Hockey History Books

[seventieslord]

Is anyone looking to fill in some gaps in their THN collections? I have 300 loose issues I'm looking to move.

I have 160 from between 1983 and 1988. About one in six missing in a 4.5 year run.

I also have 120 consecutive issues from 1995 to 1998. None missing.

 

[seventieslord]

Check out what I found in the pages of a mass market paperback book I don't think I had ever opened before - Hockey's Hall of Fame, by Tim Moriarty:

 

[seventieslord]

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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.

I only have '64 and '84. Are these useful for research, or just fun to collect?

 

[Habsfan18]

I only have '64 and '84. Are these useful for research, or just fun to collect?

Nothing overly useful in terms of research, really. Most of the info can be found online nowadays. Still, they’re fun collectables and I jumped at the chance to add all of those in one shot.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

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."

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This is a great concept for a book. I'd read it if it were in English.

 

[reckoning]

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.

I'm reading that book now and came across another glaring error. It says Harold Ballard didn't allow any Canada Cup games in '76 to be played at Maple Leaf Gardens, when actually five games in the tournament were played at MLG, including the famous Canada-Sweden game with the standing ovation for Salming before the game.

Having said that though, unless it's specifically a reference, statistics, or fact book, small errors can be forgiven. As long as it doesn't detract from the main story or become intentionally misleading, just chalk it up to poor editing and turn the page.

The book itself is interesting enough, but it's a bit disappointing he only chose six drafts to look at. There's other years like '69, '73 or '77 that have interesting stories that would make good chapters. While the Lindros saga has been done to death, I thought his account of it was fairer than most.

 

[kaiser matias]

I'm reading that book now and came across another glaring error. It says Harold Ballard didn't allow any Canada Cup games in '76 to be played at Maple Leaf Gardens, when actually five games in the tournament were played at MLG, including the famous Canada-Sweden game with the standing ovation for Salming before the game.

Having said that though, unless it's specifically a reference, statistics, or fact book, small errors can be forgiven. As long as it doesn't detract from the main story or become intentionally misleading, just chalk it up to poor editing and turn the page.

The book itself is interesting enough, but it's a bit disappointing he only chose six drafts to look at. There's other years like '69, '73 or '77 that have interesting stories that would make good chapters. While the Lindros saga has been done to death, I thought his account of it was fairer than most.

I'm inclined to agree about the errors, but with Dowbiggan it's just become a trend that I find so many in his books (I wrote previously in this thread about his book Money Players, which had so much factually wrong I have to question any assertion made there).

Agree a look at more drafts would have been neat; one could easily produce something like this for all drafts, as it would be interesting to see the leadup to both important ones, and some of the weak ones (and see the hype for both leading up to them, and if they met it).

 

[Theokritos]

Not a hockey history book in the usual sense, but nevertheless an interesting look at a hockey-related aspect of Canadian culture:

 

[Theokritos]

Some news:

The second edition of Lloyd Percival: Coach and Visionary by Gary Mossman (already mentioned in post 766) is now scheduled to appear in early January 2022. The book is going to be self-published. The exact date should be announced soon.

Another book announced for 2022 is Total Bruins: A game-by-game account of the Boston Bruins 1929-39 by Jeff Miclash. This one is going to be self-published too. The author has already provided a little insight here on HFBoards back in August:

Game by game account of the Bruins 1929-39 with >1000 pictures, over half are game action. 500 pages.

 

[SkeeterPumpkinEater]

Finishing up Brian Burke's autobiography "Burke's Law" and it's a GREAT book that I highly recommend!

What are some must read hockey books?

 

[NyQuil]

Hockey History Books

 

[Theokritos]

Finishing up Brian Burke's autobiography "Burke's Law" and it's a GREAT book that I highly recommend!

What are some must read hockey books?

Hockey History Books

Moved.

 

[SkeeterPumpkinEater]

Moved.

Sorry. I'm how you say... new and nude to this still.

 

[Theokritos]

Sorry. I'm how you say... new and nude to this still.

No problem. Your question is interesting anyway.

Check out this list by @Habsfan18:

1. The Game - by Ken Dryden

2. Those Were The Days: The Lore of Hockey by The Legends of The Game - by Stan Fischler

3. When The Rangers Were Young - by Frank Boucher, with Trent Frayne

4. The Flying Frenchmen: Hockey’s Greatest Dynasty - by Stan Fischler and Maurice Richard

5. Cold War: The Amazing Canada-Soviet Hockey Series of 1972 - by Roy MacSkimming

6. The Red Machine: The Soviet Quest to Dominate Canada’s Game - by Lawrence Martin

7. A Season In Time: Super Mario, Killer, St. Patrick, the Great One and the Unforgettable 1992-1993 NHL Season - by Todd Denault

8. The Rebel League: The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey Association - by Ed Willes

9. They Call Me Gump - by Gump Worsley, with Tim Moriarty

10. The Game of Our Lives - by Peter Gzowski

Honorable mentions:

The Habs: An Oral History - by Dick Irvin

Sawchuk : The Trouble and Triumphs of the World’s Greatest Goalie - by David Dupuis

Jean Beliveau: My Life In Hockey - with Chris Goyens and Allan Turowetz

Deceptions and Doublecross - by Morey Holzman and Joseph Nieforth

Win, Tie, or Wrangle - by Paul Kitchen

My 26 Stanley Cups - by Dick Irvin

Red Line: The Soviets In The NHL - by Stan Fischler

Game Misconduct: Alan Eagleson and the Corruption of Hockey - by Russ Conway

The Hockey Book - by Bill Roche

Lions in Winter - by Chris Goyens and Allan Turowetz

 

[kaiser matias]

Finishing up Brian Burke's autobiography "Burke's Law" and it's a GREAT book that I highly recommend!

What are some must read hockey books?

Definitely a fun read, you can really the feel for Burke throughout. Liked seeing him talk about his earlier years and stuff, it was neat to see that perspective.

 

[Theokritos]

The second edition of Lloyd Percival: Coach and Visionary by Gary Mossman (already mentioned in post 766) is now scheduled to appear in early January 2022. The book is going to be self-published. The exact date should be announced soon.

Coming up on CBC Radio on January 18 and 19: A two-part series on Lloyd Percival featuring interviews with Gary Mossman, Loui Vairo and Vsevolod Kukushkin.



By then, Mossman's "Lloyd Percival: Coach and Visionary. Revised and Fully Referenced Edition" should be available.

 

[Habsfan18]

Brand new book on the market that may be of interest to some on here.

 

[wetcoast]

Is anyone looking to fill in some gaps in their THN collections? I have 300 loose issues I'm looking to move.

I have 160 from between 1983 and 1988. About one in six missing in a 4.5 year run.

I also have 120 consecutive issues from 1995 to 1998. None missing.

Sadly I lost all of mine in a separation as I had every copy in a 15 year run starting in the 80s and had some random ones from an elementary school teacher from the 70s.

 

[slapshot101]

I bought these on ebay , on their way to me

å

 

[Habsfan18]

Ice War Diplomat : Hockey Meets Cold War Politics at the 1972 Summit Series

From the publisher:

Marking the 50th anniversary of the historic Summit Series, here is the incredible story of an unlikely political stage—the hockey rink—where a Cold War, and the threat of nuclear annihilation, is no less important than a power play in the final minute. Discover a diplomacy mission like no other: caught between capitalism and communism, Canada and the Soviet Union, young Canadian diplomat Gary J. Smith must navigate the rink, melting the ice between two nations skating a dangerous path.

Tasked with finding common ground and building friendships between the world’s two largest countries and arctic neighbours, a young Canadian diplomat finds himself on his first overseas assignment in Moscow, the Soviet capital. It’s the early 1970s and a Cold War between communism and capitalism, the west and the east, is simmering—while the ice rink is just starting to heat up. Trained in Russian and deployed by Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s détente policy, Smith opts for sports diplomacy, throwing off his embassy black tie dress codes and donning the blue and white sweater of the Moscow Maple Leafs.

Armed with cases of Molson, Smith sets forth into Russian beer league hockey. A vodka-infused encounter with the influential Izvestia journalist “The Snowman” leads him into the murky world of Soviet hockey officialdom, the KGB and the decision that USSR “amateurs” were finally ready to play Canadian professionals in an eight-game Friendship Series of the best versus the best.

Trusted by each side with unparalleled access to officials, coaches and players on both teams, Smith witnesses this unique and epic hockey series that has come to transcend time, becoming a symbol of the unity and clarity that sports can offer. Discover amazing and surprising events: a motorcycle joyride around the Kremlin with the Canadian prime minister; a secret visit to a Soviet hospital by a blood-coughing Phil Esposito; an argument with Bobby Orr about Team Canada’s behaviour; and an invitation in 2017 from Russia to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the series in Moscow.

The 1972 Canadian-Soviet Hockey Series will go down in history as a pivotal political event, changing the course of two nations and the world of hockey—learn the fascinating story and more in this book, perfect for history and sports fans alike.

 

[Habsfan18]

Also on tap:

 

[Boxscore]

Also on tap:

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Awesome heads-up! Just preordered both!

 

[Habsfan18]

It’ll be interesting to see how much “new” material will be published in these books, considering that the Summit is already far and away the most written about event in hockey history.

By my count, to the best of my knowledge anyways, there are already six forthcoming books on the Summit Series, and that number is likely to grow.

- Ice War Diplomat. This has the most potential, IMO, based on the fact it’ll be written from the pov of someone with a truly unique perspective. It’ll be much more than just a hockey book.

- The Series by Ken Dryden. Not everyone feels the same way I’m sure, but the guy could write about the weather and I’d probably read it. He had previously written “Face-off at the Summit” back in 1973, which was his first book. So him reflecting back on the series 50 years later will make for an interesting read, I’m sure.

1972: The Series That Changed Hockey Forever by Scott Morrison. He had previously published “The Days Canada Stood Still” back in 1989. Now, I have no idea if this is essentially a revised or updated edition of that book or not, but a brand new cover and title leads me to believe it may be a brand new book entirely. I guess we’ll find out. The “knock” on Morrison, if you want to call it that, based on some of his book reviews over the years, is that his writing style may be better suited to journalism rather than full-on book projects. His first book on the Summit was a good read, but it did tend to be a bit repetitive at times.

- Alex Braverman, Paul Patskou and Sean Mitton are currently working on a untitled Russian-centric project. This is intriguing simply based on the fact there hasn’t been much published in english from the Soviet pov. Jack Ludwig’s “Hockey Night in Moscow” was probably the best book published on the series with a strong focus on the Soviet side and the way of life over there at the time.

- Roy MacSkimming is publishing an update to his fantastic “Cold War” book, which for my money is the best book written on the subject. It’s being billed as a 50th anniversary of the Summit “update” but I don’t have any other details currently. It may simply be a re-release with a new foreword and perhaps an additional “update” chapter at the end. I guess time will tell.

- Sean Mitton will also be releasing an updated edition of 2012’s “The Goal that United Canada” which apparently will have some brand new material.

 

[kaiser matias]

It’ll be interesting to see how much “new” material will be published in these books, considering that the Summit is already far and away the most written about event in hockey history.

By my count, to the best of my knowledge anyways, there are already six forthcoming books on the Summit Series, and that number is likely to grow.

- Ice War Diplomat. This has the most potential, IMO, based on the fact it’ll be written from the pov of someone with a truly unique perspective. It’ll be much more than just a hockey book.

- The Series by Ken Dryden. Not everyone feels the same way I’m sure, but the guy could write about the weather and I’d probably read it. He had previously written “Face-off at the Summit” back in 1973, which was his first book. So him reflecting back on the series 50 years later will make for an interesting read, I’m sure.

1972: The Series That Changed Hockey Forever by Scott Morrison. He had previously published “The Days Canada Stood Still” back in 1989. Now, I have no idea if this is essentially a revised or updated edition of that book or not, but a brand new cover and title leads me to believe it may be a brand new book entirely. I guess we’ll find out. The “knock” on Morrison, if you want to call it that, based on some of his book reviews over the years, is that his writing style may be better suited to journalism rather than full-on book projects. His first book on the Summit was a good read, but it did tend to be a bit repetitive at times.

- Alex Braverman, Paul Patskou and Sean Mitton are currently working on a untitled Russian-centric project. This is intriguing simply based on the fact there hasn’t been much published in english from the Soviet pov. Jack Ludwig’s “Hockey Night in Moscow” was probably the best book published on the series with a strong focus on the Soviet side and the way of life over there at the time.

- Roy MacSkimming is publishing an update to his fantastic “Cold War” book, which for my money is the best book written on the subject. It’s being billed as a 50th anniversary of the Summit “update” but I don’t have any other details currently. It may simply be a re-release with a new foreword and perhaps an additional “update” chapter at the end. I guess time will tell.

- Sean Mitton will also be releasing an updated edition of 2012’s “The Goal that United Canada” which apparently will have some brand new material.

Thanks for this. I'm definitely interested in Ice War Diplomat and this Braverman/Patksou/Mitton books more than the others, specifically because I find the behind the scenes politics and Soviet side of things so interesting (and like you said, not widely discussed in English).

Dryden is an eloquent writer, I'll agree, but it looks like this book is only 200 pages (per Amazon), so I'm a little skeptical about what it can add, especially in such a condensed book. Likewise for Morrison: is this going to actually bring anything new that isn't out there already.

Like you not MacSkimming's book is probably the best out there, and I really enjoyed it, and may buy this copy (I don't own a copy yet, I'm embarrassed to say).

 

[greyraven8]

Not sure if this is the best place to post this but does anyone know where to get a copy of the book that came out in 2009
Goaltenders: The Expansion Years (1967-1979) by Sebastien Tremblay