Hockey History Books

[Tad Mikowsky]

Has anyone picked up a copy of Fred Saskamoose's 'Call Me Indian'? Any thoughts? It looks very interesting.

YES!

I finished it earlier this month and it was a great book. Usually hockey memoirs are such hit and miss (with the Gilmour, Chelios and Domi being the biggest duds for me) but Sasakamoose’s story goes well beyond hockey. It’s an engrossing tale and a book I couldn’t put down easily.

Edit: fixed the name as per seventieslord. If I’m going to use the name, I ought to use it properly.

 

[seventieslord]

I know it's an easy mistake - I used to make it too.... It's Sasakamoose.

 

[Johnny Engine]

I know it's an easy mistake - I used to make it too.... It's Sasakamoose.

Yeah, it's easy to look at the name and wrongly see a province and a woodland animal strung together, like Loontario or Albeaver, but it's not exactly that.

 

[Habsfan18]

I HIGHLY recommend the Sasakamoose book. It’s more than a hockey book, and a very powerful read. Seriously, pick up a copy if you can.

On another note, I took my first trip to the local book shop in over a year, and I came away with some good finds.

Already had “Hockey Legends” but this copy is in much better shape. Also own Andy O’Brien’s “Superstars: Hockey’s Greatest Players” & Trent Frayne’s “The Mad Men Of Hockey” but both were in paperback format. Glad to get them in hardcover. Original editions and they look nicer on the bookshelves lol.

The Mahovlich book was an especially nice find.

 

[nabby12]

The first book review for "Mosienko: The Man Who Caught Lightning In A Bottle" has been posted by YA Dude Books (Book reviews - YAdudebooks)

Mosienko | Ty Dilello| Great Plains Publications

Mosienko: The Man Who Caught Lightning in a Bottle, by Ty Dilello; Great Plains Publications

Ty Dilello’s beautifully written biographical account of William “Bill” Mosienko also depicts some of the National Hockey League’s other G.O.A.Ts. (Greatest of All Times). We follow their journey from virtually unknown to world famous players. The book chronicles the early days of immigrant families living in North End -- one of Winnipeg’s poorest neighborhoods, plagued by poverty and diseases -- and how they dealt with culture shock, economic hardships and racism.

The family’s initial trip should have taken them to Saskatchewan, but a chance encounter with the Shibicky's (NHL star Alex Shibicky’s parents) may have been a blessing in disguise. Roman Shibicky somehow convinced them to go to Winnipeg and this is where Bill was introduced to the sport that would eventually make him a household name.

Daniel Mosienko certainly had it hard -- maintaining his extremely large family on such a minimal salary ($1.25 per hour) from his job as a boilermaker with Canadian Pacific Railroad. The depression certainly made life unbearable, yet amidst all that hardship, the Mosienko's found a way to make it through.

One of the most profound lessons to be learnt from this story is that regardless of how dire things may seem, there is always something positive to look forward to. These youngsters grew up in extreme poverty, yet chose to use sports as a “way out” instead of joining a gang and wreaking havoc.

Even though they were too poor to afford hockey gear and they sometimes had to walk long distances in blistering weather to get to the nearest rink, they did not allow the odds to stack up against them.
Through sheer will and determination, they became overcomers and truly deserve a place in the NHL’s Hall of Fame, as well as our hearts.
-N.S.

 

[reckoning]

I HIGHLY recommend the Sasakamoose book. It’s more than a hockey book, and a very powerful read. Seriously, pick up a copy if you can.

On another note, I took my first trip to the local book shop in over a year, and I came away with some good finds.

Already had “Hockey Legends” but this copy is in much better shape. Also own Andy O’Brien’s “Superstars: Hockey’s Greatest Players” & Trent Frayne’s “The Mad Men Of Hockey” but both were in paperback format. Glad to get them in hardcover. Original editions and they look nicer on the bookshelves lol.

The Mahovlich book was an especially nice find.

View attachment 450918

The Rick Heinz book in that picture is very good. A guide for aspiring players about the business side of the game, giving them the honest truth that most don't make the NHL so they need to have other options. Throws in enough anecdotes about his own career to keep it interesting.

 

[kaiser matias]

Finished reading Hockey's Greatest Tragedies: The Broken Heroes of the Fastest Game on Earth by Timothy Feige (2011) the other day. It looks at players (and one former Maple Leafs Garden child sexual abuse victim) who died young, and a few who had other issues (like Theo Fleury and Sheldon Kennedy). There's like 40 names in there, and he goes over each in a couple pages, then details what happened. A pretty depressing book of course, but still interesting to read. A little disappointed that Luc Bourdon was not included though; not sure why he wasn't.

What bothered though was there were a few notable factual errors. I've railed on this topic before, but if I can catch it while skimming a book, the editors and fact-checkers preparing the book should have easily caught it. Things like saying Theo Fleury was traded to the Colorado Rockies, the Canadiens winning their 33rd Cup in 1986, writing "Estivan" (it should be Estevan, and was indeed spelt correctly elsewhere), and a couple others I missed. If I notice this without trying, what other issues are coming up that I didn't see right away?

Like I said it's not the first time I've mentioned glaring factual errors in hockey books, and I'm starting to question it. I read a lot of other history and political books, but don't see nearly the same amount of errors, so is this just I'm that well-versed in hockey to catch these things, or are hockey-book editors that sloppy at their jobs?

 

[kaiser matias]

On a more pleasant note, got a copy of Tretiak's book the other day at an antique store here for $15. Looking forward to reading through it.

 

[Habsfan18]

On a more pleasant note, got a copy of Tretiak's book the other day at an antique store here for $15. Looking forward to reading through it.

Which one? His autobiography titled “Tretiak: The Legend” which was published during the late 80’s? Or his earlier one from the late 70’s titled “The Hockey I love”? I enjoyed both but would recommend the “newer” one if I had to pick just one.

 

[kaiser matias]

Which one? His autobiography titled “Tretiak: The Legend” which was published during the late 80’s? Or his earlier one from the late 70’s titled “The Hockey I love”? I enjoyed both but would recommend the “newer” one if I had to pick just one.

The first one:

 

[Habsfan18]

Took me over a decade to finally find a copy of this for my library and personal research. Safe to say I’m absolutely ecstatic.

 

[Boxscore]

Took me over a decade to finally find a copy of this for my library and personal research. Safe to say I’m absolutely ecstatic.

View attachment 461731
View attachment 461733

Such a great book!

 

[Boxscore]

I HIGHLY recommend the Sasakamoose book. It’s more than a hockey book, and a very powerful read. Seriously, pick up a copy if you can.

On another note, I took my first trip to the local book shop in over a year, and I came away with some good finds.

Already had “Hockey Legends” but this copy is in much better shape. Also own Andy O’Brien’s “Superstars: Hockey’s Greatest Players” & Trent Frayne’s “The Mad Men Of Hockey” but both were in paperback format. Glad to get them in hardcover. Original editions and they look nicer on the bookshelves lol.

The Mahovlich book was an especially nice find.

View attachment 450918

I love that Mahovlich book -- it's one of my favorites in my collection. Unfortunately my dust cover has a bunch of wear and tear.

 

[Bondurant]

Took me over a decade to finally find a copy of this for my library and personal research. Safe to say I’m absolutely ecstatic.

Nice find. It is amazing how expensive books once they go OOP. I spent years trying to find an affordable copy of The Short-Timers by Gustav Hasford. Ended up stumbling upon a random website, discovering a Vietnam quarterly with a Hasford article, contacting the publisher that happened to have known Hasford and hoarded his books before they became collectors items and he sold me a copy for $25.

 

[Habsfan18]

Nice find. It is amazing how expensive books once they go OOP. I spent years trying to find an affordable copy of The Short-Timers by Gustav Hasford. Ended up stumbling upon a random website, discovering a Vietnam quarterly with a Hasford article, contacting the publisher that happened to have known Hasford and hoarded his books before they became collectors items and he sold me a copy for $25.

Nice! Sometimes real gems can be found quite cheap at random used book stores as well. I remember coming across a copy of both “Road To Olympus” and “The Red Machine” for $5 each. This after seeing online booksellers list them at $200+. It really is outrageous what they’ll be listed at. I imagine from their POV they just hope the demand from collectors means someone desperate enough will jump at the chance to buy the “cheapest” copy. For example, a tactic I’ve noticed they will use is pricing a book significantly cheaper than any other seller. It’ll still be seriously overpriced, but LOOKS much better to certain buyers. For example look at all the usual online booksellers, say there’s a specific out of print book with only 5 copies available online anywhere. 4 of them are priced at $400+ (random, likely computer generated prices) but one bookseller will price theirs at $90. Still obviously VERY expensive for a book. BUT considering what the other 4 copies are listed at, this looks like a “steal” at first glance. Believe me, as a collector who has many friends and contacts who share the same hobby, there are always people who take the bait lol

I have been collecting long enough that I know all of the online booksellers tricks when it comes to out of print titles. Sometimes you get real lucky and find a steal. But they also know they can price them at whatever in the hell they want if it’s rare because there will always be someone willing to pay a high price. Hell, there are some I’m embarrassed to admit the price I paid for. My wife doesn’t need to know the true amount anyways.

 

[Theokritos]

A few interesting books that are in the pipeline:

• The second edition of the Lloyd Percival biography by Gary Mossman. It will right the shortcoming of the first edition (lack of references) and have some revisions to the text.
• A book on the 1934 and 1938 Chicago Black Hawks by Paul Greenland. The book is basically finished and should come out next year.
• A book on hockey and politics in Cold-War Czechoslovakia by Ethan Scheiner. It's still being worked on, but already scheduled for a 2022 release.

 

[Habsfan18]

A few interesting books that are in the pipeline:

• The second edition of the Lloyd Percival biography by Gary Mossman. It will right the shortcoming of the first edition (lack of references) and have some revisions to the text.
• A book on the 1934 and 1938 Chicago Black Hawks by Paul Greenland. The book is basically finished and should come out next year.
• A book on hockey and politics in Cold-War Czechoslovakia by Ethan Scheiner. It's still being worked on, but already scheduled for a 2022 release.

Interesting to hear about the upcoming Hawks book by Greenland. He authored team history books on the Chicago Blackhawks (Hockey Chicago Style) and Detroit Red Wings (Wings of Fire) in the mid 90’s, and I thought they were very well done.

 

[Habsfan18]

Two recently published books:

“To Hold It High: Four Generations of Hockey’s Most Storied Franchise” by Danny Geoffrion and Paul Deepan

https://www.amazon.ca/Hold-High-Gen...eywords=danny+geoffrion&qid=1630533898&sr=8-1

To you from failing hands we throw/The torch, be yours to hold it high: This inscription from John McCrae's famous poem In Flanders Fields has adorned the dressing room of the legendary Montreal Canadiens since 1952, inspiring every subsequent generation of player. A fast-paced collaboration by best-selling author Paul Deepan and raconteur extraordinaire Danny Geoffrion, To Hold it High traces the hockey lineage of Danny’s grandfather Howie Morenz, his father Boom-Boom Geoffrion, himself, and his son Blake, all of whom played for the Canadiens (Les Habitants, to their legions of adoring fans).

But this is not just another sports book about the on-ice exploits of famous heroes.

To Hold It High is a saga of four generations who played for the same professional sports franchise, a feat not duplicated in any pro sport on the planet. This family story is intertwined with a history of a hockey team, a province, and a country. The history of the team cannot be told without mention of this family. The story of the family cannot be told without mention of the team. Even though so many individual greats have undeniably held and passed the torch before, and will do so again, no family but this one has gone through so much to hold that torch so high, pass it so often, and mark their place in Habitants history for so long.

This is not just another sports book about on-ice exploits by legendary heroes. From the tragedies of on-ice collisions that ended lives and careers, to the hilarity of locker room rookie initiations, To Hold It High gives the reader a behind the scenes insight into the life of a professional athlete. Any student of the fastest game on Earth will love this book, as will any fan of Les Habitants.

“The New York Rangers Rink of Honor” by Sean McCaffrey.

https://www.amazon.ca/Rangers-Rafte...words=rangers+mccaffrey&qid=1630533982&sr=8-1

The New York Rangers Rink of Honor and the Rafters of Madison Square Garden is dedicated to honoring the biggest fan favorites and most influential figures in all of franchise history. Not only are players such as Wayne Gretzky, Jaromir Jagr, Martin St. Louis and others profiled, but men such as John Amirante, Steven McDonald, Christopher Reeve and others are also mentioned.

The New York Rangers Rink of Honor and the Rafters of Madison Square Garden features 93 names for a proposed "Rink of Honor" inside Madison Square Garden. Names such as Ron Duguay, Nick Fotiu, Alex Shibicky, Mats Zuccarello and others are all nominated for this distinction.

The second half of the book argues for eight men, including Frank Boucher, Bun Cook, Emile Francis, and Lester Patrick, to have their names adorned from the rafters of Madison Square Garden.
The New York Rangers Rink of Honor and the Rafters of Madison Square Garden takes you on a journey throughout every era of New York Rangers' hockey, including eras such as "The Original Rangers", "The 1940 Stanley Cup Champions", "The World War II", "Post World War II", "The Emile Francis", "The Dark Ages", "The Henrik Lundqvist" and other key eras of New York Rangers' history.

There are over one hundred legendary Rangers talked about throughout the book, while looking at nearly a hundred years of New York Rangers history. The New York Rangers Rink of Honor and the Rafters of Madison Square Garden is full of historical facts, ironies, testimonies from players and anecdotes.
The New York Rangers Rink of Honor and the Rafters of Madison Square Garden is your one-stop book for everything regarding the great (and sometimes not-so-great) history of the New York Rangers.

 

[Theokritos]

“The New York Rangers Rink of Honor” by Sean McCaffrey.

https://www.amazon.ca/Rangers-Rafte...words=rangers+mccaffrey&qid=1630533982&sr=8-1

By the way, the author is on Twitter and currently campaigning for Emile Francis:

 

[Habsfan18]

Apparently there’s a new Red Dutton biography in the works targeted for publication in the fall of 2022 that will be authored by Susan Raby Dunne. Definitely one to keep an eye on.

 

[Habsfan18]

Indigo-only League of Our Own hits shelves
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-c...tem.html?ref=recently_viewed: books:item page
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-c...goliaQueryId=bbd17eda5ab08dda5961a66a5f2863a2

Another new book hitting the market: “A League of Our Own: The Story of The NHL’s First All-Canadian Division” by Damien Cox and Andrew Podnieks.

The 2020-21 NHL season was the league’s strangest. It started late because of the pandemic and was only 56 games long. Fans were not allowed in buildings, making for a surreal atmosphere across the league. But the pandemic also created a Canadian division, all seven teams playing only each other nine or ten times each. In the end, Montreal emerged improbable champions of the division—Canada’s champions!—to advance to the semi-finals against teams from the U.S.

A League of Our Own is the story of this weird and thrilling NHL season and how the Canadian Division captured the imagination of fans from coast to coast. From the superstars to the underdogs, from the greatest moments to greatest disappointments, this book delves into the details of the season as well as the long and memorable hockey history of each Canadian city.

Looks to be exclusive to Indigo/Chapters..

 

[JMCx4]

... Another new book hitting the market: “A League of Our Own: The Story of The NHL’s First All-Canadian Division” by Damien Cox and Andrew Podnieks. ...

Seems like a story whose last chapter remains to be written. So I guess Messrs. Cox & Podnieks needed a quick payday. They can always publish an updated edition to start another wave of sales.

 

[Habsfan18]

Seems like a story whose last chapter remains to be written. So I guess Messrs. Cox & Podnieks needed a quick payday. They can always publish an updated edition to start another wave of sales.

Andrew Podnieks and Moydart Press have a history of publishing what I like to call the “instant” books. A lot of books on “new champions”, a specific season that just played out, etc..

Sure, on the surface they appear to be quick cash grabs. I guess we can't really blame him for trying to appeal to specific markets, and maybe historically some younger readers. Not all of his published books feature great depth, but he has published some solid work overall throughout the years. He’s a “name” hockey author at this point.

 

[Bondurant]

Two weeks ago I found the paperback edition of Thin Ice: A Season in Hell with the New York Rangers by Larry Sloman for $2 at a local used bookstore. I am not familiar with the book but Sloman was known to me from his association with Howard Stern. Looked like a good blind buy. I was wondering if there was flip potential and saw that the cheapest Amazon listing is $100. Excitement tempered seeing it on E-Bay for $25. For a moment I thought a score was in-hand. Alas, just one for the collection. Should be a fun read.

 

[Habsfan18]

Two weeks ago I found the paperback edition of Thin Ice: A Season in Hell with the New York Rangers by Larry Sloman for $2 at a local used bookstore. I am not familiar with the book but Sloman was known to me from his association with Howard Stern. Looked like a good blind buy. I was wondering if there was flip potential and saw that the cheapest Amazon listing is $100. Excitement tempered seeing it on E-Bay for $25. For a moment I thought a score was in-hand. Alas, just one for the collection. Should be a fun read.

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.