Book Feature Freedom to Win: A Cold War Story of the Courageous Hockey Team That Fought the Soviets for the Soul of Its People—and Olympic Gold (by Ethan Scheiner)

[Habsfan18]

Ethan, although I’m a big-time collector and have read A LOT of hockey books, I’m not one to just throw around praise about specific books for the sake of it.

That being said, I must say, although I’m only about half way through…this work is phenomenal. To say that I’m enjoying the read would be an understatement.

I’ll wait until I’ve completed it to fully judge the overall work, but I’d say this is easily one of the best hockey books published in the past decade and maybe even one of the best I’ve ever read. I’m serious.

 

[EthanScheiner]

Ethan, although I’m a big-time collector and have read A LOT of hockey books, I’m not one to just throw around praise about specific books for the sake of it.

That being said, I must say, although I’m only about half way through…this work is phenomenal. To say that I’m enjoying the read would be an understatement.

I’ll wait until I’ve completed it to fully judge the overall work, but I’d say this is easily one of the best hockey books published in the past decade and maybe even one of the best I’ve ever read. I’m serious.

I feel like I shouldn't reply to this message right now...because I simply don't know what to say. This is one of the best things anyone has ever said to me. I'm beyond grateful. "Thank you" seems insufficient, but, truly, thank you.

 

[Doshell Propivo]

Just ordered it and can't wait to read it. I was born in Czechoslovakia and as a little kid Holecek was my favorite goalie. My father told me stories about the Holik's and those games against the USSR in the 60's and 70's. He actually served in the army with Jiri and played hockey with him there.

When we beat the Soviets in 1972, on our way to finally winning the world championship in Prague, the final score of the Soviet game, "3:2" was painted on buildings in every town in the country.

Thanks for writing this.

 

[EthanScheiner]

Just ordered it and can't wait to read it. I was born in Czechoslovakia and as a little kid Holecek was my favorite goalie. My father told me stories about the Holik's and those games against the USSR in the 60's and 70's. He actually served in the army with Jiri and played hockey with him there.

When we beat the Soviets in 1972, on our way to finally winning the world championship in Prague, the final score of the Soviet game, "3:2" was painted on buildings in every town in the country.

Thanks for writing this.

Wow! That's amazing. Also, your father must have been good. Anyone who could play with Dukla Jihlava at all had to be a very good player.

Funny story about Holecek: I was in an Uber the day after interviewing Holecek and got to talking with the driver. She went crazy when she heard I'd just been meeting with him because she had had a massive crush on him in the 1970s.

Thank you so much for sharing that. And for buying the book!

 

[EthanScheiner]

Just ordered it and can't wait to read it. I was born in Czechoslovakia and as a little kid Holecek was my favorite goalie. My father told me stories about the Holik's and those games against the USSR in the 60's and 70's. He actually served in the army with Jiri and played hockey with him there.

When we beat the Soviets in 1972, on our way to finally winning the world championship in Prague, the final score of the Soviet game, "3:2" was painted on buildings in every town in the country.

Thanks for writing this.

Btw, the parts of the book on the 1972 World Championships are some of my favorites. Partly because the hockey is so exciting. Partly because of the scenes involving the entire Holik family. And partly (not so happy) because it is some of the most powerful imagery of the police state that Czechoslovakia had become. The presence of the security forces in and around the Prague arena was so terrifying.

 

[Doshell Propivo]

Wow! That's amazing. Also, your father must have been good. Anyone who could play with Dukla Jihlava at all had to be a very good player.

Funny story about Holecek: I was in an Uber the day after interviewing Holecek and got to talking with the driver. She went crazy when she heard I'd just been meeting with him because she had had a massive crush on him in the 1970s.

Thank you so much for sharing that. And for buying the book!

He did not play for Dulka. It was more pick-up hockey with players from the barracks. But he did play handball in the Czechoslovak first league for Pilsen.

Amazing to run into anyone in North America (even a hockey fan) who knows who Holecek is...

There's also a great book called Breakaway: From Behind the Iron Curtain to the NHL. Describes the Stastny brothers defections and others such as Larionov, Klima, etc. Crazy stories.

 

[Theokritos]

@EthanScheiner: I understand you've been in touch with Bruce Berglund whose book The Fastest Game in the World also has chapters dedicated to the development of Czechoslovak hockey. Was there any overlap in your researches?

 

[EthanScheiner]

@EthanScheiner: I understand you've been in touch with Bruce Berglund whose book The Fastest Game in the World also has chapters dedicated to the development of Czechoslovak hockey. Was there any overlap in your researches?

Bruce is a great guy and has written a fabulous book that I learned a lot from and helped me with important parts of my book.

Also, he & I had dinner together in Prague. And I was the discussant for a talk he gave at UC Berkeley in December 2022.

As for as specific research, he dug much more deeply into the 1950 arrest of the national hockey team, but otherwise I did more of a deep dive into the Czechoslovakia hockey story. (He of course did a masterful job covering countless countries' hockey.) He and I both covered many similar things on Czechoslovakia: especially, 1950 imprisonments, Nedomansky defection, all things 1969, arrival of Czech & Slovak players in the NHL.

With our approach to the research on Czechoslovakia: Bruce spent a lot of time in the archives. I spent more time interviewing players and going through memoirs and local histories.

I believe that there were 2 players that we both interviewed: he and I both interviewed Dominik Hasek and Ludek Bukac. Bruce has some amazing quotes from both of them. He is clearly a terrific interviewer.

 

[EthanScheiner]

Bruce is a great guy and has written a fabulous book that I learned a lot from and helped me with important parts of my book.

Also, he & I had dinner together in Prague. And I was the discussant for a talk he gave at UC Berkeley in December 2022.

As for as specific research, he dug much more deeply into the 1950 arrest of the national hockey team, but otherwise I did more of a deep dive into the Czechoslovakia hockey story. (He of course did a masterful job covering countless countries' hockey.) He and I both covered many similar things on Czechoslovakia: especially, 1950 imprisonments, Nedomansky defection, all things 1969, arrival of Czech & Slovak players in the NHL.

With our approach to the research on Czechoslovakia: Bruce spent a lot of time in the archives. I spent more time interviewing players and going through memoirs and local histories.

I believe that there were 2 players that we both interviewed: he and I both interviewed Dominik Hasek and Ludek Bukac. Bruce has some amazing quotes from both of them. He is clearly a terrific interviewer.

I should add that Bruce speaks/reads Czech and I do not, so I relied upon serious translation/interpreting help. (However, many of the interviews I did (including Hasek and Bukac) were in English.)

I had two wonderful translators working with me. In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, a recent UC Berkeley graduate, Kristina Slezacek, helped me with the interviews.

An AMAZING Ph.D. in Political Science, Pavel Bacovsky - who is from the Czech Republic, is a huge hockey fan, got his Ph.D. from Colorado-Boulder, and is now a visiting professor at Bates College - helped me in a million ways: he updated the translations of all my interviews, translated countless public interviews and memoirs, found material on Czechoslovak history (including the history of many small towns), helped with correspondence, and much more. He did absolutely extraordinary work. The book would have been so much more shallow without his work finding and translating important information.

 

[Doshell Propivo]

Man, I would love to have a beer or 6 with you!

 

[Boxscore]

Ethan, although I’m a big-time collector and have read A LOT of hockey books, I’m not one to just throw around praise about specific books for the sake of it.

That being said, I must say, although I’m only about half way through…this work is phenomenal. To say that I’m enjoying the read would be an understatement.

I’ll wait until I’ve completed it to fully judge the overall work, but I’d say this is easily one of the best hockey books published in the past decade and maybe even one of the best I’ve ever read. I’m serious.

Incredible praise. I just ordered this book for one day delivery.

 

[Bondurant]

Oh, that's awesome! It's a really great independent, small-town bookstore and the people there are so nice. Clearly just a labor of love for the owner. If you have anything specific (like what name I should make it out to, etc.) that you want me to sign on it, please let them or me know. (One person had me sign his book "To one of the greatest inspirations in my life" I did as I was instructed.) Thank you so much!!

It arrived today. Going to the top of the reading stack.

 

[EthanScheiner]

Incredible praise. I just ordered this book for one day delivery.

Wow - thank you!

It arrived today. Going to the top of the reading stack.

Thank you. I really hope you enjoy it!

Man, I would love to have a beer or 6 with you!

 

[Habsfan18]

I wrote this a few days ago on my “The Hockey Library” facebook page, as well as on Todd Denault’s “Hockey Books” group.

I’ve read MANY hockey books throughout the years. I’ve typically always had one on the go for as long as I can remember. As a passionate collector with a great love for hockey history, I try to be as supportive to authors as I possibly can. That being said, I don’t simply heap praise on a specific book just for the sake of it. I won’t go out of my way to publicly slam any, of course. And while I sometimes talk about enjoying a particular book, I try to stay away from rating and grading any publicly. I have my own tiered system when it comes to personal favorites, books I deem special, etc. Every once in awhile one of those “special” books will hit the market, and I’ve just read one. “Freedom to Win” by Ethan Scheiner. It’s phenomenal. A story that needed to be told. Part Jaroslav & Jiri Holik biography, and Part Czech/Slovak hockey history with a big focus on the 1969 World Championship battle between the Czechs and the Soviets. It’s more than just a hockey book. It’s an incredibly researched, character-driven read that will grip you from the start and although it’s a beefy book you’ll probably read it in no time simply because you won’t want to put it down. Genuinely, it’s one of the best hockey books I have ever read and easily belongs with the cream of the crop in terms of books published over the past decade. If a recommendation from “The Hockey Library” means anything to anyone, I give it my highest.

Well done, Ethan. I hope word of mouth continues to spread and that it reflects in the sales.

 

[EthanScheiner]

I wrote this a few days ago on my “The Hockey Library” facebook page, as well as on Todd Denault’s “Hockey Books” group.

I’ve read MANY hockey books throughout the years. I’ve typically always had one on the go for as long as I can remember. As a passionate collector with a great love for hockey history, I try to be as supportive to authors as I possibly can. That being said, I don’t simply heap praise on a specific book just for the sake of it. I won’t go out of my way to publicly slam any, of course. And while I sometimes talk about enjoying a particular book, I try to stay away from rating and grading any publicly. I have my own tiered system when it comes to personal favorites, books I deem special, etc. Every once in awhile one of those “special” books will hit the market, and I’ve just read one. “Freedom to Win” by Ethan Scheiner. It’s phenomenal. A story that needed to be told. Part Jaroslav & Jiri Holik biography, and Part Czech/Slovak hockey history with a big focus on the 1969 World Championship battle between the Czechs and the Soviets. It’s more than just a hockey book. It’s an incredibly researched, character-driven read that will grip you from the start and although it’s a beefy book you’ll probably read it in no time simply because you won’t want to put it down. Genuinely, it’s one of the best hockey books I have ever read and easily belongs with the cream of the crop in terms of books published over the past decade. If a recommendation from “The Hockey Library” means anything to anyone, I give it my highest.

Well done, Ethan. I hope word of mouth continues to spread and that it reflects in the sales.

View attachment 730694

Whoa...This is probably the greatest professional compliment I've ever received. I'm so grateful. And I'm beyond thrilled that you liked the book so much. Wow. Thank you. I'm blown away...

 

[EthanScheiner]

I've been hearing reports that Amazon Canada has run out of stock of the book and is now listing very long wait times to be able to ship more out. Ugh. My publisher shipped more copies to Amazon Canada last week, so it should be restocked soon. I'll post if I see that it's in stock again there.

However, if anyone sees that it's restocked or has suggestions on better places to buy hard copies online in Canada, I'd be grateful if you can add a note here. Thank you!

 

[seventieslord]

I've been hearing reports that Amazon Canada has run out of stock of the book and is now listing very long wait times to be able to ship more out. Ugh. My publisher shipped more copies to Amazon Canada last week, so it should be restocked soon. I'll post if I see that it's in stock again there.

However, if anyone sees that it's restocked or has suggestions on better places to buy hard copies online in Canada, I'd be grateful if you can add a note here. Thank you!

I noticed that too, so I went ahead and bought it from Orinada at the link you sent. I think it was only a couple bucks more in total.

 

[seventieslord]

I noticed that too, so I went ahead and bought it from Orinada at the link you sent. I think it was only a couple bucks more in total.

I spoke too soon... it's US$30 for shipping, the site wasn't properly charging me for it. So I'm back to waiting for amazon.ca to have it again.

 

[Habsfan18]

I spoke too soon... it's US$30 for shipping, the site wasn't properly charging me for it. So I'm back to waiting for amazon.ca to have it again.

Freedom To Win: A Cold War Story Of The Courageous Hockey Team That Fought The Soviets For The Soul Of Its People—and Olympic Gold Book By Ethan Scheiner, ('tc') | Indigo

Buy the book Freedom to Win: A Cold War Story of the Courageous Hockey Team That Fought the Soviets for the Soul of Its People—And Olympic Gold by ethan scheiner at Indigo

www.chapters.indigo.ca

Looks like Chapters still has copies available, and since it’s over $35 the shipping is free.

 

[EthanScheiner]

Freedom To Win: A Cold War Story Of The Courageous Hockey Team That Fought The Soviets For The Soul Of Its People—and Olympic Gold Book By Ethan Scheiner, ('tc') | Indigo

Buy the book Freedom to Win: A Cold War Story of the Courageous Hockey Team That Fought the Soviets for the Soul of Its People—And Olympic Gold by ethan scheiner at Indigo

www.chapters.indigo.ca

Looks like Chapters still has copies available, and since it’s over $35 the shipping is free.

Freedom To Win: A Cold War Story Of The Courageous Hockey Team That Fought The Soviets For The Soul Of Its People—and Olympic Gold Book By Ethan Scheiner, ('tc') | Indigo

Buy the book Freedom to Win: A Cold War Story of the Courageous Hockey Team That Fought the Soviets for the Soul of Its People—And Olympic Gold by ethan scheiner at Indigo

www.chapters.indigo.ca

Looks like Chapters still has copies available, and since it’s over $35 the shipping is free.

Thank you! That's very helpful. I believe this is the link for FREEDOM TO WIN at Chapters.

 

[seventieslord]

Freedom To Win: A Cold War Story Of The Courageous Hockey Team That Fought The Soviets For The Soul Of Its People—and Olympic Gold Book By Ethan Scheiner, ('tc') | Indigo

Buy the book Freedom to Win: A Cold War Story of the Courageous Hockey Team That Fought the Soviets for the Soul of Its People—And Olympic Gold by ethan scheiner at Indigo

www.chapters.indigo.ca

Looks like Chapters still has copies available, and since it’s over $35 the shipping is free.

Hey, awesome, thanks!

 

[PavelBacovsky]

An AMAZING Ph.D. in Political Science, Pavel Bacovsky - who is from the Czech Republic, is a huge hockey fan, got his Ph.D. from Colorado-Boulder, and is now a visiting professor at Bates College - helped me in a million ways: he updated the translations of all my interviews, translated countless public interviews and memoirs, found material on Czechoslovak history (including the history of many small towns), helped with correspondence, and much more. He did absolutely extraordinary work. The book would have been so much more shallow without his work finding and translating important information.

Wow, thanks for the kind words, Ethan! I'm glad the book is such a great success.

I decided to create an account here too if folks have any questions about the research and sleuthing I did. Looking through the STB (Czechoslovak secret police) files was especially fascinating.

 

[EthanScheiner]

Wow, thanks for the kind words, Ethan! I'm glad the book is such a great success.

I decided to create an account here too if folks have any questions about the research and sleuthing I did. Looking through the STB (Czechoslovak secret police) files was especially fascinating.

Pavel is incredible. He may have especially enjoyed the secret police files, but I thought his most incredible work was tracking down the histories of the two towns the Holiks/Suchy lived in. And my favorite was his fabulous translations of the Holiks' and Suchy's memoirs.

 

[Doctor No]

@PavelBacovsky, I missed you by about two decades - I got my doctorate at CU-Boulder in December 2002!

I believe that a friend of mine from grad school is currently in the math department at Bates - Grace Coulombe.

@EthanScheiner, I'm very much looking forward to the book!

 

[EthanScheiner]

@EthanScheiner, I'm very much looking forward to the book!

Thank you!