Toggle sidebar

Hockey History Books

  • Xenforo Cloud will be upgrading us to version 2.3.5 on March 3rd at 12 AM GMT. This version has increased stability and fixes several bugs. We expect downtime for the duration of the update. The admin team will continue to work on existing issues, templates and upgrade all necessary available addons to minimize impact of this new version. Click Here for Updates
Another rainy day in my hometown, so I just finished reading The Hockey News' The Pursuit of Hockeyness: 99 Things Every Hockey Fan Needs to Do Before They Die. An attention grabbing title for sure, and I enjoyed reading the majority of the THN's staff's suggestions that make up this series of 2-to-4 page bucket list descriptions for avid hockey fans. But some are out of reach for the vast majority of us due to expense (e.g., #6. Battle Through A Habs-Bruins Playoff Game In Boston; #12. Spend A Hockey Night In Russia; #17. Go To The Stanley Cup Final; #32. Stay Warm At A Winter Classic; #38. Billet A Major Junior Player; #79. Skate In Red Square), while others require skills that only some hockey fans have ever or still possess (e.g., #4. Play Hockey Now, Play Hockey Forever; #33. Be A Weekend Hockey Warrior; #51. Have A Hockey Fantasy (Camp) - which could also qualify for the too-expensive list; #88. European Rec-League Road Trip - ditto), and still others have passed some or all of us by since the book was written in 2009 ... which qualifies this title as a "Hockey History Book," right? ... (#26. Hail The ECHL Chiefs; #31. Revisit Your Favorite Old Rink; #97. Go On The Ultimate Hockey Road Trip - sad to note how many of those destinations and/or teams no longer offer hockey to enjoy). Nonetheless, the book will stir some hockey fans' imaginations - and having dreams hardly ever hurts us, right? :nod:
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Killion
Finally picked up Red`s Story by Red Storey, one of my favorite hockey personalities.

Alot of interesting stories in the book, especially about his time as an NHL referee in the 1950`s, including his controversial final game.

We discussed Red when he passed, including that game:

Red Storey

According to Red in the book, Bobby Hull later told him that he got the penalties right that night.

Great picture in there of a 10 year old Guy Lafleur looking way up at the 6`3 Red at the Québec Pee Wee tournament in the early 1960ies.

I lucked out on the book, it`s a signed copy. Red signed the nickname part of his name in red ink, he was colorful.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tarantula
Killion said:
...I do take issues with a considerable number of his premises in making, selling his cases, opinions, theories. Mixes fact with fiction at times. Makes for a fun read though one shouldnt necessarily take it all as gospel. His insinuations, implications his opinions gleaned through 2nd, 3rd hand sources rather than from the principles who he's writing about. In the case of this book, the insinuation being that Gretzky wasnt really all that upset, gotten what he wanted, crying Crocodile Tears, staged, fake.

Character assassination I can do without unless absolutely warranted. Same thing with his book about Bobby Orr. Certain amount of intellectual arrogance, moralizing, misses the mark, no real understanding or empathy let alone sympathy about Brunts writing I find off-putting. He goes looking for trouble, looking for faults & then presents them as fact...
Click to expand...
Yes, I completely agree with all of this.

I have Brunt's Orr book and I've glanced through or read much of his Gretzky one, and I can't say I'm overly impressed.

The agenda of his Orr book is (a) that Orr's era of hockey was the downfall of the Canadian hockey-fan's innocence, and (b) that Orr himself was to blame for his career/financial problems when he left the game. The problem with these agendas is that (a) only makes sense if you were 13 at the time, and (b) is something Orr himself has stated many times, so he's completely owned his own off-ice failings and has not hidden it. Brunt doesn't really need to hammer home what Orr himself has already admitted, as if it's a revelation.

In addition, as someone who missed Orr's entire career, the book is a massive disappointment in that I wanted more details of the games, plays, seasons of Orr in Boston (you know, the reason he's famous). But Brunt goes into close scrutiny only of Orr's last year or two of Junior, and his rookie year in Boston a bit, the Stanley Cup win in'70... and then skips ahead to 1975. Call me crazy but I'm more interested in learning about Orr's on-ice exploits than his dating habits in the Massachusetts singles' scene, which Brunt seems obsessed with.


The agenda of his Gretzky book is (a) that Gretzky looked for a Daddy-Warbucks father-figure to mollycoddle him through his career, and (b) that Gretzky essentially created his trade to Los Angeles, manipulating the main-players involved, and got the money and international fame he wanted out of it. While I have some limited agreement with point (a), I find (b) ridiculous and simply untrue. While I haven't read the whole book in detail, I have seen detailed interviews with Brunt where he goes over these points, and frankly his attempts to paint Gretzky as an opportunist who wanted nothing more than to get out of Edmonton is embarrassingly misguided.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sabremike and kaiser matias
This morning I finished reading The Lone Star Skate: Improbable (but True) Stories of Texas's Hockey Heroes, by Glenn Hart & Rusty Burson. This was one of the more entertaining hockey page-turners that I've read in quite some time. It was easy to read, with each chapter just long enough to provide summary insight and anecdotes from the lives of a different team or player or executive who shaped today's hockey landscape in Texas. The book's theme would probably be most appealing to hockey fans from The Republic; but as a card-carrying citizen of the Contiguous 47 :whatever: ... I very much enjoyed the tales of inside wheelings & dealings in the hockey business back in the early 2000s. With so many changes in North American pro hockey since the book was published in 2011, some of the stories come across as unusually dated; but I did come away with a wish for more books covering the births & developments of the WPHL and the CHL, as the combined league introduced me to the minor pro game that I now follow religiously. If anybody reading this knows of such a title(s), please chime in.

Speaking of religiously, I didn't connect the co-author's name "Glenn Hart" to my hockey fan experiences until I got to the final chapter. I was surprised - and annoyed - to be reminded that he was part of the CHL's Laredo Bucks ownership group who shipped his enthusiastic but naïve GM and the Bucks franchise up to St. Charles, MO, to eventually become the one-n-done St. Charles Chill. I was very disappointed that Hart the author waited until the last chapter (if at all) to insert his overtly preachy story about his self-professed challenges & triumphs in the hockey business. But if you can gloss over his evangelization & self-promotion to wrap up the book, I think you'll still come away with several memorable hockey history stories.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Killion
A book entitled "We Want Fishsticks" on the infamous rebranding of the Islanders in the mid 90's that was one of the biggest fiascos in the history of American sports comes out next month. Advance word says it's great, I've already asked Santa for it :nod:
 
  • Like
Reactions: JMCx4, Tarantula and Killion
For those interested in the Kansas City Scouts, this book just came out this month:

Icing on the Plains The Rough Ride of Kansas City’s NHL Scouts by Troy Treasure

And there’s another author working on another book on the Scouts!
 
  • Like
Reactions: JMCx4, Tarantula and Killion
vikash1987 said:
For those interested in the Kansas City Scouts, this book just came out this month:

Icing on the Plains The Rough Ride of Kansas City’s NHL Scouts by Troy Treasure

And there’s another author working on another book on the Scouts!
Click to expand...

Oh ya. That should be entertaining. Both of them.
 
Just completed Wayne Gretzky's 99 Stories of the Game with Kirstie McClennan Day. As I expected, nothing earth shattering from this book. The book is about Gretzky's takes on historic hockey moments, iconic players and various teams, with some personal Gretzky stories mixed in. Overall, a light breezy read.
 
The Panther said:
I may have mentioned it here before, but quite a nice one to get is:

images
Click to expand...

Finished this a few days ago. Great read. Reminded me of Blood Feud. Taking you into the games and backstories for some of the key players.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Killion
Book released not long ago, bio about Winnipeg native Bob Chrystal who played a couple of years with the Rangers in the 50's, spending most of his career in the minors thereafter having run afoul somewhat of NY Coach Phil Watson. Very interesting read as it gives one considerable insight into just how difficult it was for journeyman, that tier of players just below the Richards, Howes' & Bathgates etc to earn a position & stick even with the low rung Rangers, how good actually teams like Cleveland & others of the AHL actually were.... Books called "Block that Shot; The Bob Chrystal Story"....

Short video here hosted by the author with Bob... www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFXLnqR3VGg
 
  • Like
Reactions: kaiser matias, DowntownBooster, nabby12 and 2 others
vikash1987 said:
For those interested in the Kansas City Scouts, this book just came out this month:

Icing on the Plains The Rough Ride of Kansas City’s NHL Scouts by Troy Treasure

And there’s another author working on another book on the Scouts!
Click to expand...

Wow! Thanks for the heads up! Just purchased!
 
Killion said:
Book released not long ago, bio about Winnipeg native Bob Chrystal who played a couple of years with the Rangers in the 50's, spending most of his career in the minors thereafter having run afoul somewhat of NY Coach Phil Watson. Very interesting read as it gives one considerable insight into just how difficult it was for journeyman, that tier of players just below the Richards, Howes' & Bathgates etc to earn a position & stick even with the low rung Rangers, how good actually teams like Cleveland & others of the AHL actually were.... Books called "Block that Shot; The Bob Chrystal Story"....

Short video here hosted by the author with Bob... www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFXLnqR3VGg
Click to expand...

Great stuff, Killion! The guy looks like if Gordie Howe and Gary Dornhoefer had a baby.
 
Really enjoying reading books on hockey in the 70’s. Stephen Cole’s book Hockey Night Fever is brilliant. Just finishing up The Rebel League, another great book. Just ordered a few more. Are there anymore books on 1970’s hockey that have been recently released?
 
Theokritos said:
His hockey life continues to be wild, even though he is coaching now. Recently he was banned from the bench for four games after throwing a water bottle on the ice during an argument with a referee.
Click to expand...
How about that!
 
ak1977 said:
Really enjoying reading books on hockey in the 70’s. Stephen Cole’s book Hockey Night Fever is brilliant. Just finishing up The Rebel League, another great book. Just ordered a few more. Are there anymore books on 1970’s hockey that have been recently released?
Click to expand...
Cole's Hockey Night Fever gets consistently high marks from readers. Thanks for the tip, added to my search list.

On the rare occasion that I'm on the hunt for a recently published title, I use these two on-line review sources to help make my purchase decisions ...
Those two websites - supplemented by this thread (thanks to all!) - give me enough titles to keep my Future Reading list very full.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Boxscore, ak1977 and kaiser matias
Theokritos said:
His hockey life continues to be wild, even though he is coaching now. Recently he was banned from the bench for four games after throwing a water bottle on the ice during an argument with a referee.
Click to expand...

Damn it feels good to be a gangster.

BiPG7v9.gif
 
ALMOST finished On The Edge: Women Making Hockey History, by Elizabeth Etue & Megan K. Williams, but I gave up with 3 more chapters left. I guess my mistake was taking the title to be a fair reflection of the primary content. Instead, the authors used the book - over and over and over ... and over again - to criticize the Canadian hockey establishment for unfair treatment of the women's game and every single participant therein for 100+ years. In the end - or almost the end - I believe they did a huge disservice to the many great women players & coaches & builders of women's hockey, by using those extraordinary people as a platform for their mid-1990s social & political agenda. Maybe this book would've "spoken to me" more clearly if I was a woman, I dunno. But I'd find it difficult to recommend to any hockey fan as a fun read.

One positive note: This book did pique my interest in an ice game that I'd never heard of, ringette. Guess I've gotta add that one to my future title searches.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Ad

Ad

Top Bottom