Hockey History Books
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Stan Fischler wrote a book in 1990, Red Line: The Soviets in the NHL. While it mostly details the entry into the league of players like Fetisov (who is heavily emphasized, seeing how he was on the Devils) and Mogilny, among others, in the 1989-90 season, it also goes into a somewhat detailed history of hockey in the USSR.
And by chance, there's actually a copy on Amazon right now for only $20. And seeing how I have never seen the book outside of the copy I own (got by chance at a used book store some years back), I'd suggest it for anyone interested in the subject.
Nalens Oga
Registered User
I'm reading that Putting A Roof On Winter book by Michael McKinley and although it's got fairly good reviews, I find it a bit dry. It reads basically like one of those Leslie McFarlane hockey history books where this happened this year and then this happened this year and then this happened etc. I guess it's partly because I've already read the same stories before mainly through those McFarlane books and I also don't like books which focus on individuals (eg: pages devoted to telling the story of Hobey Baker or Conn Smythe....interesting and all but I prefer general hockey history).
Reading Net Worth, much more interesting albeit also focuses too much on certian things like the Norris family or Eagleson. The chapter on Eddie Shore is hilarious though.
I hope that someone publishes a book similar to that one written on the 92-93 season where it goes through all the interesting things which happened over the course of a given season.
Reading Net Worth, much more interesting albeit also focuses too much on certian things like the Norris family or Eagleson. The chapter on Eddie Shore is hilarious though.
I hope that someone publishes a book similar to that one written on the 92-93 season where it goes through all the interesting things which happened over the course of a given season.
I've been picking up books for my collection whenever I get the chance. Here are the latest finds from this weekend. I FINALLY found "The Red Machine". I'll be starting that one shortly.
Edit: That Howie Morenz book was a big coup as well.
Edit: That Howie Morenz book was a big coup as well.
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seventieslord
Student Of The Game
I've been picking up books for my collection whenever I get the chance. Here are the latest finds from this weekend. I FINALLY found "The Red Machine". I'll be starting that one shortly.
Edit: That Howie Morenz book was a big coup as well.
The Red Machine is awesome. War On Ice looks incredibly detailed, have only skimmed it though. The Morenz book is incredibly rare. The only reason I have it is because it was part of an estate lot I bought 5 years ago. I'd have never paid what a couple of sellers wanted for it on its own.
Ohashi_Jouzu*
Registered User
Among others, I have also recently added the following. Really excited to dig into the PCHA book!
Empire Of Ice: The Rise And Fall Of The Pacific Coast Hockey Association - 1911-1926
The Complete World Hockey Association (9th edition)
Ice Warriors: The Pacific Coast/Western Hockey League - 1948-1974
Where Countries Come To Play: Celebrating The World Of Olympic Hockey
The Big M: The Frank Mahovlich Story
Bernie! Bernie! Bernie!: By Bernie Parent
Hockey Is Our Game: Canada In The World Of International Hockey (published in '87)
Red Line: The Soviets In The NHL (published in '90)
The Habs: Brian McFarlane's Original 6
Triple Crown: The Marcel Dionne Story
Hockey Is My Game: Bobby Hull
Champions: The Making Of The Edmonton Oilers (Kevin Lowe with Stan and Shirley Fischler)
Borje Salming: Blood, Sweat And Hockey - 17 Years In The NHL
Kings Of The Ice: A History Of World Hockey
To be honest, I didn't even realize that Morenz book existed until I seen it this weekend. And usually I'm good with stuff like that. You can imagine my surprise when it caught my eye. Scooped it up immediately. Assumimg you have read it, how was the read?
If so, awesome!
Empire Of Ice: The Rise And Fall Of The Pacific Coast Hockey Association - 1911-1926
The Complete World Hockey Association (9th edition)
Ice Warriors: The Pacific Coast/Western Hockey League - 1948-1974
Where Countries Come To Play: Celebrating The World Of Olympic Hockey
The Big M: The Frank Mahovlich Story
Bernie! Bernie! Bernie!: By Bernie Parent
Hockey Is Our Game: Canada In The World Of International Hockey (published in '87)
Red Line: The Soviets In The NHL (published in '90)
The Habs: Brian McFarlane's Original 6
Triple Crown: The Marcel Dionne Story
Hockey Is My Game: Bobby Hull
Champions: The Making Of The Edmonton Oilers (Kevin Lowe with Stan and Shirley Fischler)
Borje Salming: Blood, Sweat And Hockey - 17 Years In The NHL
Kings Of The Ice: A History Of World Hockey
To be honest, I didn't even realize that Morenz book existed until I seen it this weekend. And usually I'm good with stuff like that. You can imagine my surprise when it caught my eye. Scooped it up immediately. Assumimg you have read it, how was the read?
I'm pretty sure that's legit.
If so, awesome!
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Sorry for another post, but it looks like I've been getting fairly lucky lately. Assuming this is legit anyways.
Picked up "The Golden Jet" which is a fairly recent history-in-photos look at Bobby Hull's career, at a local book store. Flip through it and find this in the middle of the book.
A little weird to have a Tony Esposito autograph in a Bobby Hull book, but still neat and a nice little surprise. Again, assuming this is real.
Picked up "The Golden Jet" which is a fairly recent history-in-photos look at Bobby Hull's career, at a local book store. Flip through it and find this in the middle of the book.
A little weird to have a Tony Esposito autograph in a Bobby Hull book, but still neat and a nice little surprise. Again, assuming this is real.
Killion
Registered User
- Feb 19, 2010
- 36,763
- 3,229
Well, looks genuine to me, which combined with the Habs photo, batting avg pretty good huh?..... just go to google search, type in Tony Esposito Autograph Images, and sure enough lots of signed photos, if that isnt a near perfect match, eat my hat.
Well, looks genuine to me, which combined with the Habs photo, batting avg pretty good huh?..... just go to google search, type in Tony Esposito Autograph Images, and sure enough lots of signed photos, if that isnt a near perfect match, eat my hat.
Also that Gretzky book from a few posts up. Apparently I've been having luck with autographs. Maybe I'll use this to convince the wife to allow me to buy pretty much every book I come across. You know, just in case.
greyraven8
Registered User
As far as relatively recent purchases (1st one a local library 'discard' - then gifted it, and then later picked up a copy online for myself, other two were local library 'discards') for me are:
The Stick by Bruce Dowbiggin
- about the history of the hockey stick
World of Hockey: Celebrating a Century of the IIHF - edited by Szemberg & Podnieks
The Blue and White Book: The most complete Toronto Maple Leafs fact book ever published - by Podnieks
Found the first book interesting and would recommend.
The last two I got cheap. The Leafs I picked up mainly for some of the earlier pictures as I am not a Leafs fan, and my interest in stats at any time is minimal at best. The IIHF one is a general history one with pictures similar in some ways to the many NHL picture/history books I have, but it's likely one of the few books I have specifically on international hockey.
The Stick by Bruce Dowbiggin
- about the history of the hockey stick
World of Hockey: Celebrating a Century of the IIHF - edited by Szemberg & Podnieks
The Blue and White Book: The most complete Toronto Maple Leafs fact book ever published - by Podnieks
Found the first book interesting and would recommend.
The last two I got cheap. The Leafs I picked up mainly for some of the earlier pictures as I am not a Leafs fan, and my interest in stats at any time is minimal at best. The IIHF one is a general history one with pictures similar in some ways to the many NHL picture/history books I have, but it's likely one of the few books I have specifically on international hockey.
Two recent pick-ups at a local thrift store.
Ontario Hockey League Classics - Hardcover book from 2007 that profiles the top players, teams and moments in OHL history. Nice photos throughout. Profiles aren't particulary in-depth, but still a good read. I believe it was sold in OHL arenas around this time.
Canada Cup 76: Official History Book - Harcover book printed in 1976 after the conclusion of the tournament. Really nice double-page colour team photos of each team, game summaries, stats etc. Was a nice find and seems to go for upwards of $50 online. I paid $2.50.
Ontario Hockey League Classics - Hardcover book from 2007 that profiles the top players, teams and moments in OHL history. Nice photos throughout. Profiles aren't particulary in-depth, but still a good read. I believe it was sold in OHL arenas around this time.
Canada Cup 76: Official History Book - Harcover book printed in 1976 after the conclusion of the tournament. Really nice double-page colour team photos of each team, game summaries, stats etc. Was a nice find and seems to go for upwards of $50 online. I paid $2.50.
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Nalens Oga
Registered User
Question, is Total Hockey (or Eric Zweig's Total NHL) worth getting still with wikipedia and stuff? Does it basically just contain the season summaries you'd get in a McFarlane type book with added stats/scores and stuff or does it include more detail and bios?
Also, has a book like Players A-Z been made since 2003? I think that's the best reference book I've seen, has 5,500+ profiles but obviously it's not been updated since and I'd love to see another book with that many profiles. I know Leonetti publishes Hockey Now but that's just an yearly summary of star players with many left off I think.
Also, has a book like Players A-Z been made since 2003? I think that's the best reference book I've seen, has 5,500+ profiles but obviously it's not been updated since and I'd love to see another book with that many profiles. I know Leonetti publishes Hockey Now but that's just an yearly summary of star players with many left off I think.
reckoning
Registered User
- Jan 4, 2005
- 7,124
- 1,521
There are several interesting essays in Total Hockey about every conceivable aspect of hockey that would make it a worthwhile purchases at a decent price. Of course the books main attraction, the statistics, can be found online for free today; but back in 1998 it was a luxury to have all those stats in one book for the first time.
Total NHL has brief summaries of each season, as well as team histories, but there's probably not much there that most fans didn't already know. It also has yearly and career stats for every player in NHL history, though far less detailed than Total Hockey's. The stats are easily available online today, but for many years it was a handy reference. I still have my copy, but it's in horrible shape after 13 years of use.
I can't give any new information about Players A-Z other than to say that it was an absolutely wonderful book, and I'd love to see a new version. Those bios about the players would make a great companion to their stat pages on hockey-reference. You could think of any past player, look them up, and get a brief, but informative summary of their career, what kind of player they were, and what they did for a living after their hockey career ended.
quoipourquoi
Goaltender
I'd recommend Total Hockey and Total Stanley Cup still. I think The Hockey Compendium still has some stats that are hard to track down online.
Jets4Life
Registered User
With one exception, most books on hockey I've read are quite enlightening and entertaining.
-"The Rebel League"**** 1/2 was a must read for any hockey history buff, especially from the four WHA cities. It's a look at the bizarre WHA years. Lots of funny and amusing stories. If only the Jets had known how great Wayne Gretzky would become...
-"When the Lights Went Off"**** was a book written about the Canada-USSR brawl, and the effect it had on the World Junior Championships and Don Cherry's popularity. Very interesting read, and breaks down the game very well. GM Mike Smith comes out looking like a total a$$hole, and Pierre Turgeon is scapegoated for not helping his teammates.
-"Fire On Ice"* 1/2 As a teen, got this book for Christmas in 91. It was written sympathetic to the Eric Lindros and his family. I could not really get into it, and it turned out history would explain why. Glossing over the family's demands on Quebec City, Sault Ste. Marie, etc. didn't make for a good read.
-"Gross Misconduct: The Life of Spinner Spencer"***1/2 Another well written book. Details of the turbulent life of Spinner Spencer. Spencer seemed like he was living like a fish out of water, while in the NHL. Never adapted to life in the big leagues, or life after hockey. Sad ending, but the author tends to hold the opinion that Spencer was not guilty of what he was accused of towards the end of his life.
-"Wayne Gretzky: An Autobiography"*** interesting look at the life of Canada's most well known superstar of the last 20 years of the millennium. Details his life as a boy in Brantford, his rise to fame with the Oilers, and the "trade." Pocklington comes off looking like a *******. Written in 1990 when with the Kings.
Just picked up a copy and about to start "Game Misconduct" the rise and fall of NHLPA boss Alan Eagleson.
edit*
-"Blood Feud: Detroit Red Wings v. Colorado Avalanche"**** Excellent book detailing the best rivalry in the NHL of the past 20 years.
-"The Rebel League"**** 1/2 was a must read for any hockey history buff, especially from the four WHA cities. It's a look at the bizarre WHA years. Lots of funny and amusing stories. If only the Jets had known how great Wayne Gretzky would become...
-"When the Lights Went Off"**** was a book written about the Canada-USSR brawl, and the effect it had on the World Junior Championships and Don Cherry's popularity. Very interesting read, and breaks down the game very well. GM Mike Smith comes out looking like a total a$$hole, and Pierre Turgeon is scapegoated for not helping his teammates.
-"Fire On Ice"* 1/2 As a teen, got this book for Christmas in 91. It was written sympathetic to the Eric Lindros and his family. I could not really get into it, and it turned out history would explain why. Glossing over the family's demands on Quebec City, Sault Ste. Marie, etc. didn't make for a good read.
-"Gross Misconduct: The Life of Spinner Spencer"***1/2 Another well written book. Details of the turbulent life of Spinner Spencer. Spencer seemed like he was living like a fish out of water, while in the NHL. Never adapted to life in the big leagues, or life after hockey. Sad ending, but the author tends to hold the opinion that Spencer was not guilty of what he was accused of towards the end of his life.
-"Wayne Gretzky: An Autobiography"*** interesting look at the life of Canada's most well known superstar of the last 20 years of the millennium. Details his life as a boy in Brantford, his rise to fame with the Oilers, and the "trade." Pocklington comes off looking like a *******. Written in 1990 when with the Kings.
Just picked up a copy and about to start "Game Misconduct" the rise and fall of NHLPA boss Alan Eagleson.
edit*
-"Blood Feud: Detroit Red Wings v. Colorado Avalanche"**** Excellent book detailing the best rivalry in the NHL of the past 20 years.
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Jets4Life
Registered User
quoipourquoi
Goaltender
I had a lot of driving to do recently, so I picked up a few audiobooks of some of my favorites. "The Game" as an audiobook is amazing. Even if you've already read it, something about Ken Dryden telling the story took it to another level.
And I think I recommended it in another thread, but "Journeyman" by Sean Pronger was really good.
And I think I recommended it in another thread, but "Journeyman" by Sean Pronger was really good.
AustonsNostrils
Registered User
- Apr 5, 2016
- 7,409
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Could listen to Ken Dryden speak all day long. He speaks off the top of his head better than most writers write, he speaks in prose.
Theokritos
Global Moderator
- Apr 6, 2010
- 12,677
- 5,122
Side note: "Speaking in prose" means "speaking in everyday language". Most of us speak in prose almost all of the time, as opposed to the Ovids of the world who speak in poetry.
Sorry for the little lecture, I'm already taking off that mortarboard that looks so presumptuous.
Nalens Oga
Registered User
I think I know a rare-ish book that's recent. It was published by an author called Kullas entitled "Rejected From The Hall of Fame" or something. Basically a case for various players not in the Hall, it was from 2011 and I think you could only order through the author. Didn't see it on Amazon or Thriftbooks anything.
Thunder and Lightning, Phil Esposito's autobiography is a great read. Fun While it Lasted - the Bruce McNall autobiography is a great read as well.
Aside from that the NHL Guide and Record Book is good. Total Hockey is good. An oldie but a goodie that you will probably never find anywhere except my book shelf is The Complete Encyclopedia of Hockey - circa 1984. Greatest book I had growing up.
