The Hockey Books Thread!

  • Thread starter Zetterberg4Captain*
  • Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.

Zetterberg4Captain*

Guest
DO you like to buy/read hockey books? Tell us about the books you have.

Some Hockey Books I have are:
1. National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2003
2. Hockey Chronicles
3. Hockey Dynastys
4. Team Canada 1972, Where are They Now?
5. 3 or 4 different trivia Books
6. Hockeys Book Of Firsts
7. Hockey Towns
8. Hockey: A Century Of The Game
9. Without Fear
10. Hockey Chronicles: A Inside History of Hockey Teams
11. Inside Hockey
12. and a book full of hockey andecdotes and quotes.
 

hardcore_fan

Registered User
Apr 27, 2002
1,155
0
Ottawa
Visit site
I've got Kings of the Ice, The Home Team, and one that I believe is called just The Hockey Book.It's from the 50's and has profiles of a buch of players.
 

plaugher

Registered User
May 2, 2002
1,957
2
Halifax, NS
Visit site
I found a book from the 60s at a book sale that had autographs from Milt Schmidt and Johnny Bucyk, that...

:cry: :banghead: :cry:

...I sold to a memorobilia (sp?) dealer for $20, that I ended up spending at his booth.

Please kick me.

ofhdhdy said:
1. National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2003

I've got a few of those from the 1980s...

Sinden's "Hockey Showdown"... Dryden's "The Game"... Some Playoff media guides given to me by a friend... A bunch of those Liam Maguire-esque trivia books... The old standard "Strange But True Hockey Stories"... And of course, Total Hockey.
 
Last edited:

BCCHL inactive

Guest
I have Bobby Hull's autograph in a Stanley Cup centennial book.

That being said, my favourite book is Tough Calls by Dick Irvin (gee, what a surprise eh).

Even if you're not an official and have no interest in officiating, it is a great read. Some retired officials and some current veteran guys have stories in the book. They talked about their lives and how they got into officiating, and they also talked about some high-profile situations that have happened over the years. It's been a while since I read it, but I can recall reading Red Storey talk about the Maurice Richard riot, Don Koharski talking about the "doughnut incident" with Schoenfeld, and much more.

The one thing I do remember well from the book, was Paul Stewart's first game as a referee after he quit his playing career. Stewart was a goon and eventually made the NHL for a short while. During his first game with the bands, a couple guys dropped the gloves but danced around instead of throwing punches....Stewart said, "If you guys don't start fighting, I'll put my whistle in my pocket and beat the s*** out of both of you."

Yes, he did get crap for that. :lol
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Sotnos

Registered User
Jul 8, 2002
10,885
1
Not here
www.boltprospects.com
Douggy said:
I have an autographed copy of Vladislav Trekiaks autobiography!
Oooh, very cool!

I've read a lot more than I actually own, but sitting around the house are:
The Game & Home Game by Ken Dryden - excellent, must reads
Putting a Roof on Winter - hockey history, haven't read yet
Blades of Glory - about high school hockey in Minnesota, again, haven't had time for it yet
some Stanley Cup reference book they sent me for getting Center Ice last year

I also have some really old ones that my dad gave me, I think they were my brother's when he was a kid. One is a Bobby Orr biography (a Scholastic one like they sell at school book fairs) called Dynamite on Ice, published 1972. The other is a very cool compilation of bios of "some of hockey's greatest recent stars", published 1971. Included are Orr, Howe, Hull, Beliveau, Rocket Richard, Keon, Espo, Berenson and Giacomin. It was apparently part of a series. I love it, very good stuff.

NHL-related favorites are: The Game and and Money Players : How Hockey's Greatest Stars Beat the NHL at its Own Game by Bruce Dowbiggin (about the history of labor relations in the NHL, very timely).
non-NHL related: Ice Time: A Tale of Fathers, Sons, and Hometown Heroes by Jay Atkinson, They Don't Play Hockey in Heaven: A Dream, A Team, and My Comeback Season by Ken Baker. Both are VERY VERY good.
 

Chili

En boca cerrada no entran moscas
Jun 10, 2004
8,440
4,269
Total Hockey, an NHL publication is a great book, it's almost like an encyclopedia of the sport.

One book I would like to find is Red's story by Red Storey, perhaps the best storyteller in the history of the game. Red was the ref the night of the Richard riot.

A sample of Red's wit (i've heard him tell this one a few times and I still laugh when I hear it)...

The legendary Red Storey described one incident in Boston Garden where Fern Flaman skated over to him prior to a face-off and stood quietly staring at the referee. The crowd began clapping impatiently for a return to play, but Flaman still stared at the official. Finally, the two were chest-to-chest, without a word having been spoken, when Storey's curiosity got the better of him.

"What do you want?" he snarled, more non-plussed than irate.

"I don't want nothin'."

"Then why are you standing there?"

"I've got the worst cold in Boston and I'm standing here until you catch it."

Never at a loss for words, Storey was the original Comeback King in Stripes. He didn't blink, retorting: "That's the one I left here three weeks ago. I'm glad it was you that got it."

:)
 
Last edited:

MikeC44

Registered User
Sep 18, 2003
454
0
Moncton, NB
Visit site
I have "How to play hockey" by Tom Watt, written in 1976.
The chapter on goaltending talks about this 'new' style called the "butterfly". It seems like it might work, but it takes a lot of practice. Does anyone know how it turned out? :dunno:


:joker:
 

Oilers Chick

Registered User
Jun 7, 2002
5,974
1
Philly in April 2014
Visit site
"The Glory Barons: The Saga of the Edmonton Oilers" by Douglas Hunter. A great book that goes into the fascinating history of the Oilers.

Re-reading (for like the 3rd time because I like it so much) - "Game Misconduct" by Russ Conway. About the whole Alan Eagleson saga. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it yet.
 

Snap Wilson

Registered User
Sep 14, 2003
5,838
0
Dryden sure as hell whines a lot in it, but he's also intelligent and observant, and those qualities make "The Game" a great read. Probably the definitive look at hockey in the 70's (for younger fans, the complaints will be familiar) and the most insightful reading you'll find about Scotty Bowman. Dryden really didn't pull any punches examining Scotty's M.O.

A detailed examination of Bowman's career (as voiced by the people who were there) would make a fascinating book, by the way. You could probably get a pretty good book just out of his Buffalo years.
 

justsomeguy

Registered User
Sep 2, 2004
599
1
The Michael McKinley book, Putting a Roof on Winter is a nice historical read. The Game is a classic. Bill Boyd's Hockey Towns is wondeful too. Love hearing the tales of the old days from the guys in the stands and the ex-players who are now scouts.

I've read them all recently and enjoyed them a lot.

Also picked up a copy of Thunder and Lightning, John Ferguson's (Yes) autobiography as well as Frank Selke's Behind the Cheering. a few too many pigeon tales for my liking but an interestng read from a more naive era.

Lorne Worsley's They Call me Gump is probably 25 years old but it's still a great afternoon. Gump shoots from the hip.

Not a literary masterpiece, Herb Carnegie's Fly in a Pail of Milk is another must read. A lot of golf stuff towards the end but the hockey memories of the old QSHL are clear and, for the most part, positive.

For some reason, I gave away or sold all my old sports books a couple years ago. Have only been trying to rebuild it for the past year or so. At a couple dozen and counting. Much prefer stories to stats.
 

jiggs 10

Registered User
Dec 5, 2002
3,541
2
Hockeytown, ND
Visit site
I've got dozens of hockey books, mostly from the 70's and early 80's, but also some new ones.

Some favorites are:

"The Game" - Dryden
"Hockey Towns"
"Home Ice"
"Star of the North" -about Henry Boucha
"Bobby Orr: My Game"
"100 Years of Hockey"
"The Great Gretzky" - a big coffee table-size book
"Miracle On Ice" - the story as done by the New York Times
"They Call Me Gump" - Gump Worsley autobiography
"The Flying Frenchmen" - book about the 1940's-70's Canaden's

and the usual 1970's "Great ______ of the NHL" from Random House
 

Peter

Registered User
Mar 1, 2002
3,680
1
Alberta
Visit site
Phil said:
Ooh, just found a couple more buried in the room:

Doug Smith's "Goon", and Stefan Zwolinski's "The John Kordic Story"

"They Don't Play Hockey In Heaven" is a great book by Ken Baker. Its a true story how at the age 35 he tries to make a come back in professional hockey. Great story.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bear of Bad News

Sotnos

Registered User
Jul 8, 2002
10,885
1
Not here
www.boltprospects.com
Peter said:
"They Don't Play Hockey In Heaven" is a great book by Ken Baker. Its a true story how at the age 35 he tries to make a come back in professional hockey. Great story.
I mentioned that one in my post above. I've never seen anyone else who's read it, though I try to browbeat everyone I know into reading it! ;)

Great book that didn't get much publicity, but if you want to read about someone with a real love for the game, pick it up.

I'm getting lots of new ideas of books to look for, great thread!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bear of Bad News

Jacques Plante

Registered User
Aug 29, 2004
516
0
Montreal--Downtown
"The game of our lives" - Peter Gzowski

Written by the CBC radio legend it follows the 1980-81 Oilers. A young Gretzky is on his way to his first Art Ross. Other young guys look like they could be decent NHL players. Their names are Coffey, Messier, Kurri, Lowe and Moog. The young team goes on to shock the Montreal Canadiens in the first round, and prove to be the Cup Champ Islanders toughest challenge of the playoffs.

It's an obscure book, but a great one.
 

kruezer

Registered User
Apr 21, 2002
6,717
274
North Bay
Hmmm, I have quite a few, because I don't read much else :D , here they are...

Own Game by Bruce Dowbiggen - Solid book, good insight, though I'm not always sure about Dowbiggen's opinions.
The Top 100 Players of All Time by Steve Dryden - Good book, well done list from when this was a popular thing to do.
The Official Guide and Record Book - From a few different years.
One Hundred Years of Hockey - A Great Photographic biography of hockey.
The Spirit of the Game - Another Photographic history of the NHL.
Hockey Showdown by Harry Sinden - About the Canada-Russia '72 series.
Goalies by Stan Fischler - Not bad, easy reading anyway.
Home Game by Ken Dryden - Great book, all about Hockey in Canada.
The Tropic of Hockey by Dave Bindini - The Greatest hockey book ever written IMO, I love this book.
Scotty Bowman: A Life in Hockey by Douglas Hunter - Another good book, tough read, but really intriguing.
The Game by Ken Dryden - Autographed no less :D, can't say enough about this book.
Heaven and Hell in the NHL by Punch Imlach and Young - Solid book, Imlachs a character for sure.
The Youngest Goalie by Brian McFarlane - Good book, about the Dawson challengers for the Cup in '07, fictionalized, but solid.
What's the Score? by Liam McGuire - Of Course.
The Best of it Happened in Hockey by Brian McFarlane - His best book, great stories from all of hockey.
My 26 Stanley Cups by Dick Irvin - Great autobiographical work.
Off the Bench: And Into the Game by Ryan Walter - Great autobiography personal help type book.
Open Ice: The Tim Horton Story by Douglas Hunter - Another really interesting historical narrative.
Grapes: A Vintage View of Hockey by Don Cherry and Stan Fischler - A Classic
Bobby Hull by Jim Hunt - Decent book, good history.

Can't go wrong with books about hockey I think, its one of the few genres of books I read, lol. :)
 

Zetterberg4Captain*

Guest
I got some more books for christmas! Here they are:
The Unofficial Guide Of The Best & Worst Of Hockey Firsts
The Unofficial Guide To Hockey's Most Unusual Records
Greatest Moments in Canada Hockey History
Kings Of The Ice
Total Hockey
 

MacDaddy TLC*

Guest
Is that Total Hockey a new edition? I have the 1998 edition and have referenced it probably 10000 times. I got Total NHL last year. The Essential Blue and White book: The most complete Toronto Maple Leafs fact book is a "must have" for every Leafs fan. I got Without a Trace: The Bill Barilko story this year.
 

Jets4Life

Registered User
Dec 25, 2003
7,191
4,119
Westward Ho, Alberta
Mayor of MacAppolis said:
I got Total NHL last year. The Essential Blue and White book: The most complete Toronto Maple Leafs fact book is a "must have" for every Leafs fan. I got Without a Trace: The Bill Barilko story this year.

I think that's the book I used the pages to cover my floor, while I was painting my walls. That's about the only thing it came in handy for. No offense to Leaf fans, but they have nothing on the Habs, history-wise.
 

acr*

Guest
I read Dryden's "The Game" a few years ago, it was okay, I like his stories about the Montreal people from an Anglophone's point of view. Like how they laughed at him for mispronouncing Street Names, or trying to play goal while the scoreboard displayed tallied results from an election where the Quebec Party won, and the crowd reacting.
 

gr8haluschak

Registered User
Jul 25, 2004
3,269
111
Some of the books I have include

A Day in the Life of the NHL - which was probably the coolest hockey book every

Edmonton Oilers 25th and St Louis Blues 35th anniversary books - both very well done

Edmonton Oiler 79-99 Hockey Knights and Wayne Gretzky Forever an Oiler both by Terry Jones - the only thing that moron ever wrote that was worth the paper it was printed on

Goalies, Gaurdians of the Net - The best goalie book ever made in terms of quantity and quality of photos (they were done by Broduer)

The NHL 's Official 75th anniversary book

Honored Memebers, the Hockey Hall of Fame book
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->