary)to present and former coaches, managers and player agents like former Bruin Mike Gillis, whose shoddy treatment at the hands of the Eagle may have been the spark that began the quiet revolution against the NHL's owners who held all the power and kept player salaries down in comparsion to the other major sports for decades.

All of it is here, the factors which led to the explosion of the market and ultimately, the actions taken by the NHL owners to try and take the power back and the inevitable fracturing of the NHLPA, as the players by and large were not prepared to wage the scorched earth war Goodenow wanted.

If you are an NHL fan, this is a must read. It really spells out the dysfunction of so many of the league's powerbrokers and how it all came to a head in 2005, with the needless cancellation of the entire season. Sadly, if you're following recent events of the new CBA signed in July '05, history could be preparing to repeat itself.

The NHL barely survived its latest work stoppage. It won't live through another.

Read this cautionary and absolutely fascinating tale- it's well worth the time.

Baghdad
02-15-2008

really excellent inside perspective the rise and fall of eagleson, the holik domino effect and the NHLPA decision making process before the lockout. as a fan, it is always great getting some behind the scene insight.

I think that this book is a good book. It is great for children between 9 and 12, but excellent as well for anyone who wants to read a fun book.

The Characters are Wally McDoogle, Opra Livingston and Walstreet. They are each a load of fun! Join Wally and his friends in a lesson that jealousy is stupid! This is a fast pace book that makes you feel like you're Wally McDoogle, klutz extrordinaire! My favorite part was when Wally scored the winning point because Opera had helped him. I liked this book and I'm sure you'll like it too!

JEAN BELIVEAU FORMER NHL SUPERSTAR DOES A GREAT JOB TELLING US ABOUT HIS LIFE IN AND OUT OF HOCKEY. I REALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK AND FOUND HIS STORY AND HIS EXPERIENCES BOTH ENTERTAINING AND INTERESTING. I GREW UP BEING A BLACKHAWK FAN. I REALLY PULLED AGAINST MONTREAL FOR I FELT THEY HAD WON MORE THAN THEIR SHARE OF STANLEY CUPS. BUT WHEN YOU SAW JEAN PLAY, YOU COULDN'T HELP TO SEE AND ADMIRE HIS TALENT AND DEDICATION. SOME OF THE BEST PARTS OF THIS BOOK ARE JEAN'S THOUGHTS ABOUT ROCKET, HOWE, HULL AND MANY MANY MORE. I RECOMMEND THIS FOR ALL HOCKEY FANS AND ESPECIALLY THE ONES WHO SAW JEAN PLAY.

Mr. Beliveau provides a strong insight into a game that has ceased to exist anymore. Todays NHL (27 teams and more on the way) bears no resemblance to Mr. Beliveau's era when there were six teams and approximately 150 players, travel was by train and a 'players union' was the owners idea of having all team members in one place at the same time. The book is divided, roughly, into three equal parts; Mr. Beliveau's junior years in Quebec with the Citadels and Aces; his years with the Canadiens organisation, and; his insights into how the game has changed to its present form. As a participant, Mr. Beliveau reminisces fondly over his career and the many individuals (on both sides of centre ice) with whom he has played, including an excellent analysis on Bobby Orr's impact on the game. As an observer, Mr. Beliveau presents spirited and informed opinions on the many changes the game has endured since expansion 30 years ago, including thoughts on the WHA influence on the NHL.

Hockey books are a dime a dozen, and I've read my share, but few I've read in recent memory contain an insight to the game, both past and future, that this one does.

All NHL fans will enjoy this book! It is a great collection of NHL history with many photographs and wonderful stories. It also has lists of trophy winners, record holders, and is a great source book for any hockey trivia you might wish to know.

It encompasses everything historically related to the NHL, along with other moments of hockey greatness.

As a devoted fan of the NHL myself, I felt it was a must-have in my library. The photographs show the evolution of the sport, and the stories bring you back to moments of historical significance to the game.

Every famous and infamous hockey player is profiled in this book from Maurice Richard and Gordie Howe, to Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky.... Even the illusive only woman to have ever played on an NHL team, Manon Rheaume.

If you love hockey, you will love this book. I do!

I really enjoyed seeing this book on Amazon - it's very exciting! Good luck hockey fans!

An easy read that certainly hits the mark on how to make practices worthwhile.

I read this book in about 2 hours. While I like the authors ideas and suggested drills and approach to practice, I found it to be a little vague in key areas. A twenty dollar book could use better explanations and illustrations. I think he is really onto some great suggestions. The potential for more meaningful practices is there. In my opinion, he could have taken a little more time to develop these ideas more fully. If you buy this book you are going to get at least 20-30 useful drill/practice plans that sound exciting to put into action. Of course since it is August, I'll have to wait for the season to see how they work out.

My dad bought me this book at a hockey arena. We bought from this really nice man named mark fiddler. He even signed it for us. I thought this book was an amazing book. It's about a rich kid who has to go to his cousins who aren't that wealthy and has to deal with the hard work and lamor. I think once people start hearing about Mark Fiddler he will become the next J.K. Rowlin except for even better.

Pond Puckster was a very good and exciting book. It was a very exciting book to read. It also has an interesting plotline, of a rich boy having to move to a rugged town in Maine for a Winter, with no indoor hockey rink within 50 miles.One more reason I liked it was because I am about the same age as the kid and I could kind of relate with him. Overall, I think that Pond Puckster was a very good book.

I've passed this book around to the other goalies on our team and we all agree - this system works! It is well laid out and simple to use. It brings our problems and strengths into sharp focus and gives us the tools we need to improve rapidly.

It's going to depend on what you are looking for. If this is your first attempt at visualization then it's going to be fine for you. But if you are looking for something more advanced you may be waiting for a while. No one has yet to delve into the true psychological needs and development of goaltending. This is a great book for anyone who needs a workbook as they try to improve their focus and concentration, but more could be done. I hope the author continues to research the mental parts of goaltending and adds more information on overall sports sociology and psychology. There is more to be discussed, reviewed and discovered.

This book gives a fascinating look into the origins of ice hockey. Vaughan provides the reader with evidence of the early development of hockey in Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a very easy and entertaining read and is interlaced with several interesting photographs and illustrations. From learning the game's early rules, to how the first skates, sticks and pucks were made, to interesting anecdotes about the first Stanley Cup, each page gives the reader a wonderful look into the history of the game. A must read for any hockey fan!

A fine read, with mountains of evidence to suggest that the great game of hockey that we know in modern times was invented in Nova Scotia, not Kingston, Ontario or Montreal. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of life in the early to mid 1800's in Canada and the advertisements for hockey equipment from that era. Die hard hockey fans will enjoy this.

An extremly important story about one of sports most dedicated people. Roger Neilson devoted his life to many and Wayne Scanlan does his legacy justice by devoting himself to Roger. The facts are amazing and this story will fill in any blaks you may have of Roger's life.

I accidentally came across a copy of 'Roger's World' in a bookstore in downtown Philadelphia. After reading it front to back in one sitting, it amazes me that there wasn't any publicity (at least in cities where Roger coached) surrounding the release of this book. Wayne Scanlan has managed to do the impossible; he's managed to fit the very fulfilling life of Roger Neilson into just about 200 pages. Don't let the length of the book fool you, however. Scanlan managed to not only unearth a slew of interesting facts and hilarious stories about Roger's coaching stints in baseball and hockey, but he also gives a very rare glimpse into the personal side of a man who touched so many lives outside of the realm of pro sports. Fans of all sports should embrace this biography, but hockey fans -- and especially anyone who ever had the good fortune to witness Roger behind a bench -- should consider it a 'must read'. The chapter about Roger's quirks and mishaps will have you roaring with laughter, and the seemingly endless stories about his grace and kindness as a human being will surely cause even the toughest 'checkers' to shed a tear or two.