Andrew K. (kuligowskiandrewt) -
I have been impressed with all of the books in the "100 Things ..." series that I've read to this point both of them. "100 Things Jets Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die", as the author freely admits, is different than the other books, in that there are multiple incarnations of the Winnipeg Jets to address. There's the version that made news in the early 1970s by signing Bobby Hull to play in the World Hockey Association. There's the Jets that joined the National Hockey League in 1979 and played there for approximately 15 years until they moved to Phoenix (although the author of this book considers this just a continuation of what he calls "Jet's 1.0" from the WHA days). Finally, there's the team that moved to Winnipeg from Atlanta around 5 years ago.
The author does a typically good job in selecting 100 events and sights that encompass the history of the team(s). Each reader can (and probably will) believe that there is some particular site, image, or event that is missing from the book because the author selected something else and I'm sure that everyone reading the book will dispute the ranked order that the author assigned each component.
I would have preferred a slight departure from the traditional format in this instance. Given the multiple lives that the Winnipeg Jets have had, I would have preferred that the author break the book into sections say (counts approximate) 30 things from the WHA days, another 30 from the early NHL days, a third group of 30 for the newest edition of the team, and 10 to address the short lifespan of the Atlanta Thrashers (who are unlikely ever to merit such a book, given market conditions and interest) along with the minor-league Manitoba Moose who have recently returned to Winnipeg as the Jets' farm club. I would have found this much easier to follow than the intermingling of events that was used for this book.
Very good book. Enjoyed it. BUT think I could have enjoyed it even more.
RATING: 4 1/2 stars, rounded down to 4 stars where 1/2 stars are not permitted.
The author does a typically good job in selecting 100 events and sights that encompass the history of the team(s). Each reader can (and probably will) believe that there is some particular site, image, or event that is missing from the book because the author selected something else and I'm sure that everyone reading the book will dispute the ranked order that the author assigned each component.
I would have preferred a slight departure from the traditional format in this instance. Given the multiple lives that the Winnipeg Jets have had, I would have preferred that the author break the book into sections say (counts approximate) 30 things from the WHA days, another 30 from the early NHL days, a third group of 30 for the newest edition of the team, and 10 to address the short lifespan of the Atlanta Thrashers (who are unlikely ever to merit such a book, given market conditions and interest) along with the minor-league Manitoba Moose who have recently returned to Winnipeg as the Jets' farm club. I would have found this much easier to follow than the intermingling of events that was used for this book.
Very good book. Enjoyed it. BUT think I could have enjoyed it even more.
RATING: 4 1/2 stars, rounded down to 4 stars where 1/2 stars are not permitted.
