OT: Good read - Breakaway

[Doggy]

Hey fellow CBJ fans,

During this time of staying at home I have been browsing my public library's online collection. I was looking for something different to read and decided to search on the term "hockey". Apparently there is a whole series of romance novels with "hockey" as a search term...who knew

Anyway, I came across a book called "Breakaway". I am only about half way through it but thought it was an interesting read for NHL hockey fans. It tells the stories of hockey players behind the Iron Curtain in the 60s, 70s and 80s and the risks they took to defect to the West and how their defections took place (from being scouted, drafted, contacted, negotiated with and eventually snuck West. Then it also talks about the difficulties they faced adjusting to North American life.

The first half of the book has been all Czech players but I assume some other country's players will fill in at some point.

Click to read more...

 

[CharlotteJacket]

Then it also talks about the difficulties they faced adjusting to North American life.

A little off topic, but years ago towards the end of the Cold War, a high ranking Soviet official defected to the US. He was one of those 160 IQ people but said it took him the longest time to understand private property rights. He couldn't wrap his head around the concept of when he purchased a home, it was his and not the governments.

 

[majormajor]

A little off topic, but years ago towards the end of the Cold War, a high ranking Soviet official defected to the US. He was one of those 160 IQ people but said it took him the longest time to understand private property rights. He couldn't wrap his head around the concept of when he purchased a home, it was his and not the governments.

I doubt it was the concept of purchasing a home that baffled him. Soviets had a parallel property system where people could pay for units to be constructed, and were free to sell them to each other. They allowed that system starting in the 1950s because the government distribution of apartments couldn't keep up with demand. Nobody was homeless but the baseline barracks housing was typically one room per family and the waitlist for an apartment was years long. So people were allowed to build a private system in parallel, and millions of people took that route. One thing that was different was that you couldn't build a big house (not even 1000 sq ft) no matter how many rubles you got your hands on.

Folks might enjoy the Ushanka Show on Youtube, by a brilliant Soviet person (his phrase) now living in Michigan.

 

[Monstershockey]

Apparently there is a whole series of romance novels with "hockey" as a search term...who knew

I knew. My girlfriend found them and read them and would fill me in as she was reading them. Let's just say they are exactly what you think they would be.