Hockey History Books

[Stoneberg]

Hey folks,

I did a quick search (admittedly lazy), and didn't see a topic specifically on this, so here it goes.

Just recently I began getting significantly more interested in the history of hockey (mainly through joinin the ATD), and I am hoping to start putting together a little collection of hockey history books and video, to learn as much as I can about the history of the game.

So basically, I'm just looking for some recommendations on some good hockey history books from the history buffs around these parts. There is no limitation on the number of topics I am interested in, I don't care if it's a team-specific or era-specific book. (Actually I'd probably prefer earlier era-specific ones)

Thanks in advance

Click to read more...

 

[seventieslord]

Yeah, the ATD will do that to you.

I will come back with a list of books later.

 

[Merritton]

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.

While you're looking for - or waiting for (if you order) - Total NHL, pick up this season's issue of the National Hockey League & Record Book. I believe there's a penguin on the cover - and I don't mean Chilly Willy. This book - and Total NHL - are published by Dan Diamond and Associates.

By the time you've read both of these terrific books, you'll be ahead of 99% of hockey fans in terms of your knowledge of the history of the NHL.

I have to ask you the obvious question: what has happened to your scoring touch since the pre-season games?

 

[pnep]

http://www.sihrhockey.org/public_bibliography.cfm

I have:
The Trail of Stanley Cup (vol I, II, III)
Total Hockey and Total NHL (also pdf)
The Complete Historical & Statistical Reference to the World Hockey Association (8 ed.)
Hockey Chronicle: Year-By-Year History of the National Hockey League (also pdf)
Ultimate Hockey (also pdf)
Players : the ultimate A-Z guide of everyone who has ever played in the NHL (also pdf)
NHL All-star Game: 50 Years of the Great Tradition (pdf)
Hockey: Canada's Royal Winter Game (pdf)
Official Guide to The Players of The Hockey Hall of Fame (pdf)
NHL Teams Media Guides (pdf)
NHL Guide and Record Book (pdf)
Total Stanley Cup (pdf)
NHL All Stars Game Media Guide (pdf)
NHL AWARDS Media Gude (pdf)
Hockey Hall of Fame Treasures (pdf)
Quest for the Cup: A History of the Stanley Cup Finals, 1893-2001 (pdf)
The Hockey News - A Century Of Montreal Canadiens (pdf)
The Hockey News - Greatest Goalie Mask of All Time (pdf)
The Hockey News - Greatest Jerseys of All Time (pdf)

DVD:
Hockey- A People's History
LEGENDS OF HOCKEY

 

[Stoneberg]

Thanks for the suggestions so far gents.

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.

While you're looking for - or waiting for (if you order) - Total NHL, pick up this season's issue of the National Hockey League & Record Book. I believe there's a penguin on the cover - and I don't mean Chilly Willy. This book - and Total NHL - are published by Dan Diamond and Associates.

By the time you've read both of these terrific books, you'll be ahead of 99% of hockey fans in terms of your knowledge of the history of the NHL.

I have to ask you the obvious question: what has happened to your scoring touch since the pre-season games?

I just feel like frustrating Leafs fans to no end by playing pretty well and not putting up anything offensively.

 

[David Bruce Banner]

Read this one a little while ago. It was pretty good...

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

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Open Net by George Plimpton is a solid read mainly about his tryout with the Bruins in the late 70s (done for research purposes).

Big Bucks and Blue Pucks (subject: WHA) -- Murray Greig

History of Hockey -- Brian McFarlane

 

[JFA87-66-99]

Without Fear "The Top 50 goalies in hockey history"
Hockey All-stars
Ultimate Hockey
Kings Of Ice
Hockey Compendium
Hockey "A peoples History"
Total NHL

 

[Mathletic]

Hockey "A peoples History"

I like this one a lot. I don't know if they released a DVD as well but the book and the tv series are both excellent.

 

[JFA87-66-99]

I like this one a lot. I don't know if they released a DVD as well but the book and the tv series are both excellent.

The book is one of my favorites. I've read it cover to cover twice. @ more books I would like to add to my collection one day are
1) The Trail of the Stanley Cup Volume 1,2, & 3 (600$ book)
2) The book about the history of russian ice hockey. I think its called "The Red Machine" or something like that.

 

[golfortennis]

I am currently re-reading Net Worth. Maybe the most important hockey book of all time.

Also have Ultimate Hockey. I know one of the authors.

 

[kaiser matias]

I have:

The Montreal Canadiens: 100 Years of Glory
Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League (2003 edition)
NHL Record Book (1999, 2004, 2006-10 inclusive)
Rebel League
Canucks Legends
Lords of the Rinks
THN 100 Greatest NHL Players
Various other THN special editions
Breaking the Ice (about black hockey players)
The Last Hurrah (detailing the 1966-67 season, mainly Leafs and Habs)
Other, lesser books that aren't worth mentioning

On a related note, I'm looking into buying an edition of the Trail of the Stanley Cup. However as it is quite steep in price (someone above said $600 for all 3 editions), I want to know just how much stuff is listed in there that I couldn't find from somewhere else, like the internet or newer, cheaper books. Since some of you have it, is it worth the investment, or can someone seriously interested in hockey history go without?

 

[EventHorizon]

http://search.a1books.com/cgi-bin/mktSearch?act=showDesc&code=gbase&rel=1&ITEM_CODE=0771067275

That's a link to a site selling the NHL 75th Anniversary Commemorative book for $.36 used. That's 36 cents. I've learned more about the early days of the NHL from that book than I have from any other source; I highly recommend it. And for 36 cents you'd be crazy not to.

 

[seventieslord]

Lords of the Rinks

What a book!

But not as great if not read directly before or after "Deceptions and Doublecross: How the NHL Conquered Hockey".

Everyone needs to get this book. It won its authors an SIHR award.

On a related note, I'm looking into buying an edition of the Trail of the Stanley Cup. However as it is quite steep in price (someone above said $600 for all 3 editions), I want to know just how much stuff is listed in there that I couldn't find from somewhere else, like the internet or newer, cheaper books. Since some of you have it, is it worth the investment, or can someone seriously interested in hockey history go without?

It's the mother of all hockey books. If you consider yourself seriously interested in hockey history, then you can't not own this book.

Yes, there is a ton of stuff that you just won't find anywhere. A few things:

- Exact lineups and scorers for all playoff games dating back to 1893
- Season-by-season recaps for each top-level league dating back to 1893 (as an example, the 1918 season is 20 pages long) - This includes stories, scores of all games, final scoring leaders, and goaltending leaders.
- accounts of in-game events that you just won't find anywhere else (the most famous have all been put into other books by now though)
- detailed descriptions of multi-positional players and what years they played what positions

 

[seventieslord]

http://search.a1books.com/cgi-bin/mktSearch?act=showDesc&code=gbase&rel=1&ITEM_CODE=0771067275

That's a link to a site selling the NHL 75th Anniversary Commemorative book for $.36 used. That's 36 cents. I've learned more about the early days of the NHL from that book than I have from any other source; I highly recommend it. And for 36 cents you'd be crazy not to.

Not a bad book, but very basic. There are many books that will teach you more about the early days of the NHL.

 

[Axxellien]

"The Trail Of The Stanley Cup" series are indeed a very compelling History..

 

[JFA87-66-99]

What a book!

But not as great if not read directly before or after "Deceptions and Doublecross: How the NHL Conquered Hockey".

Everyone needs to get this book. It won its authors an SIHR award.




It's the mother of all hockey books. If you consider yourself seriously interested in hockey history, then you can't not own this book.

Yes, there is a ton of stuff that you just won't find anywhere. A few things:

- Exact lineups and scorers for all playoff games dating back to 1893
- Season-by-season recaps for each top-level league dating back to 1893 (as an example, the 1918 season is 20 pages long) - This includes stories, scores of all games, final scoring leaders, and goaltending leaders.
- accounts of in-game events that you just won't find anywhere else (the most famous have all been put into other books by now though)
- detailed descriptions of multi-positional players and what years they played what positions

Does it cover 1880's-1890's era extensively with all player bios with detail? I find myself very fascinated with that era of hockey & its many great forgotten players.

Also I forgot to mention TSN Top 100 NHL players of all-time,Who's Who In Hockey & Hockey Chronicle all three are very good books as mentioned above. On a sidenote If your a Wayne Gretzky fan I recomend Total Gretzky it has his stats from every single game.

 

[kmad]

I have:

Ultimate Hockey
Brian McFarlane - The History of Hockey
Ken Dryden - The Game
Dick Irvin Jr - The Habs
Dick Irvin Jr - My 26 Stanley Cups
Eric Whitehead - The Patricks
Eric Whitehead - Cyclone Taylor
Lloyd Percival - The Hockey Handbook
Brett Hull - My Own Story
Douglas Hunter - The Tim Horton Story
Douglas Hunter - Yzerman
Russ Conway - Game Misconduct
Chris Cuthbert/Scott Russell - The Rink
Martin Brodeur - Beyond The Crease
James Duplacey - The Rules of Hockey
Dave Bidini - The Tropic of Hockey
Steve Dryden - A Century of Hockey
Scott Young - 100 Years of Dropping the Puck
...and a couple of Stan Fischler books that you probably shouldn't bother reading.

 

[seventieslord]

Does it cover 1880's-1890's era extensively with all player bios with detail? I find myself very fascinated with that era of hockey & its many great forgotten players.

In detail? Only in as much detail as exists. You won't learn a thing that you don't already know. but having read the mini-bios that exist for the likes of Mike Grant and Graham Drinkwater and guys like that, it's easy to see that their information was obtained from The Trail and reworded. Coleman did all the legwork in piecing together whatever he could from newspapers during the 1960s. That's why I said in the other thread "good luck finding anything else" on guys like that. All that there is, Coleman already found and used in his bios. I wish there were more sources but I am confident in saying that to find anything else of substance regarding the pre-1900 guys, you will have to go read microfiche for hours.

 

[seventieslord]

...and a couple of Stan Fischler books that you probably shouldn't bother reading.

Stan Fischler does pretty well with facts; it is his opinions you shouldn't put too much value on.

 

[kaiser matias]

What a book!

But not as great if not read directly before or after "Deceptions and Doublecross: How the NHL Conquered Hockey".

Everyone needs to get this book. It won its authors an SIHR award.




It's the mother of all hockey books. If you consider yourself seriously interested in hockey history, then you can't not own this book.

Yes, there is a ton of stuff that you just won't find anywhere. A few things:

- Exact lineups and scorers for all playoff games dating back to 1893
- Season-by-season recaps for each top-level league dating back to 1893 (as an example, the 1918 season is 20 pages long) - This includes stories, scores of all games, final scoring leaders, and goaltending leaders.
- accounts of in-game events that you just won't find anywhere else (the most famous have all been put into other books by now though)
- detailed descriptions of multi-positional players and what years they played what positions

Thanks for the detailed response. Guess I'll need to start collecting my pennies.

Back on topic, another book I forgot to include:

Red Line by Stan Fishchler. It details the first Soviet players coming into the NHL during the 1989-90 season. I bought it at a used book store over the summer, and actually haven't gotten around to reading it yet, so I can't give an opinion of it.

 

[Leaf Lander]

My interest in the top 100 players for each franchise got peaked again this fall with the news of the Ranger top 100 Book.

Russ Cohen's "100 Ranger Greats". It looks great, and hear it is a very polished book. I recommend it for any hockey fan in your life!


So now the Rangers Les Canadiens and the Maple Leafs have top 100 books out.

Maple Leafs Top 100 by Mike Leonettti and John Laboni

and Ken Campbells the author of Habs Heroes (Top 100 Les Canadiens of All Time) .....and I enjoy them very much!

The leafs book is done in a hardcover and it is a book to treasure if your a leaf fan!

 

[ilovetheflyers8]

Here are some previous hockey book threads though they don't all deal with hockey history.

http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=697447&highlight=hockey+books

http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=665157&highlight=hockey+books

http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=620700

http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=671214

http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=320419&page=1

I have:

The Game- Ken Dryden
The Boys of Winter- Wayne Coffey- about the 1980 US olympic team
The Rebel League- Ed Willes
Searching for Bobby Orr- Stephen Brunt (haven't read it yet)
Thunder and Lightning- Phil Esposito (haven't read it yet)
Score!- Gene Hart (read part of it)- covers the Flyers from the beginning to the 80s by their now deceased commentator
Walking Together Forever: The Broad Street Bullies, Then and Now- Jim Jackson (haven't read yet)
The Good, the Bad & the Ugly Philadelphia Flyers by Adam Kimmelman (read parts of it) I think there is also a Rangers "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly"
Slap Shot Original- Dave Hanson (read part of it) Its fun and interesting though I'm not sure how helpful it is in terms of history

One hockey history movie I know of though I don't own it, and haven't seen it is "Gretzky, Indy & The WHA" , you can find out more about it here http://www.wharacers.com/

 

[JFA87-66-99]

Posted By Seventieslord:

In detail? Only in as much detail as exists. You won't learn a thing that you don't already know. but having read the mini-bios that exist for the likes of Mike Grant and Graham Drinkwater and guys like that, it's easy to see that their information was obtained from The Trail and reworded. Coleman did all the legwork in piecing together whatever he could from newspapers during the 1960s. That's why I said in the other thread "good luck finding anything else" on guys like that. All that there is, Coleman already found and used in his bios. I wish there were more sources but I am confident in saying that to find anything else of substance regarding the pre-1900 guys, you will have to go read microfiche for hours.

Yea thats too bad there isn't more information available about those players, Ultimate hockey is probably the best book for covering that era's teams and players 1887-1899 era. Do you know of any other books that cover that era specifically as well?

Posted by Rakovsky:
How are these books listed?

Eric Whitehead - The Patricks
Eric Whitehead - Cyclone Taylor
Lloyd Percival - The Hockey Handbook
Steve Dryden - A Century of Hockey
Scott Young - 100 Years of Dropping the Puck

 

[Stoneberg]

Great stuff guys, thanks for all the suggestions and input.

Looks like I have all my reading time (and disposable income, for that matter) booked for the forseeable future.