Hockey History Books

[Habsfan18]

A pretty unique book will be hitting the shelves in October. It’s a look at hockey’s history told through comics and illustrations.

 

[seventieslord]

I guess it's time to show an updated picture of my library. Yes, I have a problem. But not as big as habsfan18's problem.

 

[Habsfan18]

I guess it's time to show an updated picture of my library. Yes, I have a problem. But not as big as habsfan18's problem.

Your shelving system puts mine to shame!

 

[Boxscore]

I guess it's time to show an updated picture of my library. Yes, I have a problem. But not as big as habsfan18's problem.

You have a wonderful problem! And great shelving display. My biggest problem is I have so many oddball knickknacks that my library is hidden behind them out of necessity. And all mags, THN, media guides, and yearbooks are binned and stored in back closet lol.

Here's some photos of organizing, storing and putting as many in my display cases as possible.

 

[Habsfan18]

Incredible, @Boxscore!

 

[seventieslord]

You have a wonderful problem! And great shelving display. My biggest problem is I have so many oddball knickknacks that my library is hidden behind them out of necessity. And all mags, THN, media guides, and yearbooks are binned and stored in back closet lol.

Here's some photos of organizing, storing and putting as many in my display cases as possible.

Jesus Christ. Amazing. My first two reactions are, "that's f***ing beautiful", and "thank goodness I don't collect periodicals or memorabilia".

You have made a point of collecting a lot of books. And a lot of rarer ones too. I see Road To Olympus in hardcover there. Very, very impressive.

I have to say, it's an utter shame that a collection like yours is not documented and catalogued in the SIHR database. It's basically discogs for hockey books.

You can catalog what you have, see what others have that you don't, compare your collection to other members, find other books with topics you're after, etc. It's amazing. The database alone is worth the price of SIHR membership. I can't stress enough how much you'll love seeing your catalog in there.

 

[Boxscore]

Incredible, @Boxscore!

Thank you @Habsfan18! And I wasn't kidding when I said literally no wall space. People like us do have problems!!

 

[Boxscore]

Jesus Christ. Amazing. My first two reactions are, "that's f***ing beautiful", and "thank goodness I don't collect periodicals or memorabilia".

You have made a point of collecting a lot of books. And a lot of rarer ones too. I see Road To Olympus in hardcover there. Very, very impressive.

I have to say, it's an utter shame that a collection like yours is not documented and catalogued in the SIHR database. It's basically discogs for hockey books.

You can catalog what you have, see what others have that you don't, compare your collection to other members, find other books with topics you're after, etc. It's amazing. The database alone is worth the price of SIHR membership. I can't stress enough how much you'll love seeing your catalog in there.

Oh wow. Honestly @seventieslord I didn't even know something like that existed. It's a lone island here in Philly for the most part.

And, yes, Road To Olympus is my 2nd favorite book I own. I love that book!!

 

[Davenport]

Twenty years later, it's past time for an update of Total NHL. The Internet notwithstanding, I like having a book to turn to. An updated version, would make a great gift for a hockey fan.

 

[Habsfan18]

An update for ya’ll:

ON TAP FOR 2023:

As per usual, I’ve compiled and maintained a “coming soon” list for hockey books. Some pretty interesting ones here!

- Picturing the Game: An Illustrated Story of Hockey - by Don Weekes…October 1st, 2023

- Draft Day: How Hockey Teams Pick Winners or Get Left Behind - by Doug MacLean with Scott Morrison…October 3rd, 2023

- Living in Two Worlds: A Coach’s Journey from the Reserve to the NHL and Back - by Ted Nolan with Meg Masters…October 10th, 2023

- A Mic for All Seasons: My Three Decades Announcing the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, and Olympics - by Kenny Albert…October 10th, 2023

- The Making of Slap Shot: Behind the Scenes of the Greatest Hockey Movie Ever Made (Revised and Updated 46th Anniversary Edition) - by Jonathon Jackson...October 13th, 2023

- The Boston Bruins at War 1939-45 - by Jeff Miclash…October, 2023

- Leafs 365: Daily Stories from the Ice - by Mike Commito…October 17th, 2023

- The Awesome Game: One Man’s Incredible, Globe-Crushing Hockey Odyssey - by Dave Hill…October 17th, 2023

- Behind the Mask: A Revealing Look at Twelve of the Greatest Goalies in Hockey History - by Randi Druzin…October 24th, 2023

- The Franchise - New York Rangers: A Curated History of the Rangers - by Rick Carpiniello…October 24th, 2023

- Ken Reid’s Hometown Hockey Heroes - by Ken Reid…October 24th, 2023

- Mirage of Destiny: The Story of the 1990-91 Minnesota North Stars - by Kevin Allenspach…October 26th, 2023

- A Whole New Game: Economics, Politics, and the Transformation of the Business of Hockey in Canada - by Neil Longley…October 28th, 2023

- Skating on Thin Ice: Professional Hockey, Rape Culture, & Violence Against Women - by Walter S. Dekeseredy, Stu Cowan, and Martin D. Schwartz…October 30th, 2023

- Legacy on Ice: Blake Geoffrion and the Fastest Game on Earth - by Sam Jefferies…October 31st, 2023

- Revival: The Chaotic, Colourful Journey of the 1977-78 Toronto Maple Leafs - by Damien Cox and Gord Stellick…November 1st, 2023

- It Hurts to Win: The Official Inside Story of the 2022-23 Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Nights - by Gary Lawless (official team publication)…Fall 2023

- Thundermouth: Memoirs of a Broad Street Bully and Hockey Lifer - by Joe Watson with Bill Meltzer…Fall 2023

- Gallinger: A Life Suspended - by Fred Addis…November 2nd, 2023

- The Game That Saved the NHL: The Broad Street Bullies, the Soviet Red Machine, and Super Series ‘76 - by Ed Gruver…November 7th, 2023

- Tough Guys: Hockey’s Enforcers on Wild Brawls, High Stakes, and the Code that Binds Them - by Dale Arnold…November 7th, 2023

- Brave Face: Wild Tales of Hockey Goaltenders in the Era before Masks - by Rob Vanstone…November 7th, 2023

- Boston Bruins: Blood, Sweat & 100 Years (illustrated coffee table book for the Bruins centennial)…November 21st, 2023

- Cold War on Ice: The NHL vs the Soviet Union in Hockey’s Super Series ‘76 - by John G. Robertson & Carl T. Madden…November 28th, 2023

- Path to the Summit: Anatoli Tarasov and the History of Soviet Hockey Part 2 1957-1972 - by Jim Genac…December, 2023

- White Ice: Race and the Making of Atlanta Hockey - by Thomas Aiello…January 12th, 2024

- Forgotten Blueshirts: The Frank Boucher Era New York Rangers 1940-1955 - by George Grimm (date TBA)

- The Toronto Toros: Adventures in Unconventional Hockey - by Greig Dymond (date TBA)

- On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Calgary Flames at the NHL Draft - by Ryan Pike…March 19th, 2024

- On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Vancouver Canucks at the NHL Draft - by Daniel Wagner…March 26th, 2024

- The Cognitive Hockey Player: The Coaching Guide to Developing Hockey IQ for Elite Performance - by Ted Suihkonen…May 7th, 2024

- Habs 365 - by Mike Commito…Fall 2024

- Everyday Hockey Heroes Volume III: More Uplifting Stories Celebrating our Great Game - by Bob McKenzie and Jim Lang…November 5th, 2024

- Heaven and Hell in the NHL: The Morris Lukowich Story - by Morris Lukowich with Geoff Kirbyson…*this appears to be delayed indefinitely..status up in the air*

- New York Islanders 50th Anniversary Commemorative coffee table book authored by Stan Fischler. It’ll be given to Islanders season ticket holders. At this time I have no idea if it’ll be available for non-ticket holders to purchase.

French language books:

- “50 jours dans la vie de Mike Bossy” - by Mikael Lalancette… October 23rd, 2023

- "Pierre Gervais en prolongation" by Mathias Brunet with Pierre Gervais… November 3rd, 2023

- "Bon match !" by Martin McGuire and Dany Dubé…September, 2023

- “Drôles De Numéros (les secrets derrière les numéros de chandail des joueurs)” by Carl Lavigne…October, 2023

Recently published books include:

- “Freedom to Win: A Cold War Story of the Courageous Hockey Team That Fought the Soviets for the Soul of its People, and Olympic Gold” by Ethan Scheiner

- “Golden! The Story of the Vegas Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup Season” by the Las Vegas Review-Journal

- “Promise Fulfilled: How the Vegas Golden Knights Conquered Their Stanley Cup Quest” by the Las Vegas Sun

- “A Night at the Gardens: Class, Gender, and Respectability in 1930s Toronto” by Russell Field

- “A Purpose Worth Fighting For” by Billy Huard

- “A Stick in the Window: The Hockey Life of Buzz Deschamps” by Joseph Rossi

- “The Top 100 Villains of New York Rangers History” by Sean McCaffrey

- “The 1972 Hockey Showdown: Tell me the story, Gramps!” by Andrew Kavchak

- “Rocky Hockey: The Short but Wild Ride of the NHL’s Colorado Rockies” by Greg Enright

- “The First Great Rivals: The Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins in Photos 1933-49” by Jeff Miclash

- “Path to the Summit: Anatoli Tarasov and the History of Soviet Hockey Part 1 1946-1956” by Jim Genac

- “Sitting on Tretiak: The 1972 Summit Series Play by Play Volume 1: The Canadian Games” by Grant Pennell

- “The September He Remembers: Josef Kompalla and the 1972 Summit Series” by Cedric Bolz

- “The Bruins in 25 Games: Boston’s Most Unforgettable Wins and Heartbreaking Losses” by John G Robertson & Carl T Madden

- “Mr. Winnipeg: The Ab McDonald Story” by Pat McDonald & Ty Dilello

 

[Habsfan18]

And another set for a fall release:

Minnesota has more youth, high school, college and pro hockey players than anywhere in the United States. For all that pedigree, and despite fifty years in the NHL, it still waits for a Stanley Cup championship team. This is the improbable tale of when the self-professed State of Hockey came closest to that title with the Minnesota North Stars. Through most of the 1990-91 schedule, the team was among the worst in the NHL on the ice, and dead last at the turnstiles. But in February and March, the North Stars began to win a little more. Future Hall of Famer, Mike Modano, and a cast of characters ranging from better-than-average to journeymen played some of the best hockey of their lives behind a homegrown goalie who made everyone believe in fairy tales, for a while. This is the story of the team with the worst regular-season record in any of the major North American sports leagues to play for a championship. The second half of Mirage of Destiny relates the exhilaration, heartbreak, and the real lives of all those players, coaches and staff who came so close to being part of something historic thirty years ago.

 

[Habsfan18]

And if you’re a collector of this sort of thing, it’s Cup Commemorative book season:

 

[Habsfan18]

Coming this fall, this will likely be of interest. Heads up though that it’s published by McFarland, so if you’re in Canada you can expect to pay pretty much double the price of a typical book..

Between December 28, 1975 and January 11, 1976, a groundbreaking hockey event took place: Super Series '76. Eight National Hockey League clubs each hosted a single exhibition game against one of two touring teams from the USSR: Central Red Army or Wings of the Soviet. Officially nothing was at stake, but serious hockey fans realized that a Cold War clash of political ideologies was occurring on North American ice surfaces. The top pro teams would finally meet the best "amateurs" from the Soviet Elite League. The reputations of the NHL and Soviet hockey were both on the line. Canadians already knew how strong the Soviets were, based on the eye-opening experiences of both countries' hockey stars in the 1972 and 1974 Summit Series. For many Americans, however, the talents of the exotic, Eastern Bloc visitors provided a stunning revelation.

This book outlines the history of the intense Canada-USSR hockey rivalry that preceded Super Series '76 and focuses on those eight captivating games in New York, Pittsburgh, Montreal, Buffalo, Boston, Chicago, Long Island and Philadelphia. Two of these contests are still widely discussed today for vastly different reasons. One may have been the greatest hockey game ever played.

 

[Boxscore]

Coming this fall, this will likely be of interest. Heads up though that it’s published by McFarland, so if you’re in Canada you can expect to pay pretty much double the price of a typical book..



View attachment 726216

Thanks for the heads up, preordered.

 

[biblihockey]

- Legacy on Ice: Blake Geoffrion and the Fastest Game on Earth - by Sam Jefferies…October 31st, 2023

Tks, i preordered this one, should be an interesting book !

 

[Boxscore]

I found this preorder on Amazon. Drops in November.

Amazon.com

 

[biblihockey]

Hello

As i have lot of interests (cinema ... ), I am doing some cleaning in my books again Here's a list of hockey books i give away or sell low price . I need space. So feel free to contact me here if some interests you . I am in Trois-Rivieres / Shawinigan / Montreal / Quebec / Drummondville. I can ship.

Language of the book is indicated

Livres sur le hockey . Dons, vente et échange

Vous recherchez un livre sur le hockey, vous souhaitez vous séparer de livres ? Je suis peut-être intéressé ^^

hockeyblog.me

cheers

 

[Boxscore]

I picked up a used copy of Percival's Handbook and it was a copy Jimmy Devellano gifted to Jeff Blashill.

 

[reckoning]

I picked up a used copy of Percival's Handbook and it was a copy Jimmy Devellano gifted to Jeff Blashill.

Did you know that was his copy when you bought it? It's a nice find either way, but especially if you weren't expecting that.

 

[Boxscore]

Did you know that was his copy when you bought it? It's a nice find either way, but especially if you weren't expecting that.

Yes, I did. It's the only reason I added another copy to my collection.

 

[greyraven8]

Just recently finished When The NHL Invaded Japan. Well worth a read. Wished they would have gone into more detail on the whole of the Japan trip. Also, more players being interviewed for the book might have added quite a bit.

Printed out a copy of a pic in the book that had my old boss and former Capitals player Rick Bragnalo and gave it to him. He's been in the local telephone book at the same address and phone number for a long time, but no one contacted him - and he certainly remembers going to Japan and playing.

 

[Habsfan18]

Coming in November:

Amazon.ca

 

[Bench Clearer]

I have the Complete Handbook of Pro Hockey from 1981. It's a captivating time capsule that provides detailed insight on each team, evaluating each of them on offense, defense and in between the pipes. It also includes miniature profiles on each player. The funniest team overview by far is for the Winnipeg Jets, and the authors obviously had a lot of fun while poking fun at them. Interestingly, while reading an overview of the Edmonton Oilers, I found that they considered Mark Messier to be a player with very little potential who was supposed to be a bodyguard for Wayne Gretzky. This surprised me as I never really thought of Messier as being a particularly proficient fighter, nor a player who fought very often.

Additional articles encapsulate the raging debate on whether or not helmets should be made mandatory and why (and I'll give you eight thousand guesses as to where Don Cherry stood on this issue), an overview of a talented young phenom named Wayne Gretzky and what may be in store in his future, and a goofy joke of an article which attempts to predict the outcome of every Stanley Cup Final over the next decade. According to the author, there should have been a team in Tokyo by 1990, and hockey was supposed to be played with lasers as opposed to sticks.

Highly recommended!

 

[seventieslord]

I have the Complete Handbook of Pro Hockey from 1981. It's a captivating time capsule that provides detailed insight on each team, evaluating each of them on offense, defense and in between the pipes. It also includes miniature profiles on each player. The funniest team overview by far is for the Winnipeg Jets, and the authors obviously had a lot of fun while poking fun at them. Interestingly, while reading an overview of the Edmonton Oilers, I found that they considered Mark Messier to be a player with very little potential who was supposed to be a bodyguard for Wayne Gretzky. This surprised me as I never really thought of Messier as being a particularly proficient fighter, nor a player who fought very often.

Additional articles encapsulate the raging debate on whether or not helmets should be made mandatory and why (and I'll give you eight thousand guesses as to where Don Cherry stood on this issue), an overview of a talented young phenom named Wayne Gretzky and what may be in store in his future, and a goofy joke of an article which attempts to predict the outcome of every Stanley Cup Final over the next decade. According to the author, there should have been a team in Tokyo by 1990, and hockey was supposed to be played with lasers as opposed to sticks.

Highly recommended!

It's a great series. It ran from 1971-72 through 1986-87.

Between this series, the Jim Proudfoot books, Hockey scouting report, mckeens and forecaster, there's almost always been at least two annual publications for the last 52 seasons, that provide short contemporary bios on all the prominent players.

 

[Habsfan18]

Having recently surpassed 2,000 individual hockey books in my library, I decided to take a deep dive to find out just who are the “busiest” authors in the history of hockey book publishing. Just for kicks. I used the SIHR publication DB as well as my own personal records.

To keep it “fair” I decided against including annuals on the list..so no Zander Hollander and Jim Proudfoot, nor am I including the Official Guide and Record Books (Jim Hendy, Dan Diamond etc..) although in the case of Diamond his other works are fair game.

If an author is credited as a co-author on a particular book, I’m counting that as one of his works. They don’t have to be listed as the primary author. The reason I did this is because a lot of the official NHL publications had multiple authors listed and I would rather not complicate matters.

To make it clear, these numbers are those in my personal collection. It’s not meant to be an all-purpose listing of every single book each author has written, although I do own “most” in each case. I was just curious and figured I’d share it here.

Without further ado:

1. Stan Fischler - 109 books

Nobody comes close to touching The Maven. Sheer numbers wise, he’s easily hockey’s book “King.” Now, this number includes his late wife Shirley who worked with Stan on many of his projects. He told me himself that Shirley did the majority of the work on his 1974 book “Fischler’s Hockey Encyclopedia” for example, and when talking about Stan’s legendary career we absolutely cannot forget the huge role she played in it. I should also mention that it’s well known that Stan had many interns throughout the years, particularly throughout the 1990’s, that definitely helped him pump out such a large number of titles.

2. Brian McFarlane - 55 books

I’m a little bit surprised as I thought this number would be a bit higher. To be fair, I don’t own some of his books that were aimed at younger readers, and he rereleased a lot of the same material over the years under different titles that were expanded/updated editions of the previous works. I didn’t always feel it necessary to collect each one in those cases, although I did for quite a few of them.

2. Andrew Podnieks - 55 books

Surprisingly, he tied Brian McFarlane at 55 books exactly. Andrew has authored and co-authored many solid coffee table hardcovers, picture books, and Olympic books among other. His works are generally pretty accessible for every hockey fan.

3. Mike Leonetti - 37 books

His work was great, but the numbers are inflated a bit by including his children’s books. I can pretty much guarantee almost every single person in this group has a few of his books on their shelves.

4. Eric Zweig - 24 books

Eric does great work as an author & historian, and this number includes books in which he was credited as a co-author for. This number would be higher and would likely surpass Leonetti’s total if I had more of his younger readers stuff. I’m hoping this number will continue to grow!

5. Dan Diamond - 23 books

Even not including the Official NHL Guides and Record Books, Dan Diamond was a machine. He worked on many great official NHL projects throughout the years.

6. James Duplacey - 21 books

Ditto for James! These two played huge roles in the publication of many great titles in our collections.

7. Bob Duff - 18 books

Edit: For some reason I had accidentally omitted Bob Duff from my original list. Checking my records, I own 18 of his books. Some great work there! My apologies to Bob for leaving him off initially.

7. Don Weekes - 18 books

Soon to be 19 with his upcoming book this fall (Picturing the Game), this number would be even higher if I owned every single one of his quiz books. I own most of them. He was the hockey quiz maestro throughout the 1990’s and early 2000’s. There were others of course, but none were as busy as Don Weekes.

8. Kevin Shea - 17 books

Kevin is fantastic. While I may “only” have 17 of his books (which is the vast majority of his published total) the quality of his works are top notch. I’m looking forward to this number growing.

9. Frank Orr & Scott Young - 14 books (tied)

Two legends who are surely to be on the shelves of the vast majority of hockey book readers/collectors.

10. Trent Frayne - 13 books

And the same could be said for Trent Frayne. I love his work. “When the Rangers Were Young,” in which he worked with Frank Boucher, is a personal favorite of mine.