More hockey lore

If you are heading out for some Christmas shopping and have a hockey fan on your list, here is the link to my reviews of the latest hockey books as published in The London Free Press.

I Am Not Making This Up

Now on my book review desk: Al Strachan's I Am Not Making This Up, an excellent bathroom reader of NHL and sports journalist quickie tales by the former Toronto Sun, Montreal Gazette and Globe & Mail scribe. Also, the Brian Kilrea-James Duthie book The Call Me Killer, an assisted autobiography by the legendary Ontario Hockey League coach.
Do kids today read hockey books? I hope so, because very skilled writers keep cranking them out every fall for the Christmas gift market. I bet it's grandparents who buy them as gifts for hockey-playing kids. Do the books actually get read?

I Am Not Making This Up: My Favourite Hockey Stories

Of the handful of hockey books I've seen this fall, the Strachan book is the best bet for teen and adult hockey fans. Strachan's tales - from the cheapness of Ken Dryden to the swagger of Brett Hull - are funny. The book doubles as a sportswriter's history. Love his descriptions of story filing and equipment once used, some of which I pecked at as well. And who knew a former GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs was once a fax boy in the press box of Maple Leaf Gardens?
I'll be reviewing various hockey books for the London Free Press as we draw closer to the Christmas buying frenzy.

They Call Me Killer: Tales from Junior Hockey's Legendary Hall-of-Fame Coach

Getting a read on hockey fans

You know Christmas is in full flight over the "read" line when new hockey books start hitting the desks of book reviewers - people like me. I'm reviewing three new books for Sun Media's London Free Press, the daily newspaper here in the heartland of minor hockey.
The most timely of the three is The Ovechkin Project by crusty Toronto Star hockey writer Damien Cox and Gare Joyce of ESPN. The book's tagline is "A behind-the-scenes look at hockey's most dangerous player."
Kids idolize Ovechkin for his incredible skill and take-no-prisoners approach to professional hockey. Parents hoping for good role models may cringe when they discover the less-than-moral lifestyle he leads. Wisely, Ovechkin's handlers are trying to retool the overall image of the Washington Capitals' star.
Not sure yet if this book will help in that retooling. It's written for adult hockey fans, not the kids.
Book two is a great for kids and serious NHL fans. Former Toronto Sun sports editor Scott Morrison offers a ranking of the greatest hockey players of all time in Best of the Best. Not sure why Red Kelly is pictured in a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey while listed among the best-ever defencemen.
The third book on my desk hits broad demographics - all ages and all interest levels in hockey. He Shoots . . .  He Skewers by editorial cartoonist Randy Duncan takes some fun jabs at the game we love. This might be the first of the three I read cover-to-cover.
Watch for my full reviews in the print edition of the London Free Press and other Sun Media newspapers (hopefully posted by lfpress.com) closer to Christmas shopping season.