Hockey History Books

[JMCx4]

This morning I finished reading the last few chapters of Black Ice: The Val James Story, by Valmore James & John Gallagher. It's a very easy read, with many short chapters and nothing complex in the writing. Some parts are raw, but most are thought provoking. And it's got some good hockey stories to tell along the way.

Where Breaking The Ice: The Black Experience in Professional Hockey, by Cecil Harris was a 3rd-party collection of stories about many of the black players familiar to North American hockey fans who succeeded in their struggle to "make it" in the NHL, Black Ice was a very personal story told by the son of hard-working African-American parents who didn't own his first pair of ice skates until he was almost 13 years old. Yet he managed to turn his size & increasing skills & the anger caused by cringe-worthy racial taunts he faced wherever he played into 10 seasons of pro hockey. He made it to the NHL via a call-up from Rochester to Buffalo in the 1981-82 season, making him the first Black American to play in the League. He logged a total of 11 NHL games with Buffalo & Toronto, so the majority of the book covers his time spent in minor hockey on Long Island then Junior A in Canada and finally his EHL & AHL experiences. You'll recognize many of the names of coaches & players he worked with over the years, but the lingering impression that I got from reading this book was summed up in the opening sentence of the final chapter: "Just like every other young black child born to southern sharecroppers, I dreamed of playing professional ice hockey ... ." The irony is not lost on the reader.

 

[Habsfan18]

Here’s one I didn’t know existed until the other day. Written by Ken and Dave’s father Murray in 1972.

Has anyone read it? Added to the collection and the looooong to-read list. I’m currently enjoying The Trail Of The Stanley Cup: Volume 1.

 

[Chili]

Recently finished Todd Denault`s book on Jacques Plante which I recommend.

Knew a bunch of the stories already but it really filled out his career and beyond.

It felt like it took me back to the Habs dressing room of the late 1950`s. at times.

Also appreciated the chapter on Frank Selke Sr., I don`t know if he really gets enough mentions anymore of how great an architect of teams that he was.

 

[Chili]

Hey guys

Do you guys recommend any other books?

Three historical `my story;`biographies I would highly recommend...

My Life in Hockey...Jean Beliveau

Mr Hockey...Gordie Howe

My Story...Bobby Orr

An older book I enjoyed

Walking With Legends...Ralph Mellanby (about his time as Hockey Night in Canada Producer).

 

[JMCx4]

The Hockey Writers' review of an intriguing title ... THW Review - The Voices of Hockey: Broadcasters Reflect on the Fastest Game on Earth

 

[Chili]

Total NHL

Stalberg, add the book Total NHL to your collection. It came out in 2003. Believe me, the more you read the more you'll whet your appetite for NHL history. It's my encyclopedia.

Picked this up at a clearance many years ago and it really is an invaluable reference book for me. Alot of interesting articles on the history of hockey as well as virtually the stats of everyone who played in the NHL (to that point) as well as some other noted players (pre NHL, Internatiional, WHA, etc.).

Would be nice if the league released an updated version.

Edit: The complete name of the book is

Total Hockey: The Official Encyclopedia of the NHL (Dan Diamond)

 

[Killion]

^^ Dan Diamonds' produced a lot of great work over the years.

 

[JMCx4]

If you are trying to find something outside of the usual hockey book subjects a couple books spring to mind:
'Architecture on Ice' (which only came out last year)
Architecture on Ice | McGill-Queen’s University Press

@greyraven8 - Stick taps to you for bringing "Architecture on Ice" to my attention. I just finished reading Howard Shubert's book, and it was both less AND more than I expected. The "less" was with respect to my expectations of more content - particularly historical photos, drawings, construction plans, etc. - of old hockey arenas, which were sprinkled through the book but perhaps were in short supply for the author to use. The "more" was the depth & detail that the author went into regarding how early hockey arenas were replaced from the 1960s forward with "corporate-entertainment complexes" that have transformed the spaces we fans visit to watch hockey as well as having transformed the game itself (or at least have been optimized for a transformative game).

In the end, Shubert has written far less of an academic study of architectural styles & trends and far more of a sociological treatise on how & especially why hockey changed "from sport to spectacle" in the 20th Century. The publishers clearly attempted to market this book as a coffee table piece, with its thick & slick paper stock and its large format. But there are far too many words and far too few images to satisfy that purpose. To enjoy "Architecture on Ice" (which I did on the whole), you have to sit in a quiet place and follow the author's train of thought through all of the changes in how hockey has been presented to the fans who pay the bills. Some of it is fascinating, some of it seems repetitive, and some of it will just make you nod your head in acknowledgement that the game just ain't what it used to be.

 

[The Panther]

Here are the 22 books I have coming in the mail. The Flying Frenchmen, and the Jagr biography are the 2 I’m most looking forward to.

The 'Flying Frenchmen' one sounded good... until I saw who the author was.... Pass!

- Jari Kurri autobiography (2001)

Is this available in English now???

- Unbreakable: 50 Goals In 39 Games (Mike Brophy/Todd Denault - 2016)

I got this a while ago. Slightly disappointing, in that it didn't have any real insights or anything; mostly just game summaries and stats. There was already a book -- which I used to have, but have since lost -- that was published in '82 and detailed every game of the Oilers' 1981-82 season, with a focus on Gretzky. That book was way better than this new one....

 

[The Panther]

I may have mentioned it here before, but quite a nice one to get is:

 

[The Panther]

By the way, I have never seen a really good biography of Maurice Richard (in English... I might be able to understand a French book, but it would take me a long time!).

Is there one?

I'm vaguely aware of the Roch Carrier book, but I gathered that was more of a personal / cultural-history kind of thing, and not so much a biography.

 

[sr edler]

I may have mentioned it here before, but quite a nice one to get is:

Nice cover at least.

 

[Habsfan18]

Is this available in English now???.

I believe that Kurri book was translated to english around the same time as the Finnish version came out. Maybe a year later or so, but definitely not long.

I haven’t dug into it yet, as I have others to finish first, but it’s on the list. It doesn’t appear to be a deep bio. Tons of pictures and blurbs/his thoughts on specific events in his career.

 

[Talisman]

hello!. i"m huge mario lemieux fan and i haven"t came a cross any Lemieuxs book/biography in here finland!!. i have looked in ebay and there are some books about him!!. so my question is wich is the best biography book about mario and what do you recommed?.

 

[quoipourquoi]

I may have mentioned it here before, but quite a nice one to get is:

I picked that up a year or two back and haven’t gotten to it yet. I’ll have to see if I can find it this weekend.

 

[JMCx4]

hello!. i"m huge mario lemieux fan and i haven"t came a cross any Lemieuxs book/biography in here finland!!. i have looked in ebay and there are some books about him!!. so my question is wich is the best biography book about mario and what do you recommed?.

I tend to avoid biographies of NHL stars, as they are often filled with retold stories that have been covered in popular media. But the following biographical works on Mario Lemieux appear to get the most positive reviews from bloggers & hockey fan readers. They all are available to order on-line via one or more popular booksellers in North America (e.g., Amazon.com, BarnesAndNoble.com, AbeBooks.com, ThriftBooks.com), and some titles may be available from eBay sellers as well. I prefer to shop for used copies listed in "Like New" or "Very Good" or sometimes "Good" conditions (if that's all that is available), to save money while not having to deal with handling damage or personal annotations from previous book owners.

• Mario Lemieux: The Final Period, by Tom McMillan;
  
• Mario Lemieux: Over Time, by Chrys Goyens;
• The Magnificent One: The Story of Mario Lemieux, by Michael McKinley;
• Mario Lemieux: Best There Ever Was, by Dave Molinari, Ron Cook and Chuck Finder.

 

[JMCx4]

Just finished reading & poring over the many photos in a coffee table book that I picked up at a local used bookseller a couple of months ago: A Day in the Life of the National Hockey League, by Lisa Dillman and 80 pro photographers. The premise was to cover one day's worth of travel & game prep & game play & personal vignettes for all 26 NHL teams (at that time) on March 23, 1996. I chose to purchase it for the cheap price and for its unusual subject, and it provided a surprising number of fascinating short stories & often intimate images of NHL hockey on a typical day in a typical season. My particular copy has a leading plate with the image of a Bluenote and the inscription: "Thanks For Your 30 Years Of Supporting Blues Hockey"; so I'm guessing it was either given to a St. Louis Blues' season ticketholder, or was a local version of a volume sold in each NHL market circa 1996 with unique inscriptions inserted for each team. No matter the publication & marketing details, it is definitely worth an hour or more thumbing through the slick pages of very good photos and descriptive captions.

 

[Habsfan18]

Now this one I’m excited to read. Was hard to find and it cost me $50 but it’s worth it to add to the collection. I’ve heard great things about this one.

 

[Tarantula]

Since this thread has been bumped here is one I read years ago that really taught me alot about NHL and pro hockey in general: Thinking Mans Guide to Pro Hockey by Gerald Eskenazi. I found a hard bound copy in the late 70s and found it a real lesson of the world of pro hockey during the expansion era and early 70s. First exposure to the world of minor pro hockey as well after reading so many stories of NHL ers who toiled in the AHL for years.

Hockey is a Battle by Punch is a good read as well. Family friend gave it to me as a kid and I enjoyed reading about behind the scenes of those Leaf teams, even though I am not a Leaf fan. Great story about Bruce Gamble and his side burns!

 

[JMCx4]

I just finished reading Trent Frayne's The Mad Men of Hockey. I thought the topic would focus on many of the characters who had played the pro game up until the book was published in 1974, but it turned out to be more of a collection of profiles about teams owners & GMs & coaches from the early to mid-20th Century. Most of the stories were about founders & builders of the game that older hockey fans have heard most of before: Conn Smythe, King Clancy, The Patricks, Frederic McLaughlin, Jolly Jawn Adams, Frank Selke, Eddie Shore, The Conachers. Frayne was an old-school Canadian sportswriter, so I enjoyed his flowery & expressive writing style for the first half of the book. But by Chapter 12, it had become difficult to absorb & enjoy the stories through all of the adjectives.

 

[ted2019]

Just received 4 more books for my Fall/Winter reading.
Hockey's Glory Days: The 1950's and 60's
The Hockey Compendium: NHL stats, facts, and stories
Lords Of The Rinks
Hockey Abstract Presents: Stat Shot

 

[JMCx4]

With my previous stack of hockey reading all read out, and having moved into a new house, I decided to restock with some on-line bargain books this week. Some of the titles were previously recommended by HF Boards' members in this thread, so a collective "Thank you!" is due. I will post my impressions here as I get through each one.

• The Lone Star Skate: Improbable (but True) Stories of Texas's Hockey Heroes, by Rusty Burson
• On the Edge: Women Making Hockey History, by Elizabeth Etue
• The Pursuit of Hockeyness: 99 Things Every Hockey Fan Needs to Do in Their Lifetime, by Sam McCaig
• The Hockey Sweater, by Roch Carrier
• Puckstruck: Distracted, Delighted and Distressed by Canada's Hockey Obsession, by Stephen Smith
• Hockey's Glory Days: The 1950s And '60s, by Dan Diamond & Eric Zweig
• A Thinking Man's Guide to Pro Hockey, by Gerald Eskenazi

And two Christmas/birthday presents for the STL Blues fan in our household (Mrs. JMC) ...

• Bob Plager's Tales from the Blues Bench, by Bob Plager & Tom Wheatley
• Blue Fire: A Season Inside the St. Louis Blues, by Dave Simons

 

[nabby12]

I have a new book that was just recently released for anyone interested!

Block That Shot: The Bob Chrystal Story


Retro Rangers: Book Review “Block that Shot: The Bob Chrystal Story”

Bob Chrystal is possibly the only player in hockey history to have been coached by each of the famous New York Rangers "Bread Line" members from the 1920's and 1930's (Bill Cook, Bun Cook, Frank Boucher) during his time in Denver, Cleveland and New York respectively. In his autobiography, the now 88-year-old Chrystal teams up with hockey historian and author Ty Dilello to tell his fascinating life story titled Block That Shot, which was a common phrase coaches yelled at Bob from the bench throughout his career because of his knack for shot blocking.

In Block That Shot, Chrystal recalls his childhood and growing up in Winnipeg, to taking part in the only eight-game Memorial Cup final ever played, to his brief tenure as a professional boxer while playing for the Cleveland Barons, and scoring the Calder Cup winning goal in game seven overtime for the Barons. Bob went on to play 132 games over two seasons in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers from 1953 to 1955. Chrystal talks about battling night-in and night-out with the top players of his time such as Gordie Howe, Rocket Richard, Ted Kennedy, Ted Lindsay, and more. He also discusses his run-in with coach Phil Watson and how Phil single-handily ended Bob’s NHL career.

Throughout his hockey career, Bob’s father compiled a half-dozen or scrapbooks full of newspaper clippings, photos, telegrams, etc., from his son’s playing days. You will see the contents of those scrapbooks sprinkled throughout the book to further give a glimpse into the life of a professional hockey player in the 1950’s. Block That Shot is sure to be a hit for any hockey fan young and old.

---

“Much has been written about the “stars” of the “Original Six” but very little about those who played in the shadow of such legends as Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull and Rocket Richard. Block That Shot goes a long way toward remedying this oversight. In this engaging memoir (written with Ty Dilello), Chrystal, a veteran of 132 career NHL games with the New York Rangers shares his own personal hockey journey from the Memorial Cup to the Calder Cup and all points in between.” – Todd Denault, author of Jacques Plante: The Man Who Changed the Face of Hockey

“Every hockey player has a story worth learning. Sometimes it is the players you know little about who have the best stories. You likely have never heard of Bob Chrystal, but it won't take long before you will be enthralled with his story and be cheering him on as you read Block That Shot.” – Joe Pelletier, GreatestHockeyLegends.com

"By detailing the life of Bob Chrystal, a lesser known defenseman whose career could have gone differently, Ty Dilello has preserved a little bit more of hockey history, from the minors to the pros, and we are all richer for it." – Greg Oliver, author of Father Bauer and the Great Experiment: The Genesis of Canadian Olympic Hockey

 

[Killion]

With my previous stack of hockey reading all read out, and having moved into a new house, I decided to restock with some on-line bargain books this week. Some of the titles were previously recommended by HF Boards' members in this thread, so a collective "Thank you!" is due. I will post my impressions here as I get through each one.

• The Lone Star Skate: Improbable (but True) Stories of Texas's Hockey Heroes, by Rusty Burson
• On the Edge: Women Making Hockey History, by Elizabeth Etue
• The Pursuit of Hockeyness: 99 Things Every Hockey Fan Needs to Do in Their Lifetime, by Sam McCaig
• The Hockey Sweater, by Roch Carrier
• Puckstruck: Distracted, Delighted and Distressed by Canada's Hockey Obsession, by Stephen Smith
• Hockey's Glory Days: The 1950s And '60s, by Dan Diamond & Eric Zweig
• A Thinking Man's Guide to Pro Hockey, by Gerald Eskenazi

And two Christmas/birthday presents for the STL Blues fan in our household (Mrs. JMC) ...

• Bob Plager's Tales from the Blues Bench, by Bob Plager & Tom Wheatley
• Blue Fire: A Season Inside the St. Louis Blues, by Dave Simons

.... and some excellent additions..... Lone Star, The Hockey Sweater & Hockeys Glory Days in particular.

 

[JMCx4]

I received & read Roch Carrier's The Hockey Sweater today. I'm not sure how much got lost in the translation to English, but I enjoyed the result very much & equally appreciated Sheldon Cohen's accompanying illustrations. I can attest, as a former kid from the Midwest U.S. who loved hockey as much then as I do now, that the sentiments of this story were just as personal to me as I imagine they have been to Canadians over the years. Thanks for sharing this tiny treasure with me.