DREAMER: MY LIFE ON THE EDGE is the memoir of current NHL player Nazem Kadri of the Calgary Flames.
I’m always a bit iffy on picking up books written bDREAMER: MY LIFE ON THE EDGE is the memoir of current NHL player Nazem Kadri of the Calgary Flames.
I’m always a bit iffy on picking up books written by an athlete who is still actively playing their sport, however Nazem had played for my favorite team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, during a time where there had been a fair bit of controversy surrounding behind-the-scenes antics. He was also there during the dying days of the Phaneuf and Kessel era and the formative years of what would become the current “Core Four” era. It was also a quick read, so I thought, what have I got to lose?
Unfortunately, many of the juicier parts of the book quickly became headline news in the rabid Toronto sports market weeks before the memoir had even hit store shelves. Kadri was there during what ultimately led to the beginning of the end of Mike Babcock’s time behind the Leafs’ bench with Babcock’s mishandling of star player Mitch Marner’s formative years. Marner turned out OK of course, but Babcock’s reputation suffered and a chance at redemption years later in Columbus failed miserably.
Kadri touches on how hard he had to work to gain acceptance and be given a shot at the NHL level. Not only did he face resistance on the ice, but also from the Leafs’ front office with management consistently questioning everything from his play, his work ethic, as well as his maturity. It’s frustrating to read now given how much he’s excelled outside of Toronto (he won a Stanley Cup in 2022), but those qualities are not always easy to see when every action and every word spoken in a market like Toronto is placed under a microscope.
One of the more unfortunate aspects of the book deals with the racism he faced during his career, most notably during a playoff series against the St. Louis Blues in 2022. During the series, he had been approached by the police and presented with a folder filled with some of the most vulgar and hateful online comments you could imagine. Police protection was placed outside his home in Colorado and officers stood guard by his hotel room while he was on the road. I’d like to think that perhaps someday actions like this will be a thing of the past, but we’ve been in a state of social regression that feels like it’s only going to get worse.
I’m not sure how often I’ll recommend this book to be honest. Player memoirs are never really my go-to when it comes to recommending a book about hockey, but if you’re a Leafs fan, it gives a lot of insight into just how much the franchise turned itself around and how much the developmental system has changed to make it easier for rookies to excel in the NHL....more
Having read dozens of hockey player memoirs, they are rarely something that I get overly excited about. While I find both coaches and those in managemHaving read dozens of hockey player memoirs, they are rarely something that I get overly excited about. While I find both coaches and those in management often tend to put out more engaging reads, it's the players who have the harder time producing an entertaining story. I don’t know if you’ve ever watched an interview with a player but it’s a lot of cliches and boiler-plate responses as they’re well-trained in dealing with the media. Their books tend to follow this trend and can sometimes read like a game-summary about stats, wins and losses, so they feel sort of soulless. You get the odd breakthrough book like Willie O’Ree’s memoir or Ken Dryden’s masterpiece “The Game”, but most fall in the realm of average-at-best.
When I heard one of my all-time favourites in Mats Sundin was going to finally tell his story, that definitely captured my attention. When he tapped best-selling fiction author Amy Stewart to assist him, I was even more interested. What ended up shaking out in the end was a more or less average memoir, but full of heart and love for a team that I have spent the majority of my life cheering for.
I lived through his time in Toronto, so it didn’t feel like a whole lot there that was revelatory. The true strength of this book lies in Sundin’s upbringing and his development as a player in Sweden. He came of age and was drafted to the NHL just after the Iron Curtain had fallen in Europe, so his stories about playing with talented, young Russians who ended up defecting to North America were fascinating. The fact that he was a first overall draft pick and stayed behind in Sweden for two years to play with his home club while also having a part-time job is something that would never happen in today’s NHL. A by-gone era for sure.
As a life-long die-hard Maple Leafs fan, I will always appreciate when someone desperately wants to play for the team. Mats’ passion for the hockey club is so clearly visible all throughout this book and you really feel his disappointment in not being able to bring a championship to the fans of Toronto. He wanted it more than anything. At this point, it feels like it would take nothing short of a miracle to see a parade down Bay Street in June, but you can’t blame Mats given just how hard he tried to make that happen....more
Veteran sportscaster Jim Lang is back once again, this time without frequent collaborator Bob McKenzie, to present another volume of the Everyday HockVeteran sportscaster Jim Lang is back once again, this time without frequent collaborator Bob McKenzie, to present another volume of the Everyday Hockey Heroes series. Lang presents the story of fifteen men and women who’s selfless actions have helped to make the game more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
The stories here are uplifting and inspiring, particularly that of Graham McWaters and his drive to get equipment in the hands of indigenous youth struggling to find an entry point into the game. There’s also Kelly Serbu and his quest to make low-vision hockey more well known so visually challenged men and women could someday compete in the Paralympics. There is also Coach Kim McCullough, founder of Total Female Hockey, as she empowers women to compete and push themselves to their ultimate limit. I would be remiss not to mention the tragic story about Logan Broulet, one of the many Humbolt Broncos who passed away in a horrific bus crash a half dozen years ago as his donated organs helped save the lives of six individuals.
Everyday Hockey Heroes shows why it is so important for those both inside and outside the game of hockey to provide a helping hand to those who don’t - or can't’- always ask for help. Hopefully it inspires kindness and empathy, as that is I assume the ultimate goal with these books....more
BOWER: A LEGENDARY LIFE is the story of the life and career of beloved Toronto Maple Leafs legend, Johnny Bower.
While Johnny was not able to put pen tBOWER: A LEGENDARY LIFE is the story of the life and career of beloved Toronto Maple Leafs legend, Johnny Bower.
While Johnny was not able to put pen to paper to tell his life story in his own words prior to his passing in 2017, author Dan Robson took on the task of sorting through Johnny’s ninety-three years and encapsulating it into the definitive biography of the vaunted goaltender.
Much had to be cleared up, or at the very least, shed light on. Johnny’s actual age has always been a bit of a mystery given that he was purposely vague about it as he enlisted to fight in the second World War as a minor (he certainly was not alone in that regard). Robson also had to clear up the history surrounding Johnny’s name change (born Kiszkan), as there had been various reasons given throughout the years by Johnny (a whole chapter is dedicated to this).
One of the more shocking revelations - and this may have been well known by those more familiar with Johnny’s career - was that Johnny had played his entire career with rheumatoid arthritis, which I cannot wrap my head around. Playing in that much pain and discomfort while also dealing with the litany of facial injuries that come without wearing a mask made him one tough customer for sure. Despite his legendary status today, the road to the NHL was not an easy one for Johnny. He played professionally for sixteen seasons before finally landing in Toronto and securing a spot as a full time NHLer. He was long considered the best goaltender not in the NHL, but grew frustrated with call-ups and relocations, choosing rather to stay in the minor leagues where he would have stability.
Robson does his best to put together a comprehensive history of one of the game’s most adored athletes. The book is filled with amazing stories surrounding his depression-era upbringing in rural Saskatchewan, his side-hustle running a restaurant with Gordie Howe, and his post-playing days in Toronto. Avoiding the trappings of game-by-game and play-by-play recaps, BOWER: A LEGENDARY LIFE is one of the better player-focused hockey books I’ve read....more
CUJO: THE UNTOLD STORY OF MY LIFE ON AND OFF THE ICE tells the story of former NHL goaltender Curtis Joseph. With the assistance of Kirstie McLellan DCUJO: THE UNTOLD STORY OF MY LIFE ON AND OFF THE ICE tells the story of former NHL goaltender Curtis Joseph. With the assistance of Kirstie McLellan Day, Joseph brings to light his tumultuous upbringing as well as his legendary career between the pipes.
For me, hockey memoirs can often be hit or miss. There are athletes who dazzle crowds on a nightly basis, but unfortunately do not carry enough personality to warrant a compelling memoir, so you’re often left with a book as dry as kindling. For the first three quarters of Joseph’s memoir, he manages to escape the trappings that often befall these books as they can devolve into play-by-play recountings of some of the subject’s more famous games. The advantage, or disadvantage, of Curtis’ life story is that he had one hell of an upbringing. It’s rife with neglect and hardship as Joseph had just about every obstacle thrown his way on his journey to the NHL. Not every hockey memoir is going to explore the craziness of the subject coming of age living inside of a mental institution run by their parents.
Once he gets there, things still struggle to go his way. For goaltenders, your performance is often scrutinized more than any other position on the ice. You’re responsible for holding leads, shutting down star players and giving your team the confidence that they can make mistakes and you have their backs. So, if you’re not perfect most nights, you are often hit with the most criticism. Joseph tackles the ups and downs of his career before turning his star status around as an Edmonton Oiler in the mid-90s and landing two back-to-back lucrative contracts with the Toronto Maple Leafs and then the Detroit Red Wings.
After his career winds down, the book more or less stutters to a stop. However, it’s hard for players and what they do post-career and how they can keep it interesting for the reader. One common complaint about the book is the writing on the part of McLellan Day, which for me wasn’t much of an issue. The tone strikes me as informal and conversational, which I think may be best for this type of story; not every memoir can or should be THE GAME by Ken Dryden....more
Following the success of HOCKEY 365, author Mike Commito put together a book focused solely on the Toronto Maple Leafs featuring three hundred and sixFollowing the success of HOCKEY 365, author Mike Commito put together a book focused solely on the Toronto Maple Leafs featuring three hundred and sixty five different stories; one for each day of the year.
The obvious appropriate response from any Leafs fan following the release of HOCKEY 365 is “OK, that’s great; now do one on us alone.” Would there be enough there for an entire book? While the franchise is over one hundred years old, was there really something interesting that happened every single day of the year, even during the dog days of summer? Turns out yes, there was always something worth writing about.
Commito goes through all the trades, free agent signing, milestone nights and thrilling games throughout the club’s rich history. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows though, there’s more than enough heartbreak to go around. Did you know the Leafs have never played a game in the month of June (although they did come close in 2021)? Even those fourteen times they won the Cup, the tournament was well over before the summer arrived. How about the night Doug Gilmour knotted six points against the Minnesota North Stars in a 6-1 clobbering? Did you know he had pea soup and a tuna fish sandwich for dinner?
This was a fun read that I will definitely return to in the future, if only to enhance my trivial knowledge about my favorite team. ...more
Prior to 1995, NHL players had their only substantial moment with the Stanley Cup on the ice after they'd won it all and aside from a few events and tPrior to 1995, NHL players had their only substantial moment with the Stanley Cup on the ice after they'd won it all and aside from a few events and the championship parade, many did not get to spend time with hockey's ultimate prize; the physical manifestation of their hard work and sacrifice. However, that all changed with the development of a program that would allow players and staff to have one day to do as they wish with the iconic trophy.
Author Jim Lang sat down with several players and asked them to speak about their twenty-four hours with The Stanley Cup and how they chose to celebrate with family and friends.
This book is a lot of the same thing from start to finish. I loved the idea and the approach, but there isn't much in the way of originality with respect to how players spend their day with The Cup. Last summer, my wife and I attended an event where the athletic trainer for the Las Vegas Golden Knights had his day with the cup here in Ottawa. To celebrate, he filled the cup with Golden Palace Egg Rolls and also held an event to raise money for Ottawa West Little League. That's more or less the extent of many of these stories - a player either holds an event for charity, takes The Cup to a place that is special to him, drinks a lot of alcohol, or spends the day with family and friends while he looks over the names of his heroes etched in the rings.
There are a few fun stories (Vinnie Paul's legendary Dallas party is a standout), but after a while, it began to feel dull. No disrespect is intended to those who worked hard to win The Cup or Lang's effort to put together a history of championship celebrations, it's just that the stories weren't overly interesting. I'm not sure what I expected, but perhaps a bit more variety....more
Life in Two Worlds details the dizzing highs and frustrating lows of the career of Jack Adams' award winning head coach Ted Nolan.
Even though I considLife in Two Worlds details the dizzing highs and frustrating lows of the career of Jack Adams' award winning head coach Ted Nolan.
Even though I consider myself a rather knowledgeable hockey fan going into this book, I can't say that I knew much about the life and career of Ted Nolan. It could be that when he achieved his greatest success, I wasn't as plugged in to the sport as I am now or it could have more to do with his struggles to find steady work behind the bench after his greatest successes. Throughout the book, Ted gives his reasons why that may be and it's heartbreaking to say the least.
The amount of adversity Ted had to face just because he is a first nation's athlete was absolutely gross. This was not just something he would be subjected to by his opponents or a hostile crowd, but it was often at the hands of his own teammates and coaches. This obviously didn't disappear once his playing days were over. There rarely seemed to be a moment in time where he truly felt comfortable. Whether its navigating bizarre tests from management, trying to find a source for a particularly unsavory rumor circulating behind his back, or trying to get those in the media to take him seriously, Ted had to find a way to keep his head above water. In fact, Ted's recollection of a very difficult game in Quebec while coaching the QMJHL's Moncton Wildcats was truly an eye opening read - especially because it wasn't all that long ago (2007).
Like the many books I've read over the years detailing the struggles Indigenous people face on a day-to-day basis, Life in Two Worlds is yet another that many of us need to read to be reminded that empathy and understanding is fundamental to how we treat one another....more
It's no secret I am a massive hockey fan. I read this one on my way to Toronto to celebrate my 40th birthday alongside my beloved Maple Leafs. AlthougIt's no secret I am a massive hockey fan. I read this one on my way to Toronto to celebrate my 40th birthday alongside my beloved Maple Leafs. Although they lost, I had a wonderful time exploring the arena, the hockey hall of fame and stuffing my face with plates of food.
With the little downtime I had, I spent it with Ken and the many stories he collected surrounding our hometown hockey heroes. This classification belongs to those players who had an impact in their communities through their minor league teams. In a little over two hundred pages, Reid travels coast to coast interviewing players and fans alike to get their memories of those who skated through plumes of smoke in those tiny barns on the outskirts of big cities.
I may be biased, but being a Cape Bretoner, I really enjoyed reading about New Waterford's Bruce Campbell and his heyday thrilling fans in the 70s. The bit about Paul Polillio was a surprise - a man who patterned his play after Gretzky but unfortunately did not make it to show although those who watched him in his prime say he's a comparable player to Wayne.
I'll absolutely be checking out Ken's other books from here on out. A nice snapshot of those who thrilled audiences but are far from household names. If you loved Slap Shot, give this a try....more
REVIVAL: The Chaotic, Colorful Journey of the 1977-78 Toronto Maple Leafs – Damien Cox and Gord Stellick
Damien Cox is no stranger to the Toronto MapleREVIVAL: The Chaotic, Colorful Journey of the 1977-78 Toronto Maple Leafs – Damien Cox and Gord Stellick
Damien Cox is no stranger to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He is entering his fifth decade as a journalist, with the bulk of those years spent covering the Leafs. With REVIVAL, this becomes his third book solely focused on the team with a few others covering hockey on the whole. REVIVAL reunites Cox with Gord Stellick with whom he wrote the 2004 release “67: The Maple Leafs, Their Sensational Victory, and The End of an Empire”. What better place to pick their partnership back up than to write about the 70s, a decade where the team danced on the bubble of relevancy before everything burst and the 80s made them the laughing stock of the league.
I’d like to consider myself a fairly rabid fan of the Leafs. I own over two dozen jerseys, countless items around my home have the team crest slapped on them and I rarely, if ever, miss a game. That being said, I have a blind spot when it comes to much of the team’s history in the years before I became a fan in the early 90s. It was fascinating to read about how before the last decade, the 1970s would be the last time the Leafs would build a team through the draft. Their core of Sittler, McDonald, Williams and Salming all came to the team through careful drafting and scouting. The authors uncover the controversy created when Börje Salming and Inge Hammarström entered the ranks of the NHL from Europe where they were relentlessly taunted and physically targeted by North American players, which only intensified following the ’72 Summit series.
And of course, how can you talk about the 70s without writing about bloated windbag team owner Harold Ballard? In an era where the NHL was struggling against upstart rival league the WHA, it did the team no favors to have someone the likes of noted cheapskate Ballard having to pony up the extra cash to keep star players from jumping ship. Cox and Stellick underline all the ways in which he was bad for the team and the way he would constantly undermine players and don’t even get me started on what he did after the deep playoff run of ’78.
In terms of analyzing the sport’s penchant for brutality in the post expansion era, this would fit right alongside Stephen Cole’s 2015 book HOCKEY NIGHT FEVER. Cox and Stellick look at just how close the game came to having on-ice antics make it into the courtroom with players being straight-up assaulted by hot-heads in an effort to win games. Stick swinging was still the norm in an era where helmets were optional and head injuries were commonplace. Look up the case of Tes Green v. Wayne Maki from a game between the Bruins and the Blues in Ottawa in September, 1969 for some nightmare fuel.
For anyone curious about not just the team’s history, but more about the tumultuous decade of the 1970s which saw a ruthless competitor arise, Soviet domination on the world stage, and the game’s turn to violence over skill, this is the book for you....more
In Northern Sweden sit two towns which are the fiercest of rivals. While both communities have deeply competitive junior hockey teams, only one, BeartIn Northern Sweden sit two towns which are the fiercest of rivals. While both communities have deeply competitive junior hockey teams, only one, Beartown, is in possession of a generational talent. The talent in question is the key to unlocking Beartown’s economical recovery following the collapse of its local factory, the town’s largest employer. If the young man succeeds, he brings the potential for new hockey schools, training centers and arenas; a whole new industry. But what happens if he commits a crime? Will the town look the other way in favor of the greater good? Or will there be a reckoning the likes of which have never been seen before?
BEARTOWN is my second Backman read following MY GRANDMOTHER SENDS HER REGARDS AND APOLOGIES, which I wasn’t crazy about. I was hesitant, but since this one was about hockey, I thought I’d give it a shot. It doesn’t hurt that it also seems to be universally loved either. I’m glad I did because this book damn near tore my heart out.
BEARTOWN’s strength lies in its wide cast of characters, many of whom are fully realized thanks to the novel’s generous length. Benji, Amat and Ana are personal favorites of mine and obviously the book’s central figure, Maya Anderson, is memorable due to her tragic story. Backman’s tendency for the dramatic could come off as over-the-top if not for his incredible talent. His ability to stick the landing at the end of each chapter with just the perfect heart-wrenching line kept me reading long into the night.
BEARTOWN was one of the best books I read in 2023 and although I didn’t see the need for sequels (US AGAINST THEM, THE WINNERS), I looked forward to reading them (I did read them and reviews will follow)....more
In A LEAGUE OF OUR OWN, co-authors Damien Cox and Andrew Podnieks examine the shortened 2021 season - specifically the North Division - as the NHL attIn A LEAGUE OF OUR OWN, co-authors Damien Cox and Andrew Podnieks examine the shortened 2021 season - specifically the North Division - as the NHL attempted to navigate the Covid-19 pandemic.
When this book initially hit shelves in April of 2022, I dismissed it as potentially being a thinly-researched cash-grab. Are we really that far enough removed from the season to truly understand the impact? Can there really be enough material to fill two-hundred and ninety-six pages? Especially when you're only focusing on the seven team north division? Well, I was wrong.
Cox and Podnieks break up the book by having individual chapters focus on one team at a time. Obviously, they shine a light on the 2021 season and how each team handled the challenges imposed by the pandemic, but they also go into each franchise's long and storied history as well as the history of previous clubs within their respective cities (Vancouver Millionaires, Toronto Arenas, Montreal Maroons, the original Winnipeg Jets, etc). I felt that this was the true strength of the book.
It was good to see a mention of the problems that had arisen in Calgary following the accusations against then head coach Bill Peters and his treatment of former player Akim Aliu back in 2009, an event that ultimately forced his resignation from the Flames. Unfortunately, Peters is back in the news again recently having accepted a job as head coach of the WHL's Lethbridge Hurricanes (side note: why they're called the Hurricanes when it's a team based in Alberta is beyond me).
It's amazing that many of the cancelled games and depleted rosters had slipped my mind before picking this book up. This is likely due to the fact that the Leafs seemed to escape the worst of it with Vancouver bearing the brunt of it in the North Division. At one point, twenty one active roster members had tested positive causing multiple games to be postponed and rescheduled. Sometimes it is incredible to think the NHL was actually able to pull this off.
The last bit of this book covers the playoffs where the Montreal Canadiens improbably made it to the cup finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Unfortunately, I had to relive quite possibly my worst nightmare as a Leafs fan as the authors recapped the Leafs first round collapse against the Habs. If you're a Leafs fan like myself, maybe skip over that. We've suffered enough....more
In FABRIC OF THE GAME, Chris Creamer and Todd Radom provide a brief overview of each NHL team as well as how they came to their name and the evolutionIn FABRIC OF THE GAME, Chris Creamer and Todd Radom provide a brief overview of each NHL team as well as how they came to their name and the evolution of their on-ice look.
As a self-proclaimed jersey and sports logo geek, I jumped at the chance to grab this when I discovered it. FABRIC OF THE GAME contains a sizeable amount of both hockey history and trivia (the Pittsburgh Penguins once considering the name "The Pussycats" had me laughing out loud) that would satisfy both hardcore and casual fans alike.
Want to know the alternate names considered for just about every NHL franchise? This book has you covered. Want to know what went into selecting club colors and logos? It's all here. What about alternate names and the results of "name the team" letter writing campaigns (it seems like almost every franchise considered "The Blades" - a name that has never come to fruition). You got it.
The only thing it doesn't have are enough photos. Even if they are only subtle differences, each team has a rich history of uniforms that have been either tweaked or outright redesigned over the years and while the pictures contained within are great, there simply aren't enough of them.
I can't say I was disappointed overall, despite my complaint above, as the authors worked hard to uncover a treasure trove of information here. This is very much a coffee table book and not one most people will sit down and read from cover to cover (well, maybe except me), so be prepared if you do decide to do that, that some of the subject matter may wash over you as each team section is very much laid out the same....more