A lot of people are willing to snap up books written by/about sports superstars. In hockey, there are several books about the stars. Readers may find some new insight about a sports hero, but a lot of what is in them is a reiteration of things that have already been seen in other books, or in the newspapers, or that the reader actually watched on television while they were occurring.
The folks at ECW Press appear to be taking a different tack. They have published books by and about the OTHER players. The ones who labored in relative obscurity. The ones who didn't retire to a comfortable financial nest egg and/or a cushy front office / broadcasting job, but instead had to figure out what else they could do with their lives and then labor to feed themselves and their family. The ones that have an interesting story to tell, but rarely get the opportunity to tell it.
I remember when Val James took a few shifts for the Buffalo Sabres; I watched the game he played against the Boston Bruins on televsion. At the time, I did NOT know he was the first American-born (and American-trained) black player to skate in the NHL; I learned that years later. And, until I read this book, I did not know about the ugly racial incident that occurred after that game.
"Black Ice" tells an interesting and inspiring story, interspersed with colorful characters. It talks about making the correct choices in a career and in dealing with the consequences when the wrong choice is made (or when the "correct" choice has negative consequences). It talks about people who are honorable beneath a rough exterior and ones who are horrible beneath a polished veneer.
I found the book to be quite an enjoyable and comfortable read, and a good investment of my money, as well.
RATING: 4 1/2 stars, rounded to 5 stars.
The folks at ECW Press appear to be taking a different tack. They have published books by and about the OTHER players. The ones who labored in relative obscurity. The ones who didn't retire to a comfortable financial nest egg and/or a cushy front office / broadcasting job, but instead had to figure out what else they could do with their lives and then labor to feed themselves and their family. The ones that have an interesting story to tell, but rarely get the opportunity to tell it.
I remember when Val James took a few shifts for the Buffalo Sabres; I watched the game he played against the Boston Bruins on televsion. At the time, I did NOT know he was the first American-born (and American-trained) black player to skate in the NHL; I learned that years later. And, until I read this book, I did not know about the ugly racial incident that occurred after that game.
"Black Ice" tells an interesting and inspiring story, interspersed with colorful characters. It talks about making the correct choices in a career and in dealing with the consequences when the wrong choice is made (or when the "correct" choice has negative consequences). It talks about people who are honorable beneath a rough exterior and ones who are horrible beneath a polished veneer.
I found the book to be quite an enjoyable and comfortable read, and a good investment of my money, as well.
RATING: 4 1/2 stars, rounded to 5 stars.
