Good Books, Great Hockey

Originally published in Rinkside in 2005

By Lucas Aykroyd

On a chilly winter night, there’s nothing like curling up by the fireside with a good book. So why not choose something about the world’s most exciting sport?

Long gone are the days when hockey was stereotyped as the refuge of gap-toothed illiterates. Art Farrell, the author of the first known hockey book (1899’s Hockey: Canada’s Royal Winter Game), would be amazed. At the current rate, it won’t be long till the number of quality hockey books exceeds Wayne Gretzky’s career assists total.

For stats aficionados, the current edition of the National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book is always a wise choice. Though now out of print, both the 1998 and 2000 editions of the Total Hockey Encyclopedia are goldmines of information. In the latter, check out Mark Brender’s “Two Minutes for Booking So Good: A Century of Hockey Books Surveyed” (p. 581-591) for more reading suggestions.

Here are some books that pack the collective literary punch of an Al MacInnis slapshot or a Scott Stevens bodycheck.

The Game by Ken Dryden (Wiley, 2003): First published in 1983, this is widely regarded as the best hockey book ever. It provides an intimate look inside the Montreal Canadiens dressing room circa 1979: the camaraderie, the practical jokes, the relationships between players. Dryden’s musings on the evolution of hockey are also thought-provoking. The 20th anniversary edition includes an afterword that assesses the impact of the Soviet style and Wayne Gretzky.

Gretzky by Wayne Gretzky with Rick Reilly (HarperCollins, 1990): In his teens and early 20’s, the Great One was generally as polite and cautious in his public pronouncements as Sidney Crosby is today. This autobiography, published when Gretzky was 29 and had just joined the L.A. Kings, has flashes of humor and even a touch of controversy. “I play best on four hot dogs, oozing in mustard and onions. (Maybe because no defenseman wants to get near me after that.)” “I always respected [Mike Bossy] for his shot, but I wouldn’t be too excited to share a cab with him.” A fun read.

Messier by Jeff Z. Klein (Doubleday Canada, 2003): The most in-depth available portrait of the man often dubbed “the greatest leader in professional sports.” Klein traces Mark Messier’s development from the brash young Gretzky sidekick of the early 1980’s Oilers to the prototypical NHL captain whose will to win defined Edmonton’s last Stanley Cup and the first New York Rangers championship since 1940.

Mr. & Mrs. Hockey: A Tribute to the Sport’s Greatest Couple by Kevin Allen (Immortal Investments Publishing, 2004): Gordie Howe’s grip on the NHL’s most games played record (1,767) currently looks secure with the retirement of Messier and Ron Francis. And along with his wife Colleen, he’s the subject of a ton of colorful anecdotes here. For instance, Stan Fischler and Art Skov offer their memories of Howe’s famous 1959 fight with Lou Fontinato, and former Hockey Night In Canada producer Ralph Mellanby recalls how Colleen divulged Gordie’s knack for obliterating golf balls on the fairway. There’s a nice selection of Howe family photos, too.

My Life in Hockey by Jean Beliveau with Chrys Goyens & Allan Turowetz (McLelland and Stewart, 1994): Arguably the classiest player in hockey history, Beliveau is both frank and gentlemanly in his account of his early stardom with the Quebec Aces, his leadership on the dynastic Montreal clubs of the 50’s and 60’s, and his statesmanlike presence in his post-playing career.

Overtime: The Legend of Guy Lafleur by Georges-Hebert Germain (Penguin Books, 1990): Germain, a leading Montreal journalist, dedicated this book to Lafleur’s wife Lise, “who believes that what is true should be said.” There is no better investigation of the fast pace Lafleur established on and off the ice as the NHL’s marquee superstar in the second half of the 1970’s. Overtime is both an intensely personal vision and a microcosm of late 20th-century Quebec society.

Yzerman by Douglas Hunter (Doubleday Canada, 2004): The longest-serving captain in NHL history is also one of the League’s most private people. Even though Douglas Hunter wasn’t able to interview Steve Yzerman for this biography, he crafts a revealing portrait of how Yzerman matured from the high-scoring hotshot of the 1980’s into the leader whose will, ability to play through pain, and defensive play coupled with timely offense helped the Detroit Red Wings capture three Cups between 1997 and 2002.

Glenn Hall: The Man They Call Mr. Goalie by Tom Adrahtas (Greystone Books, 2002): Terry Sawchuk, Jacques Plante, and Patrick Roy are often suggested as candidates for the title of the greatest goalie of all time. But in this 252-page bio, the author argues powerfully that Glenn Hall, the inventor of the butterfly style and winner of the Calder, Vezina, and Conn Smythe Trophies, belongs right up there too. Written in cooperation with Hall, the book offers insight on the pressures that sometimes made Hall want to give it all up and stay home on his Alberta Farm.

Sittler by Darryl Sittler & Chrys Goyens with Allan Turowetz (Macmillan, 1991): This is a fabulous read for Leaf fans that idolized the high-scoring center in the 1970’s. Anecdotes, humor and pathos abound, from the story behind Sittler’s 1976 Canada Cup-winning goal against Czechoslovakia’s Vladimir Dzurilla to his post-retirement conversion to Christianity.

Maple Leaf Moments: A Thirty-Year Reflection by Howard Berger (Warwick Publishing, 1994): Berger has built a reputation as one of Canada’s best-informed hockey journalists while working for Toronto’s The Fan-590 radio station. He lives up to his advance billing here with in-depth analyses of all major Maple Leafs trades from 1964 to 1994, as well as esoterica like Nikolai Borschevsky’s favorite word, Pat Quinn’s infamous hit on Bobby Orr, and Mike Palmateer’s rookie bravado.

The Game of Our Lives by Peter Gzowski (McLelland and Stewart, 1981): Although the author, a renowned CBC Radio commentator, passed away in 2002, his keen eye for details lives on in this insider’s look at the 1980-81 Edmonton Oilers. You’ll revel in the bravado and kibitzing of Gretzky, Messier, and Coffey, just three years away from their first Stanley Cup title, and realize just how much the game has changed in the last 25 years, from team initiation rituals to the European influx.

Score! My Twenty-Five Years with the Broad Street Bullies by Gene Hart and Buzz Ringe (Bonus Books, 1990): Some hockey fans deplore the rough-and-tumble style of the Philadelphia Flyers, but longtime Philly broadcaster Gene Hart unapologetically embraces it in this 342-page history. In unadorned, fast-paced prose, Hart describes the offbeat motivational strategies employed by legendary coach Fred Shero, the team’s use of Kate Smith’s “God Bless America” as its lucky charm, and the heartbreak of the Stanley Cup Finals losses to Edmonton in 1985 and 1987.

My 26 Stanley Cups: Memories of a Hockey Life by Dick Irvin Jr. (McClelland and Stewart, 2001): As a longtime member of CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada, Dick Irvin Jr. saw more Stanley Cups won than his father, a legendary player and coach with three NHL clubs. Irvin provides the inside scoop on the love-hate relationship between Montreal players and coach Scotty Bowman in the 1970’s, as well as his memories of a golf course encounter with Maurice “Rocket” Richard and John LeClair plus Bobby Nystrom’s 1980 Cup-winning goal for the New York Islanders.

Red Line: The Soviets in the NHL by Stan and Shirley Fischler (Prentice-Hall Canada, 1990): This is an in-depth exploration of the first-year NHL exploits and downfalls of former Soviet stars such as Alexander Mogilny and Igor Larionov at the very end of the Cold War. As Fischler is based in New York, it’s not surprising that special emphasis is placed on Slava Fetisov and Alexei Kasatonov’s uneasy relationship with New Jersey.

Tretiak: The Legend by Vladislav Tretiak (Plains Publishing, 1987): For North American readers who want to know how the “other side” felt about the 1972 Summit Series or the 1980 “Miracle on Ice,” this is a great place to start. The autobiography of Russia’s greatest goalie, while occasionally colored by old-school Soviet propaganda, provides a colorful look into what made the CCCP teams such a feared force in the 1970’s and 80’s.

Pavel Bure: The Riddle of the Russian Rocket by Kerry Banks (Greystone Books, 1999): From 1991 to 1994 with the Vancouver Canucks, this Russian winger was arguably the most electrifying forward the NHL has ever seen, and he remained a top-shelf scorer into his twilight years with Florida and the New York Rangers. But Bure’s personal life and contract dispute were shrouded in mystery. Banks, a former Georgia Straight writer, does some excellent detective work here.

The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team by Wayne Coffey (Crown Publishers, 2005): Combining a minute-by-minute recounting of perhaps the most famous single international hockey game ever played with nuanced biographies of the participants is no mean fear. Coffey, a veteran New York Daily News writer, really captures the affection that coach Herb Brooks had for his squad of US college players.

Kings of the Ice: A History of World Hockey by multiple authors (NDE Publishing 2002): This 1,023-page tome Kings of the Ice: A History of World Hockey offers in-depth, beautifully photo-illustrated biographies of nearly 500 players and coaches representing the major hockey nations. With 15 experienced authors like Andrew Podnieks, Pavel Barta, and Jan Bengtsson on board, this is a must-have for NHL and international hockey fans.

So Your Son Wants to Play in the NHL by Dan and Jay Bylsma (Sleeping Bear Press, 1998): Few young hockey players are born with the talent of Mario Lemieux or Sidney Crosby. In this collaboration with his father, Dan Bylsma describes the approach that enabled him to play 429 NHL games with Los Angeles and Anaheim, based on sheer hard work and a reliance on family and faith.

Baptism by Ice: How Hockey Taught an American to Love Canada by Paul D. Grant (Viking Canada, 2004): Baptism by Ice is as much an amusing comparison of Canadian and American cultural mores as an account of the Sporting News hockey editor’s journey through Canadian NHL rinks with a St. Louis-raised colleague several years ago. Highlights? The dynamic duo’s early morning skate at Rexall Place, Chris Pronger’s comments on American beer, and a lunch-time visit with Don Cherry in Toronto.

Tiger: A Hockey Story by Tiger Williams and James Lawton (Douglas & McIntyre, 1984): You don’t get to be the NHL’s all-time penalty minute leader by, well, pulling punches. In this tell-all personal history, the 14-season NHL enforcer reveals his secret pact of mutual respect with Boston’s Terry O’Reilly, his impressions of Toronto coach Red Kelly’s “pyramid power” scheme in the 1976 playoffs, and his recollections of Vancouver’s 1982 run to the Finals.

Breaking the Ice: The Black Experience in Professional Hockey by Cecil Harris (Insomniac Press, 2003): The NHL Diversity program demonstrates the League’s commitment to embracing all players regardless of their cultural backgrounds. But not everyone in hockey circles was as enlightened in the past. Harris, a New York-based scribe, sensitively delves into the struggles and triumphs of former black hockey stars like Herb Carnegie and Willie O’Ree as well as contemporary counterparts such as Jarome Iginla and Anson Carter.

Hockey Town: Life Before the Pros by Ed Arnold (McLelland and Stewart, 2004): What is the true hockey capital of Canada? According to the author, it’s Peterborough, Ontario. He substantiates his claim by investigating the examples of great Peterborough Petes players and coaches like Steve Yzerman, Roger Neilson, and Scotty Bowman.

The Big Book of Hockey Trivia by Don Weekes (Greystone Books, 2005): On average, how many pucks are used in an NHL game? What is the age of the youngest goalie in NHL history? Which Montreal Canadiens goalie predicted that Guy Lafleur would put Wayne Gretzky “in his back pocket”? If you’re a hockey fanatic, you’ll love trying to answer the questions packed into this 572-page volume.

Zamboni Rodeo: Chasing Hockey Dreams from Austin to Albuquerque by Jason Cohen (Greystone Books, 2001): While players around the world dream of cracking the NHL, most of them never fulfill that destiny. So what’s life like on the Southern USA minor league circuit nowadays? Cohen, a Rolling Stone and Texas Monthly contributor, discovered the truth during a season spent with the WPHL’s Austin Ice Bats.