Hockey History Books

[Bondurant]

Will be one of the funnest hockey books you’ll ever read! Seriously, there are some great stories throughout. I’ll put it this way, it sure as hell wouldn’t be published in 2021.

Reading the cover this is what crossed my mind. Had a feeling this would not be vanilla. I could use a good laugh after heavier reading as of late. Bumping this up to the next book to be read.

 

[reckoning]

The book about a reporter spending a season with a team and keeping a diary about it has been done many times before and since, but A Season In Hell was by far the most entertaining version.

I remember checking it out of the library when I was maybe 13 or 14, and being amazed at how open it was about the players social lives.

My only complaint was that it was clear that Sloman had his favorites (Duguay, Murdoch, Greschner) and that's who he talks about the most. It would have been nice to hear more about the other players.

Aside from that though, a fun read. I'd like to track down a copy and read it again.

 

[Theokritos]

I guess we can expect quite a few publications dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Summit Series next year. One is already confirmed:

 

[kaiser matias]

After some delay, I finally got through Icing on the Plains: The Rough Ride of Kansas City’s NHL Scouts by @Troy Treasure.

Like several other reviews of the book have noted, it is largely a recap of the games played by the Scouts during their two seasons, with each game usually give a couple paragraphs. This seems to be a polarizing issue in reviews of the book, but I didn't mind it at all, as it's likely to be the only place you'll ever find a comprehensive summary of Scouts' games like this. The first chapter also looks at the development of non-hockey sports in Kansas City (NBA, MLB, NFL), as well as a quick look at minor hockey in the city, before going into the efforts to bring the NHL there. Not surprisingly, the rushed nature of the expansion and style of ownership (there were something like 30 partners, some who contributed as little as $5,000 or so), as well as poor planning for the arena, meant the team was doomed from the start.

The rest of the book has some good background on the off-ice part of the team, including a lot of discussion on Sid Abel's efforts as GM, and some brief overviews of some main players. I also like that Treasure has the Scouts and Capitals trip to Japan in April 1976 mentioned (which has been discussed here before), as that is something few people are aware of. Unfortunate there was no photos included, but as I understand the book was self-published, so I understand licensing would be an issue there, and if that's my only critique then I'm happy with it. I also think it would have been nice to have an epilogue with a little more on the future Kansas City minor league teams (the CHL Blues and Red Wings, and IHL Blades are briefly mentioned), but that's fine otherwise. Definitely something worth reading, especially for people here.

 

[Habsfan18]

Brand new release for the Fall hockey book season. An illustrated look at the history of the Blackhawks. Not cheap - set at $50 Canadian ($39.99 USD), but these types of coffee table hardcovers oftentimes tend to have a limited run (though I’m not positive if that’s the case with this one). So if you’re interested, I’d recommend not waiting too long, just in case. Flipped through it and and it’s definitely impressive visually.

These picture books aren’t about depth, so if you’re expecting that you’ll be disappointed. But it’ll look great on a bookshelf, and the layout and photos are fantastic. So if you enjoy visual histories you can’t go wrong this one.

A complaint I do have though..half of the book focuses on 2007 to present day. For an illustrated history of a team, you’d think there would be much more of a focus on the early days.

 

[kaiser matias]

Just finished reading this. It was published in 2014, and is a solid book.

It's roughly divided into thirds: the first third covers the history of the team, from expansion to relocation. The second third gives player profiles to about 100 players (this itself is divided into two: the first half looks at more prominent players and gives them more coverage, while the second half is brief summaries of other players), and the third half looks at executives (coaches and general managers), the arena, the rivalry with the Blackhawks, and a short introduction to the Minnesota Wild. There's also a substantial appendix with comprehensive stats: year-by-year (including rosters and playoff results), entry draft history, all-time trades, complete player statistics, and award winners. and some other things (attendance, minor league affiliates, etc). It's also filled with a lot of photos of every relevant North Star, albeit black-and-white. The only critique to be made is it would have been nicer to have a fuller history of the team, as some seasons are quite quickly glossed over, but overall it's an excellent history of the North Stars.

 

[Habsfan18]

Pretty solid mail day today, and for those who know me..it was like Christmas morning.

Stan Fischler put me in touch with former NHL.com editor John Kreiser (who also co-authored multiple books on the Rangers and covered the NHL for over 40 years for the Associated Press) who recently retired and was in the process of selling off his collection. I happily agreed to purchase all of these. I had all of the Guide/Record Books from 1984-1985 on, but wanted to add the earlier books. It worked out quite well that I was able to get all of these in one shot.

 

[member 83027]

Pretty solid mail day today, and for those who know me..it was like Christmas morning.

Stan Fischler put me in touch with former NHL.com editor John Kreiser (who also co-authored multiple books on the Rangers and covered the NHL for over 40 years for the Associated Press) who recently retired and was in the process of selling off his collection. I happily agreed to purchase all of these. I had all of the Guide/Record Books from 1984-1985 on, but wanted to add the earlier books. It worked out quite well that I was able to get all of these in one shot.

You just need these 3 now....

 

[Habsfan18]

You just need these 3 now....

View attachment 466893

I do have the 1951 “Hockey Guide and Who’s Who In Hockey” by James Hendy which is essentially the same book as that 1950-1951 edition (the NHL officially took over in 1948, I believe) as the Hendy books were still published on their own for a few years. Of course they were also included as part of the NHL guides once they took over.

But I’d definitely like to eventually add those 3 as well for completion sake!

 

[Bondurant]

The new Habs book should be coming out soon. Placed an order on Amazon with a Visa gift card that was set to expire so had to get it used. Looking forward to it.

Thin Ice was a solid read. Times sure have changed. Long gone are the days of smoking pot openly on an arena concourse between periods. Nothing but vanilla atmosphere these days.

 

[Habsfan18]

The new Habs book should be coming out soon. Placed an order on Amazon with a Visa gift card that was set to expire so had to get it used. Looking forward to it.

Thin Ice was a solid read. Times sure have changed. Long gone are the days of smoking pot openly on an arena concourse between periods. Nothing but vanilla atmosphere these days.

Which Habs book are you referring to? The one on the ‘71 team? It came out back in May, and is a great read.

 

[Bondurant]

Which Habs book are you referring to? The one on the ‘71 team? It came out back in May, and is a great read.

Neither. I meant Hartford but typed Habs for some reason.

 

[Habsfan18]

Amazon delivered these brand new books to me over the past few days. Looking forward to the reads. Already started the Victoria book. Looks great!

 

[kaiser matias]

Came across this book the other day during my daily rummaging:

It was published in 2006 by a local, Kenora-based publisher, and looks at the Thistles teams, from their foundation in the 1880s to the 1950s. It doesn't add much about the early, challenge-era teams, but is really informative for the junior and senior-era Thistles, culminating in a really detailed description of their 1954 tour of Japan. It also has a lot of nice photos throughout, and while short at 110 pages (albeit it's a large-format book), it is quite detailed overall, and is probably the only thorough history of those Thistles teams.

 

[Boxscore]

Neither. I meant Hartford but typed Habs for some reason.

Yep, the Hartford Whalers book was just delivered to me Saturday.

 

[Troy Treasure]

After some delay, I finally got through Icing on the Plains: The Rough Ride of Kansas City’s NHL Scouts by @Troy Treasure.

Like several other reviews of the book have noted, it is largely a recap of the games played by the Scouts during their two seasons, with each game usually give a couple paragraphs. This seems to be a polarizing issue in reviews of the book, but I didn't mind it at all, as it's likely to be the only place you'll ever find a comprehensive summary of Scouts' games like this. The first chapter also looks at the development of non-hockey sports in Kansas City (NBA, MLB, NFL), as well as a quick look at minor hockey in the city, before going into the efforts to bring the NHL there. Not surprisingly, the rushed nature of the expansion and style of ownership (there were something like 30 partners, some who contributed as little as $5,000 or so), as well as poor planning for the arena, meant the team was doomed from the start.

The rest of the book has some good background on the off-ice part of the team, including a lot of discussion on Sid Abel's efforts as GM, and some brief overviews of some main players. I also like that Treasure has the Scouts and Capitals trip to Japan in April 1976 mentioned (which has been discussed here before), as that is something few people are aware of. Unfortunate there was no photos included, but as I understand the book was self-published, so I understand licensing would be an issue there, and if that's my only critique then I'm happy with it. I also think it would have been nice to have an epilogue with a little more on the future Kansas City minor league teams (the CHL Blues and Red Wings, and IHL Blades are briefly mentioned), but that's fine otherwise. Definitely something worth reading, especially for people here.

Thank you for your comments.

Indeed, the book was self-published. In regard to the lack of photographs, that aspect was one of a few issues I had with the publisher. First, b/w Getty Images pics were $250 a pop. I wasn't going to go there due the cost. I attempted to compensate by gathering more-or-less present day photos from folks like Henry Boucha, Randy Rota, Robin Burns and some others. These folks were kind enough to send pics taken of them by family and/or friends. Still, the publishing house had copyright issues. Another complication was the individual at Balboa Press spoke with such a thick foreign accent, it was difficult to even have a conversation over the telephone.

Insofar as the editing, I did pay a former NHL beat writer a pretty good chunk of change to scrutinize the manuscript. The biggest boo-boo we both missed was the incorrect last name of the goaltender in the film "Slap Shot." I incorrectly had the Islanders sweeping Minnesota in a Stanley Cup Final. All in all, though, I feel like the copy is fairly clean, grammar-wise. I see mistakes in practically every book I read and have come to be very understanding. Writing a book is not easy and it is not going to be perfect.

In retrospect, I probably did go overboard on the game summaries. To your point, however, I appreciate that fact you understand I was trying to detail the ups and mostly-downs of a club that played only 160 regular season games. In addition, your point about an "epilogue" is a good one. Wish I'd done that.

In conclusion, self-publishing is a murky world. Buyer beware.

EDIT: Jay Greenberg recently passed away. Jay was such a wonderful source and terrific person. In addition, three other sources have died since publication: Mary McDuffe (Peter's wife), Bill Thompson (Robin Burns' Kansas City neighbor) and Chuck Shockley (a young man in Iowa who grew up a Scouts' fan).

 

[member 83027]

Yep, the Hartford Whalers book was just delivered to me Saturday.

Pat Pickens. the author is on this weeks edition of the Good Seats Still Available podcast if interested.

https://goodseatsstillavailable.com...ode-235-the-hartford-whalers-with-pat-pickens

 

[Boxscore]

Pat Pickens. the author is on this weeks edition of the Good Seats Still Available podcast if interested.

https://goodseatsstillavailable.com...ode-235-the-hartford-whalers-with-pat-pickens

Thank you!

 

[kaiser matias]

Thank you for your comments.

Indeed, the book was self-published. In regard to the lack of photographs, that aspect was one of a few issues I had with the publisher. First, b/w Getty Images pics were $250 a pop. I wasn't going to go there due the cost. I attempted to compensate by gathering more-or-less present day photos from folks like Henry Boucha, Randy Rota, Robin Burns and some others. These folks were kind enough to send pics taken of them by family and/or friends. Still, the publishing house had copyright issues. Another complication was the individual at Balboa Press spoke with such a thick foreign accent, it was difficult to even have a conversation over the telephone.

Insofar as the editing, I did pay a former NHL beat writer a pretty good chunk of change to scrutinize the manuscript. The biggest boo-boo we both missed was the incorrect last name of the goaltender in the film "Slap Shot." I incorrectly had the Islanders sweeping Minnesota in a Stanley Cup Final. All in all, though, I feel like the copy is fairly clean, grammar-wise. I see mistakes in practically every book I read and have come to be very understanding. Writing a book is not easy and it is not going to be perfect.

In retrospect, I probably did go overboard on the game summaries. To your point, however, I appreciate that fact you understand I was trying to detail the ups and mostly-downs of a club that played only 160 regular season games. In addition, your point about an "epilogue" is a good one. Wish I'd done that.

In conclusion, self-publishing is a murky world. Buyer beware.

EDIT: Jay Greenberg recently passed away. Jay was such a wonderful source and terrific person. In addition, three other sources have died since publication: Mary McDuffe (Peter's wife), Bill Thompson (Robin Burns' Kansas City neighbor) and Chuck Shockley (a young man in Iowa who grew up a Scouts' fan).

Thanks for the detailed update.

I knew photo licensing was pricey, but that's a ridiculous price to pay, and like I said I understand why you didn't go that route. Nice of the players to offer photos to you though, but I get the publisher's concerns.

And I will say that as someone who is quite vocal about glaring factual errors in books (I've posted them here several times), I didn't see anything jump out at me in your book (apparently I need to brush up on my Slap Shot goalie names and Islanders playoff runs), so kudos there.

Also think that as yours is likely to become the standard book on the Scouts, a detailed game summary is not only appreciated, but necessary. There are going to be few people who will put in the effort you did to get all that information localized in one spot, and speaking as someone who pretends to be a historian, that is a major benefit.

Lastly, I will say you can definitely see the personality of Greenberg throughout your book; he seems like he was a great guy, and I'm sure he had some amazing stories that weren't able to get published.

 

[Habsfan18]

https://www.amazon.ca/Tales-Brookly...chler+tales+of+brooklyn&qid=1635600080&sr=8-1

Not a hockey book per se, but Stan Fischler has a new memoir hitting bookshelves in December. It’ll primarily focus on stories of his childhood growing up in Brooklyn. Stan has told me that there will be hockey stories sprinkled throughout.

From the Publisher:

Every hero must have an origin story, and that includes New York media icon Stan Fischler. Known by millions of sports fans as The Maven, Fischler has written over 100 books on hockey, baseball, and transit systems--now he turns to his own story.

Fischler has written for national publications, met celebrities, and co-produced an award-winning documentary. But before all this, he was just a simple New York kid speeding around on his Roadmaster, riding the Coney Island Cyclone, and watching a double feature at the Kismet every Saturday. Tales of Brooklyn is a collection of humorous and poignant stories that gives a fascinating glimpse of growing up in New York City during the Depression and WWII eras.

Fischler's intimate circle of family and friends will shape him into the Hall of Fame hockey writer that he becomes. Loaded with nostalgic scenes of joy and sorrow, this origin story presents us with the moments that made The Maven.

 

[DeysArena]

I found a copy of The Making of Champions by Robert Olver at a used book store.

Is it worth reading?

 

[kaiser matias]

I found a copy of The Making of Champions by Robert Olver at a used book store.

Is it worth reading?

I did the same thing a few years ago, and bought it. It's a look at the lives of four junior hockey players (Patrice Brisebois, Mike Ricci, and two guys who didn't amount to anything) during the 1989-90 season. Chapters cycle through the players, and gives a close look at how things were then. It's pretty neat to see what hasn't changed, and what has, and to read about Ricci being hyped up as a potential first overall pick for the 1990 draft. If it's not too expensive I'd definitely recommend it.

 

[Theokritos]

For those who speak or at least read French: Next week Carl Lavigne is going to launch a book dedicated to Montreal Canadiens players who only got one game in the NHL. His announcement:

"I am pleased to announce that my first book will be officially launched on November 9 at the Bell Centre and made available in Quebec bookstores as of November 10. It’s called GLORIEUX D’UN SOIR. Here is a brief description of the content.

The book features all 57 players whose career with the Red White and Blue was limited to a single game. Whether they are One-Game Wonders or One-Game Failures, these players managed to live their dream even if it was short lived.

Reaching the NHL is likely the goal of every young hockey player, but very few make it in comparison to the number that attempt this objective. Only one player who performed in a single game with the Canadiens scored a goal, Perry Ganchar, a journeyman who went on to play in Pittsburgh for a few seasons before disappearing under the NHL radar.

Back in the days, where backups were not part of the hockey vocabulary, replacement netminders, for the most part practice goalies, were paid a few dollars to sit in the stands and be available should either goalie on the ice suffered an injury and would be unable to mind their net. Such was the case for the likes of Paul Gauthier, Claude Cyr, Abe Cox, Roy Worters, Len Broderick, André Binette, Jean-Guy Morissette and the little-known but highly unexpected case of Randy Exelby."

 

[Bondurant]

Pat Pickens. the author is on this weeks edition of the Good Seats Still Available podcast if interested.

EPISODE 235: The Hartford Whalers - With Pat Pickens — Good Seats Still Available

Thanks for posting. I will give this episode a listen. Minus a few minor annoyances that I was perplexed was not addressed by editors it was a fine book.

 

[kaiser matias]

Recently read Inexact Science: The Six Most Compelling Draft Years in NHL History by Evan and Bruce Dowbiggan (Evan is Bruce's son). It looks at what they consider the six most important drafts in league history: 1971, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1991, and 2005.

The focus is largely on the first overall pick for each draft (not a surprise), and then details the main stories for each of them. It is good to get some background like that, but I do think they could have talked a little more about some of the other picks made, or even some of the trades around each draft. The exception to this is 1989: despite being the first draft with a European picked first overall, it focuses on the Red Wings and their efforts to select European players (Lidstrom and Konstantinov), and gives some focus to Bure being controversially selected (I think they could have dived deeper into this). They also conclude with their own re-ranking of top picks; for the most part these aren't too wild, though having Jonathan Quick the top goalie for 2005 is a questionable choice (above both Price and Rask). The final chapter is a look at what may come for the drafts, arguing that high picks are key for championship teams.

I will also add that as I've come to expect from books by Dowbiggan, this is rife with factual errors. Normally I wouldn't make a big deal of this, but as I've now seen this happen consistently through his works I am calling him out, especially as he is a hockey journalist and should know how to do some basic fact-checking. Examples in this book include claiming Mark Messier's brief minor league demotion was to the Wichita Wind (he actually played for the Houston Apollos; the second time he's messed up Messier's non-NHL teams in a book), miscounting the lottery balls the Panthers had for the 2005 draft, and claiming Jay Bouwmeester was selected in the 2003 draft (it was actually 2002). There was also a lot of grammatical and typographical issues, which was really disappointing as the publisher should have caught that. Otherwise it's worth reading, as there's not a lot on the entry draft out there.