Ice Hockey Books

This is an excellent book for a young hockey fan who wants to learn about the colorful past of the NHL and the other leagues that formed around it. It's not a history book per se, and doesn't offer any organized history of hockey, but rather is a scattered collection of short anecdotes from all eras of hockey up until the early 90's. You are sure to laugh at some of the stories and grimace at others. The book is a light read and the anecdotes are just the right length for picking up the book and reading a dozen or so at a time. It only makes me wish they will put out an updated version in the next few years to cover the most recent decade of hockey. My only complaint is that the stories didn't consistently include the dates they were set in (though the majority of the time they did). Sometimes this made it a guessing game when the events took place. But other than that this is a delightful book for all hockey fans, old and young.

This book ranks at the top of my list so far as hockey books are concerned. Unlike many books, this one does not contain a single complete story, but a collection of amusing anecdotes ranging from the late nineteenth century to the recent years of NHL hockey. Since there are differnt stories in this book, my interest was rejuvenated every time I would start a new one-page anecdote. I would recommend this book to any hockey fan of any callibre, from the new kid watching his first hockey season, to those older hardcore fans who remember Howie Morenz's style of play.

From a person who loves the game of hockey, past and present,this book is excellent. Even if you know every stat around I guaranteetheres something interesting in this book that you didnt know. Do want to know about the fight that John Ferguson waited 10 years for? Well its in here along with tons of other hockey stories than any true fan can certainly appreciate.

The Best of it Happened in Hockey is a great collection of stories that span more than 150 years of the history of the game. I was very impressed with the variety of stories and I thought that McFarlane did a great job in making it a very well balanced book. There are some classic stories as well as rarely heard tales from all eras.

The book itself was laid out nicely and was very easy to read. This is a great book for anyone who is interested in some of the finer details of hockey history such as myself. McFarlane doesn't have the world's finest story telling abilities, but he's still a guy you want on your bookshelf. Though he doesn't produce a story with as much color as a Don Cherry or a Stan Fischler, his collection of data more than makes up for his shortcomings.

Overall, a superb book that any devote hockey fan will really fine interesting and entertaining.

THIS BOOK ABOUT FRANK MAHOVLICH IS WELL WORTH READING. THE BIG M WAS ONE OF THE BEST AND CLASSIEST PLAYERS OF ALL TIME. HIS GRACE AND POWER ON THE ICE WERE A THINK TO BEHOLD. HIS SON TED, DOES A GREAT JOB TELLING HIS STORY AND HITS ON ALL 8 CYLINDERS. I ESPECIALLY ENJOYED THE PARTS CONCERNING PUNCH IMLACH AND HIS DICTATOR WAYS AND THE VARIOUS OTHER COACHES AND PLAYERS THAT THE BIG M PLAYED FOR AND AGAINST. A GREAT READ FOR ALL HOCKEY FANS.

This book has been very enjoyable. Ted Mahovlich has done an excellent job in telling us the interesting story about his father. He showed us the Punch Imlach lacked class and Frank Mahovlich had a lot of class and finally enjoyed his career when he joined the best organization in sports at the time the Montreal Canadiens. I would recommend this to any hockey fan or sports fan in general

Frank Mahovlich was one of THE great players in the history of hockey. This books gives a thoughtful and intelligent insight into the mind of the quiet giant who won four Stanley Cups with the Leafs and two more with the Canadiens.

Told alongside the biographical narrative of The Big M is the author's experience of going on the road with his father, in the touring team of NHL past masters. Not only does this expose the reader to some beautiful anecdotes about other former stars of the game, but also captures the bond between father and son in a most moving way.

Ted Mahovlich is a very accomplished writer, telling his father's story with compassion, respect and honesty in a fine style that makes the book hard to put down. A must for any fan of hockey and/or good writing.

This book is great, not your normal biography. Ted Mahovlich captures a seldom read about side of his father Frank, along with the exploits of his spectacular career. The author spent considerable time traveling and playing with the old-timer greats while interviewing them as wells as capturing moments the common fan is not privey to. If you are a hockey fan -- this books for you. (Yes I know I live in Texas, but I moved here)

I read this book after my 13 year hockey player finished. This is a life lesson book. She is one of the top in her field and like C.Gunn had things to overcome that made them stronger. This book lets girls know these are real people that worked hard, and it is possible to shoot for the stars.

My daughter is a 10 year old girl hockey player and both she and I read the book, she actually did a powerpoint presentation for school on the book. This book is more than just a hockey book but an insiration to all girls about the obstacles Angela overcame in her life. After reading the book myself I am glad to know that my daughter looks up to Angela and wants to be like her, there is NO better role model for a young girl to look up to than Angela. This book is a must for all young girls, no matter what sport or activity they are involved in.

This book is less about hockey and more about getting a peek inside the life of one of the greatest athletes of all time. It details the dedication that excellence requires, combined with personal stories from Angela's life. This book should be a part of every female hockey player's library. As a bonus, Ruggiero is seriously hot.

This book talks about some of the early formings of girls/womens hockey in the USA. This is a very good book to read if you are familiar with hockey. Even if you are not involved with hockey you will like this book, because it talks about overcoming the odds and moving up in the ranks.

This is probably the most enjoyable book I have read regarding hockey or hockey players. Brett provides a light-hearted look at his life that is neither boastful nor "preachy". He is surprisingly modest given the extraordinary career he has had. I particularly enjoyed hearing of his days growing up in the shadow of his legendary dad and how he overcame his own personal obstacles. This book could easily have been two or three times as thick but I am guessing Brett would not have enjoyed writing a lengthy tome - and clearly Brett is motivated by fun more than anything else! A great lesson for anyone!

Brett Hull was a great hockey player. He worked very hard to become a star player. It was very hard growing up the son of a famous hockey player,especailly after his parents divorced. I think Brett Hull will be remembered and admired for his goal scoring and records he set on the ice. After reading this book I will remember him for how hard he works and how he never gave up his dream. I would recommend this book top everyone that is a hockey lover. I enjoyed the book and was happy I chose it.

THIS IS THE STORY OF BRETT HULL IN HIS OWN WORDS. I REALLY LIKED THIS BOOK. BRETT DOES A NICE JOB DESCRIBING HIS CAREER, RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS DIVORCED PARENTS, AND HIS THOUGHTS ON BEING HIMSELF. BRETT FINALLY PLAYED ON A STANLEY CUP WINNER IN 1999. HE TELLS OF ALL THE PLAYOFF DEFEATS AND THE FRUSTRATIONS DURING HIS CAREER. HE ADDS HUMOR, HONESTY, AND ALOT OF INSIGHTS ON THE GAME OF HOCKEY. I RECOMMEND THIS TO ALL HOCKEY FANS AS A GOOD READ.

This is a great book, all of you brett hull fans or not, should go and get this book, it is definetily the best book i've ever read in a long time

...I liked this book because I like sports books. I like hockey too that is what this book is about. I liked this book so much that I couldn't put the paperback book down for the whole five days that I read the book. I liked that book also because it was about two very special friends trying to get along with the others on there hockey team even thought Derek was a different race then everyone else. I would recommend this book to anybody that likes the sport of hockey.

I read the book Cool As Ice. I am going to review the book also. I liked this book because it is a sports book. I like the book because I like the sport hockey to. I like the book so much that I couldn't put it down for the five days that I was reading it. I liked this book also because it was about Chris and his friend Derek. I would recommend this book to any person that likes sports.

I read the book Cool As Ice. I am going to review it also. I liked this book because it is a sports book. I especially liked this book because it was about hockey, one of my favorite sports. I liked the book so much that I couldn't put it down for the whole five days that I was reading it. I liked this book also because it was about two very special friends trying to get alkong even thought he is a different race then all the other boys on the hockey team. I would recommend this book to anybody that likes sports especially hockey.

I liked this book because it is a sports book. I especially liked this book because it was about hockey, one of my favorite sports. I liked the book so much that I couldn't put it down for the whole five days that I was reading it. I liked this book also because it was about two very special friends trying to get along even thought he is a different race than all the other boys on the hockey team. I would recommend this book to anybody that likes sports, especially hockey.

As others have noted, the book is not only informative but entertaining. Barkley's photos set the tone brilliantly for a look at the game in earlier days. Where today players wear helmets and masks, then Barkley's close-in style highlighted the emotion of the game by vividly showing players' faces. The illuminated, rapid-fire sports photography of today loses the luster of Barkley's contrasted shots that make it seem as though there is only the players and the ice surface, which he lit with his own set of lights along the glass hours before each game.

A must-have along with Kevin Allen, Bob Duff and Johnny Bower's "Without Fear."

I own many hockey books, and this book is, by far, the one I open up most often. Each picture takes you into a world of NHL hockey that has long passed away. The beautiful full-color photographs will cause you to forget that they are images of the fastest moving sport in the world. It's as if the players have posed for the camera in an attempt to recreate hidden moments of the game. The facial expressions alone will capture your eye. You'll find yourself scanning every detail of the pictures, looking for that elusive black puck (and you'll find that puck in nearly every picture). This book is a pure treasure for fans of the game of hockey, in particular those fans who remember the simple days of 6 teams, 120 players, 1 Cup.

You can literally spend hours looking at this book and not tire of the images. They're so life-like it's eerie. Harold Barkley's strobe photography techniques give the pictures a "3-D" quality that is completely absent in today's "flat" images. Of course, the fact that the stars in the photos are from the "Golden Era" (50's and 60's) make the book all that much better. These stills make you yearn for the hockey of yesteryear, even if you weren't there! The flat sticks, the glossy narrow skates, the bryl-cream donned hair (helmet, what helmet?) - it's all here right down to the ice-shavings littering the goal crease, all in awesome detail.

Frank Selke's introduction is excellent as well. Here is a man that makes no bones about why this was hockey's greatest era. My favorite example - fights were seen as a gentlemanly way to settle differences, not as an indication of a sport gone awry with "violence". My only complaint is that his anecdotes are only a few pages rather than a few chapters.

But the photographs are really what this book is about. Sure, the statistics and history of each player featured are there, but I found my eyes continually wandering from the print back to the image - they're that good. It's tempting to cut them all out and frame them.

This book will be enjoyed by any hockey fan, but if your over 40 it will be a treasure.

Wow! Buy this book just for the fabulous photographs taken by Harold Barkley, a long-time photgrapher with the Toronto Star. Barkley pioneered the use of the strobe in sports photography, and the detail he captured in these bright color photos is phenomenal--the texture of the ice, the meticulously greased and combed hair on the players, the rows of dark-suited spectators in the audience. This is how hockey used to look! The text consists of 1-2 page spreads on individual players of the day. The stars are all here, of course, but more interesting, to me anyway, are the players who've slipped from memory--Andy Hebenton, Norm Ullman, Camille Henry, Elmer Vasko. These names ring bells for fans who grew up in that era, but you seldom hear them now. Yet, here they are, preserved for us both in prose and in pristine photographic detail. This book's a gem.

The essay on Charles Gardiner (Chicago Black Hawks), by Dave Bidini, is a literary masterpiece worthy of the books 5-star rating all by itself. This is a very inspirational piece. Two of the other essays are very good (Canadiens and Bruins), and three are just OK (Wings, Leafs and Rangers). Also worthy of the 5-star rating are the wonderful illustrations by Sean Thompson(?) that front each essay. These color illustrations too, are almost alone worth the price of the book, but the artist, Thompson? (can't be sure) is given no real credit. If you're the guy, Mr. Thompson, congratulations, this is great work!

This was a great book! I first bought it for my 5 year old daughter who became interested with the original 6 teams but in the end we both found it different than most hockey books. It told stories about these beyond thrilling players and it made me look at them with a different perspective and proved things that for me, were just random suggestions, but now are real facts. For example, the book proved that The Rocket, the best player of all time even though I never saw him play, really is the high temper man who never gives up and always sticks to what he honestly believes is true and honest.

This collection of stories on the original six NHL teams, brings the sport to life. Each team's story is written by a different author and Paul Quarrington edited this volume. His story is sadly, the weakest in the collection. The New York Ranger's story is the most poignant...a real twist at the end.

This one is for hockey fans that can't wait for a hockey fix until the start of next season.

Before the Mighty Ducks of Disney and the Molson Center of Montreal and the Fleet Center of Boston there were the Gardens of New York and Boston and the Forum of Montreal. There were the "local" teams that so well reflected their respective cities and peoples. Teams and players became part of the fixtures of the city. Trades were catastrophic events. I remember the trade of Eddie Giacomin from the Rangers to the Red Wings. The chants of "EDDIE" were no more. What were the feelings of the Beantown fans when Espo was traded to the hated Rangers? Society and sport have changed and it is difficult to become attached to anything or anyone emotionally now. National marketing blitzes have rendered "local" teams a thing of the past.

Paul Quarrington has complied six stories (he penned the Bruins piece) centered on the Original Six era of the National Hockey League. These six stories take the reader back to the days when fans trully identified with their team. Two gems standout in this collection. The first is the Red Wings piece whose author recalls the days and nights spent with her grand father listening to Wings-Maple Leafs games. Each rooting for their own team. This is a wonderful piece on how these two people related to each other and the sport they so dearly loved.

The second gem is the New York Rangers' story. The Ranger fan has always been a different breed, withstanding decades of misses and near hits at achieving the Cup. This story embodies the real Ranger fan and the depth of the emotional attachment to the team. All Ranger fans will identify with this story.

For those hockey fans looking for something from the past "The Original Six" will bring them respite from the corporate sports world of today

Dr. Horrigan and "Doc" Kreis have done a great job with this book. It contains an abundance of information that anyone interested in enhancing sport performance will benefit from reviewing and reading. This text has enough "meat" in it that the strength training professional will benefit by having it on their reference list and the teaching approach is clear and so well illustrated so the athlete can use the materials also.

I just started playing hockey two years ago and was looking for a book to help me become a better player. This book is very detailed and easy to use for a beginner such as me. I have seen immediate results in my strength and conditioning since buying this book.

This is one of the finest and most comprehensive books ever written on sports conditioning. It is not only for the hockey player, but for all athletes in all sports looking to gain an edge. It gives great detail and clarity on ways to improve speed, strength, and overall conditioning. This book will make the average coach look like a genius.

This book is one of the finest and most compehensive books ever written on sports conditioning. It can stand on its own for training not only hockey, but any sport. As a strength and conditioning coach for 14 years, it is the most organized and a highly practical tool for writing and executing programs for the improvement of speed, strength and overall conditioning of every athlete. It can turn an average coach into a genius.

I bought this book for my father who is a huge wings fan. It details in order historically the careers of key players and coaches and was the perfect father's day gift.

My daughter started into hockey while going to Northern Michigan University. She then got hooked on the Wings. I was hoping that Art's book would introduce her to the culture of the Red Wings. She loves it. Thanks Art, miss you on the radio and hope you land on your feet soon.
Mike from St Clair

I mulled over this book for a long time thinking it was some fanboy "history" lesson, but I broke down and bought it anyway. I was so thrilled after I started reading it to see that it was all from the players' words! I loved reading about the guys from the 40s all the way to now. It is a inspirational book and it makes me proud to be a fan even though I was not born into hockey. No I was not a recent convert or riding their tails when they won, I started with the in the 80's (yes when they were not at their all time best). Anyway, the only thing about the book I was disappointed with is it did not have Gordie Howe's words (even though he wrote his own book, he could have something in it), Larionov, Federov, Vernon, and many others who did not contribute. Of course, it could have been the authors choice to not include them so I hope there will be a volume two!!! Still, this is a fabulous book to have if you really are a fan of the Red Wings and a fan of hockey.

What a great read! As the youngest daughter growing up in Detroit, I grew up in a family that loved professional hockey and college football . . . I watched from the fringes. Hockey did intrigue me, but I never really got hooked into the sport. As I went through the bookstore recently I spotted this book on the Redwings. I saw that it was individual stories and I thought that might be a great way to get a taste for what I may have missed, since my family goes on and on about the Wings. So glad I made the purchase. What a wonderful read. A few stories each night before bed, what a great way to retire. Each one is insightful and I was really drawn in. Guess what, I think I'm hooked . . . I will now be attending some live games. Go wings!!!

BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED. IT SEEMS ANYONE WHO HAD AN OPINION OF THE STATE OF HOCKEY AS IT WAS IS 1972, WAS INTERVIEWED IN THIS BOOK. EASILY THE BEST HISTORICAL SPORTS BOOK I HAVE READ. I WAS BORN IN 1968 SO I HAVE NO MEMORY OF THIS SERIES, BUT SO MANY OF THE SOVIET PLAYERS WHO FIRST BECAME KNOWN FROM THE ORININAL 72 SERIES WERE ALREADY VERY WELL KNOWN AS THE SERIES TURNED INTO THE 'CANADA CUP' THAT I FOLLOWED IN 1976 AND 1980. PETROV, KHARLAMOV AND YAKUSHEV AND ALL THE EARLY RUSSSIAN PRE NHL GREATS. THE BEST PART IS THE HISTORY OF SOVIET HOCKEY AND HOW THEY CREATED THIER OWN STYLE OF PLAY DIFFERENT FROM THE NHL AND HOW THEIR INNOVATIVE TRAINING, CONDITIONING AND AGGRESSIVE OFFENSIVE ATTACKING STYLE, CONTRASTED WITH THE NHL'S 'TOUGH' DEFENSIVE GAME. RUSSIA'S GREAT AMATUERS AND CANADA'S MIGHTY PROFESSIONALS MET FINALLY IN 1972 AS THE SOVIET NATIONAL TEAM FACED THE NHL'S BEST IN AN 8 GAME EXHIBITION SERIES. THE SERIES WOULD REDEIFNE HOCKEY AND INTERNATIONAL SPORT FOR ALL TIME. THE SOVIET NATIONAL COACH AT THE TIME PREDICTED THAT ALL FUTURE HOCKEY WOULD BE A MIXTURE OF THESE TWO DIFFERING STYLES AS BOTH SIDES WOULD INFLUENCE EACH OTHER IN THE FUTURE. TRULY PROTHETIC WORDS. ANYONE WHO IS A FAN OR STUDENT OF THE GAME OF HOCKEY, THIS IS A FINE BOOK, WHICH IN GREAT DETAIL TELLS THE COMPLETE STORY, BOTH RUSSIAN AND CANADIAN OF AN ATHLETIC EVENT WHICH MAY BE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SOCIAL AND POLITICAL EVENTS CERTAINLY IN CANDAIAN HISTORY. THAT IS NO OVERSTATEMENT. THINK OF DON CHERRY WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT EUROPEAN PLAYERS. THIS WAS THE FIFST TIME CANADIAN FANS SAW EUROPEANS COMPETE WITH AND AT TIMES DOMINATE CANADIAN "BOYS" AT CANADAS GAME. AND PEOPLE BEGAN THE ARGUMENT, WHICH IS BETTER HOCKEY? GOONS OR GRACE? THE ISSUE OVER WHOSE STYLE OF PLAY IS SUPERIOR HAS POLORIZED CANADA EVER SINCE. THIS WAS A HUGE DEAL IN CANADA, AND THE BOOK TELLS IT SO WELL. IT IS BREATHLESSLY WRITTEN A MUST READ

"Cold War" is a beautifully written (and researched!) book about the greatest series ever played (in any sport!) Every Canadian remembers where they were when Paul Henderson Scored the game and series winning goal in Moscow, and reading this book literally sent shivers down my spine, and brought back memories long forgotten. It also opened doors to many "behind the scenes" facts that I did not know. But most of all, it reminded me of how arrogant and over-confident we all were, and as Ken Dryden put it: "NEVER, EVER, UNDERESTIMATE YOUR OPPONENT". Of course we had ....

This point was driven home to an entire nation in September of 1972 when Canada's "professional" hockey stars (our "best of the best") played this dramatic eight game series against the "amateurs" of the Soviet Union. This series was the first ever between the Soviets and NHL players, and almost all Canadians, myself included, thought Canada would win all eight games easily. That is not what happened though, the Soviets stunned everyone by going 2-1-1 on Canadian ice. Canada came back in Moscow, winning 3 of 4 dramatically, all one goal games. Against a backdrop of the "cold war", and Canada's pride and identity at stake, even non-hockey fans got caught up the unfolding drama. Canada's pride was hurt for sure, but it forced our players to dig deep within themselves to pull out the skills that produced an amazing victory, despite tremendous obstacles. (such as a hostile press, star players quitting, and officiating that was horribly biased against Canada) The Soviets on the other hand had violated this very same rule when the teams got to Moscow, and clearly had lost their psychological edge. In short, they thought they had the series won. The series forced Canadians to look at themselves in a way they hadn't before, and in the decades since we have seen improvements in the game itself. In other words, the bar had been raised.

Roy MacSkimming deserves six stars for this one, he captured beautifully this unique series that really had the full range of human emotion, from the total shock of the the Soviets 7-3 rout in game one to the the hosile reaction of Canadian fans and media towards their own countrymen, to redemption, complete joy and relief in Moscow. Every Canadian, and American for that matter, should read this book, it goes beyond a sporting event really and exposes human nature.

On a personel note, I was in English Class in Cranbrook B.C. when Henderson scored "The Goal" on September 28, 1972. Most of Canada's schools, businesses and government offices closed that day, however we were not among those lucky. We did lobby our teacher however, and we watched the last two periods of game on TV despite her objections. Had she not relented, she would have regretted it forever ... the place went nuts!

For those who were very young (like myself) when the series was played and grew up not with the players mentioned but instead with such Russian players as Fedorov and Bure in the NHL, this book is a must to understand how these 8 games played in 1972 forever changed the face of international hockey -- The Canadians (and people in the States as well) realized that we didn't have a monopoly on how to play the game, and the Russians, for all their tremendous preparation and effort, saw that Westerners could rise to the occasion, and ultimately "opened their doors" just enough to begin the journey that today finds several NHL stars hailing from former Warsaw Pact nations. MacSkimming does an excellent job of both drawing upon the original 1972 news accounts and quotes as well as undertaking a host of interviews and research 20+ years later to give a renewed perspective on the games, the players and what it all meant then and now. Even if you know how "it ends," (if you don't you will find out early in the book) the rising action is expertly developed, and you feel (in your mind, at least) nearly the same sense of pride and accomplshment at the end as the Canadian players must have felt. Highly recommened for anyone w/ an interest in hockey and/or the "old" Soviet Union.