Hockey History Books

[Habsfan18]

Here is a sampling of some recently published titles for the fall/winter 2020 hockey book season.

The Serge Savard book was a great read, and I’m currently half way through the Burke book.

 

[kaiser matias]

Was given Burke's book for Christmas, and finished it rather quickly.

He certainly comes across as you'd expect, not afraid to say things. He has a lot of praise for people though, and only calls out a few individuals (a few media types, and some owners he worked for). Was good to get a look at his earlier life and career, though it also felt like he could have said a lot more.

One thing that bothered me, and this is a recurring issue I've found in these memoir-type books, is the amount of lazy factual errors. I caught three here, and considering it was co-written by Burke and Stephen Brunt, and (I'd like to believe) edited for accuracy and so on prior to publishing, would hope this wouldn't be so glaring:

* He makes an off-hand remark about the Canucks 1984 trip to the Cup final. This of course would be news to Gretzky and the rest of the Oilers (it was of course 1982 the Canucks went that far).

* A reference to the Summer Olympics in Barcelona, which apparently happened in 1998, and not 1992 like we had been led to believe.

* In the summer of 2011 Burke made an offer to Ed Jovanovski, but claims he instead signed for a longer term with the Phoenix Coyotes. Jovo had just finished a 5-year contract there, and actually went to Florida, where he played his final 3 seasons.

Some might argue that these are minor things that shouldn't matter, but if you are getting basic facts wrong that anyone could literally corroborate with a Google search, it makes me question the integrity of the rest of the book, and the things that aren't so easily fact-checked. It comes across as lazy work, and as it would have passed through several people before being published, makes me wonder how much effort they actually put into this.

 

[Boxscore]

Here is a sampling of some recently published titles for the fall/winter 2020 hockey book season.

The Serge Savard book was a great read, and I’m currently half way through the Burke book.

View attachment 378098 View attachment 378099

Darn--can't find the Savard or Fabric of the Game anywhere! Just ordered the Scorers Versus Goalies.

EDIT: Found them!

 

[kaiser matias]

When Bill Fitsell died recently I saw a mention of a book he wrote in the 1980s, Hockey's Captains Colonels & Kings, all about the really early years of the game (until the 1920s or so). I recently found a copy on eBay for a reasonable price, and it just arrived, so I'm looking forward to going through that. Will write up a review once I'm done.

 

[sabremike]

Was given Burke's book for Christmas, and finished it rather quickly.

He certainly comes across as you'd expect, not afraid to say things. He has a lot of praise for people though, and only calls out a few individuals (a few media types, and some owners he worked for). Was good to get a look at his earlier life and career, though it also felt like he could have said a lot more.

One thing that bothered me, and this is a recurring issue I've found in these memoir-type books, is the amount of lazy factual errors. I caught three here, and considering it was co-written by Burke and Stephen Brunt, and (I'd like to believe) edited for accuracy and so on prior to publishing, would hope this wouldn't be so glaring:

* He makes an off-hand remark about the Canucks 1984 trip to the Cup final. This of course would be news to Gretzky and the rest of the Oilers (it was of course 1982 the Canucks went that far).

* A reference to the Summer Olympics in Barcelona, which apparently happened in 1998, and not 1992 like we had been led to believe.

* In the summer of 2011 Burke made an offer to Ed Jovanovski, but claims he instead signed for a longer term with the Phoenix Coyotes. Jovo had just finished a 5-year contract there, and actually went to Florida, where he played his final 3 seasons.

Some might argue that these are minor things that shouldn't matter, but if you are getting basic facts wrong that anyone could literally corroborate with a Google search, it makes me question the integrity of the rest of the book, and the things that aren't so easily fact-checked. It comes across as lazy work, and as it would have passed through several people before being published, makes me wonder how much effort they actually put into this.

Any comments on that bumbling fool Richard Gordon, someone who should be high on any list of worst owners of the modern era?

 

[sr edler]

When Bill Fitsell died recently I saw a mention of a book he wrote in the 1980s, Hockey's Captains Colonels & Kings, all about the really early years of the game (until the 1920s or so). I recently found a copy on eBay for a reasonable price, and it just arrived, so I'm looking forward to going through that. Will write up a review once I'm done.

Nice find. Is there any info in the book on who's who on the team photos in the bottom left corner (the Kingston Frontenacs) and the upper right corner (the Montreal Vics)?

 

[Theokritos]

Will write up a review once I'm done.

Looking forward to it. Please let me know what Fitsell says about the Mi'kmaq and hockey.

 

[kaiser matias]

Any comments on that bumbling fool Richard Gordon, someone who should be high on any list of worst owners of the modern era?

I haven't gone through it yet, but I'll keep an eye out for his name and report back.

Nice find. Is there any info in the book on who's who on the team photos in the bottom left corner (the Kingston Frontenacs) and the upper right corner (the Montreal Vics)?

Unfortunately it doesn't give much. The photos are used within the book, and for the Frontenacs it only lists James Sutherland (second row, second from right; as manager), and the Vics doesn't list any players at all.

Looking forward to it. Please let me know what Fitsell says about the Mi'kmaq and hockey.

Will be sure to do so.

 

[kaiser matias]

When Bill Fitsell died recently I saw a mention of a book he wrote in the 1980s, Hockey's Captains Colonels & Kings, all about the really early years of the game (until the 1920s or so). I recently found a copy on eBay for a reasonable price, and it just arrived, so I'm looking forward to going through that. Will write up a review once I'm done.

So I forgot to post a review of the book here, but thanks to a helpful reminder by a mod (seriously; it totally slipped my mind), I'll write something up here:

The first two-thirds of the book has Fitsell look at the origins of hockey, and how it went from an unorganized game played on ponds and rivers, to a real sport with rules and so on. He looks the various founding myths, especially Kingtson's claim to be the birthplace of hockey, and largely dismisses it. Seeing how Fitsell was from Kingston himself, it was really interesting to see him be so dismissive, but he backs up his argument and shows that Kingston had no real way to prove their claim. In short, he notes that most claims made were done decades after the fact, and by people who were quite old, and that contemporary reports are few and almost non-existant.

He does lean towards Halifax being the origin of the sport, with it coming to Montreal and developing there. And while he shot down Kingston's claim to be the birthplace, Fitsell does give a lot of credit to the RMC and Queen's University for early development, and indeed shows that they took leading roles in refining the sport. He brings up early tours of the US as well, and how hockey was introduced into Quebec. One thing I found really interesting is that he only briefly mentions the March 3, 1875 game, almost like it was an afterthought for him; this was notable considering the importance placed on it today by some (the IIHF in particular).

The last third of the book looks at some more "modern" players, and by that I mean he briefly writes about Joe Malone, the Patricks, and King Clancy. I was actually surprised to see so much on Clancy, as it was more on him than the other players combined. I'm not familiar with Clancy or Fitsell, but based on this I would think they must have had a close relationship, as I can't understand so much attention on him otherwise (not a bad thing, mind you).

I know that there has been a lot of research into the origins of hockey the past few years (I am a sometimes member of the SIHR), but it was neat to see this book kind of give a good overview of the origins of hockey, and coming from a historian background, it's a neat piece of historiography (for those unfamiliar, the study of history itself): it shows where research into hockey's origins were in the 1980s, and I do think that people here would definitely appreciate the work Fitsell put into it (plus a lot of really nice photos of old time teams, including some of the Dawson City Nuggets I'd never seen before).

 

[Theokritos]

@kaiser matias: Thanks a lot. What does Fitsell say about the Mi'kmaq?

 

[kaiser matias]

@kaiser matias: Thanks a lot. What does Fitsell say about the Mi'kmaq?

He only touched on them a little bit, noting that their stick production of course, and that they did play a similar game before colonization, but didn't elaborate on it.

 

[Theokritos]

He only touched on them a little bit, noting that their stick production of course, and that they did play a similar game before colonization, but didn't elaborate on it.

Thanks. Bruce Berglund's book says the following: "The Mi'kmaq Indians of Nova Scotia played with a wooden puck in the mid-nineteenth century." The sentences comes with a footnote referring to Bill Fitsell's book, page 25. A little later, Berglund mentiones that the Mi'kmaq produced popular hockey sticks. One is left wondering: What exactly did the Mi'kmaq play with a wooden puck in the mid-nineteenth century – the same game as the Europeans in Canada? If they played a similar game before colonization, they must have switched at some point, for how else could & why else would they have produced hockey sticks? So when did they play what? What do we actually know?

 

[kaiser matias]

Thanks. Bruce Berglund's book says the following: "The Mi'kmaq Indians of Nova Scotia played with a wooden puck in the mid-nineteenth century." The sentences comes with a footnote referring to Bill Fitsell's book, page 25. A little later, Berglund mentiones that the Mi'kmaq produced popular hockey sticks. One is left wondering: What exactly did the Mi'kmaq play with a wooden puck in the mid-nineteenth century – the same game as the Europeans in Canada? If they played a similar game before colonization, they must have switched at some point, for how else could & why else would they have produced hockey sticks? So when did they play what? What do we actually know?

Reading the specific page, Fitsell references a Col. Byron Arthur Weston, who I understand was near the end of his time in the 1940s-50s (Fitsell mentions he was "a half century past his heyday" in the early post-war years). Weston was apparently trotted out by Halifax proponents to support their claim to be the birthplace of hockey: he had apparently "been a prominent skater in his your and recalled playing hockey with the Micmac Indians [sic] on a nearby lake in the 1860s."

In the 1930s Weston was quoted that the Mi'kmaq "played with a block of wood for a puck and the stones marking the places to score goals were placed at opposite angles to those at present ... The main points of the rules were that there was to be no slashing...no lifting the hockey stick above the shoulders, and when a goal was scored ends were changed. Players had to keep onside and the forward pass was permitted."

Page 26 has Fitsell note that Weston was "emphatic" that the Mik'maq played on Dartmouth lakes years before Dartmouth and Halifax teams did in the 1880s, and notes their stick-making being a "craft they continued until the 1930s."

Fitsell also has a quote from a Mik'maq referred to as Old Joe Cope, who said he remembered Weston and others playing earlier. Quoted in 1943, Cope said: Long before the pale faces strayed to this country, the Micmacs [sic] were playing two ball games, a field game and an ice game."

The rest of the chapter (which is really two pages) then go into a discussion of reports on hurley and rickets being played in the Halifax area, but my inference is that these games were played by soldiers and other colonists. There's no further elaboration on the Mik'maq sport, though the chapter is preceded by the photo below, which I'm not sure has been posted here or not:

Edit: One thing I will note: as seen above Fitsell notes that some of the Halifax stories about the origins of hockey (and I believe Kingston ones; I can check if people want) were relayed by older people and decades after the fact, and at a time when there was a concentrated effort to promote the narrative. He doesn't outright dismiss these stories, but he certainly expresses caution, if not outright skepticism of them, making many references to them being older people telling uncorroborated stories decades later.

 

[Theokritos]

(...)

Thank you very much. The topic keeps puzzling me because the Mi'kmaq playing "hockey" very early tends to get mentioned so casually for a claim that calls for substantiation. I've seen references to a 1749 account of a Mi'kmaq stick-and-ball game on ice, but I have yet to see a proper citation, let alone quote of that account.

 

[Habsfan18]

Stan Fischler had recently asked me for my top 10 favorite hockey books of all-time, and he included my list (with small paragraphs why) in this week’s edition of “The Fischler Report.”

They also wrote a little piece on me and my collection in last week’s Fischler Report. Pretty neat!

Anyways, I have read countless, but here’s my personal top 10..which was very tough to trim down. My list started as a top 30, then top 20, and then a top 10.

And no, I didn’t include the two Fischler books because I was dealing with Stan Fischler lol they genuinely are among my favorites and are his best works, IMO.

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

 

[Habsfan18]

It’s behind a paywall so I can’t post the piece, but it has been a pretty big thrill communicating with Stan Fischler over the past few months. He’s very friendly. He’s living in Israel with his son and family, and is turning 89 on Wednesday. Still writing about the game!

Say what you want about his hot takes and opinions over the years, but the Hockey Maven is a legend in my view. He’s a walking talking hockey encyclopedia, and he played a big part in growing the game’s popularity with his works throughout multiple decades. He deserves his spot in the HHOF’s media category, IMO. And I know that may not be a popular opinion here.

 

[penaltykiller]

I have not seen it mentionned here, but a few weeks ago a biography of Georges Vézina was published in French. It received critical acclaim. The author debunked a lot of myths about Vézina.

Georges Vézina, l'Habitant silencieux par LALANCETTE, MIKAËL

Translation:
The life and career of the Montreal Canadiens' first Quebec star

Nearly one hundred years after the death of Georges Vézina, his name is still known to fans: despite the number of great players who came after him, the National Hockey League has never changed the name of the Vézina trophy, awarded annually to the best goalie.

That's how much he marked his era. With him, the Canadiens won their first two Stanley Cups and captured the hearts of thousands of fans across the country. During his 16 seasons in Montreal, the Chicoutimi native saw the history of his sport being written before his eyes. Georges Vézina was part of all the great firsts on the ice, from the breakthrough of hockey in the United States to wartime games or during the health crisis caused by the Spanish flu.

His legacy goes beyond borders and statistics: like his people, he was a quiet pioneer.

 

[Habsfan18]

I have not seen it mentionned here, but a few weeks ago a biography of Georges Vézina was published in French. It received critical acclaim. The author debunked a lot of myths about Vézina.

Georges Vézina, l'Habitant silencieux par LALANCETTE, MIKAËL

Translation:
The life and career of the Montreal Canadiens' first Quebec star

Nearly one hundred years after the death of Georges Vézina, his name is still known to fans: despite the number of great players who came after him, the National Hockey League has never changed the name of the Vézina trophy, awarded annually to the best goalie.

That's how much he marked his era. With him, the Canadiens won their first two Stanley Cups and captured the hearts of thousands of fans across the country. During his 16 seasons in Montreal, the Chicoutimi native saw the history of his sport being written before his eyes. Georges Vézina was part of all the great firsts on the ice, from the breakthrough of field hockey in the United States to wartime games or during the health crisis caused by the Spanish flu.

His legacy goes beyond borders and statistics: like his people, he was a quiet pioneer.

That and the recently released Henri Richard biography really deserve an english translation. Hopefully that’s in the cards.

 

[nabby12]

I have not seen it mentionned here, but a few weeks ago a biography of Georges Vézina was published in French. It received critical acclaim. The author debunked a lot of myths about Vézina.

Georges Vézina, l'Habitant silencieux par LALANCETTE, MIKAËL

Translation:
The life and career of the Montreal Canadiens' first Quebec star

Nearly one hundred years after the death of Georges Vézina, his name is still known to fans: despite the number of great players who came after him, the National Hockey League has never changed the name of the Vézina trophy, awarded annually to the best goalie.

That's how much he marked his era. With him, the Canadiens won their first two Stanley Cups and captured the hearts of thousands of fans across the country. During his 16 seasons in Montreal, the Chicoutimi native saw the history of his sport being written before his eyes. Georges Vézina was part of all the great firsts on the ice, from the breakthrough of hockey in the United States to wartime games or during the health crisis caused by the Spanish flu.

His legacy goes beyond borders and statistics: like his people, he was a quiet pioneer.

This book definitely needs an English translation at some point! I’d love to read it.

 

[penaltykiller]

Fun fact in the book: In those days, in order to make some extra money and to grow the game, teams would often play exhibition games in the United States after the Stanley Cup was awarded. Sometimes, it would be canadian teams playing each other, sometimes they would play against local teams. In April 1912, the Habs were scheduled to play a game in New York City. However , when the players arrived in town,they discovered that they arrived at the same time as the survivors from the Titanic. Needless to say that the hockey game had little media coverage...

 

[ted2019]

View attachment 414386

It’s behind a paywall so I can’t post the piece, but it has been a pretty big thrill communicating with Stan Fischler over the past few months. He’s very friendly. He’s living in Israel with his son and family, and is turning 89 on Wednesday. Still writing about the game!

Say what you want about his hot takes and opinions over the years, but the Hockey Maven is a legend in my view. He’s a walking talking hockey encyclopedia, and he played a big part in growing the game’s popularity with his works throughout multiple decades. He deserves his spot in the HHOF’s media category, IMO. And I know that may not be a popular opinion here.

What website posted the story?

 

[Habsfan18]

What website posted the story?

The Fischler Report’s website. Stan’s daily “Java Jive” feature throughout the week is free, but his weekly “Fischler Report” requires a paid subscription.

It’s not a big piece, but I did ask the guy who runs the site for Stan if he could “unlock” the two pieces - the piece on me and my collection, and then this week’s top 10 favorite books piece - so I could share it with family and friends. I haven’t heard back from him yet.

 

[4straight]

The NHL "a centennial history" by D'arcy Jenish is a great book about how teams were formed and dissolved and the obstacles the NHL had to overcome to become the premier league in North America

 

[Habsfan18]

Upcoming 2021 titles:

“No One Wins Alone: A Memoir” - by Mark Messier, with Jimmy Roberts

“The Odd Fellow’s Heart” - by Morey Holzman. A prequel to Deceptions & Doublecross. It tells the story of Jimmy Stewart.

“Game 7: Records, Heroes & Champions” - by Richard Scott

“Call Me Indian: From the Trauma of Residential School to Becoming the NHL’s First Treaty Indigenous Player” - Fred Sasakamoose autobiography, with Meg Masters

“The Whalers: The Rise, Fall and Enduring Mystique of New England’s (Second) Greatest NHL Franchise” - by Patrick Pickens

“A Helluva Life in Hockey: A Memoir” - by Brian McFarlane

“Mosienko: The Man Who Caught Lightning In A Bottle” - Ty Dilello (aka @nabby12)

“Hockey 365: The Second Period” - by Mike Commito. A follow up to his Hockey 365 title.

“Fighting My Way To The Top” - by Shawn Thornton

“Call Me Lanny” - Lanny McDonald with Kirstie McLellan Day

“The NHL’s Mistake by the Lake: A History of the Cleveland Barons” - by Gary Webster

“On The Clock: The Complete History of the Edmonton Oilers NHL Draft” - by Allan Mitchell

“Klondikers: Dawson City’s Stanley Cup Challenge and How a Nation Fell in Love with Hockey” - by Tim Falconer

“Capitals, Aristocrats and Cougars: The Life and Times of Victoria's Hockey Professionals, 1911-1926” - by Alan Livingstone MacLeod

”The Save of My Life” - by Corey Hirsch, with Kevin Shea

And thanks to @Theokritos for the reminder on Eric Zweig’s upcoming book on the Kenora Thistles.

 

[Theokritos]

On The Clock: The Complete History of the Edmonton Oilers NHL Draft - by Allan Mitchell

Another autumn publication? September to November 2021 will be packed with new books.