Title/Author:
“Between
the Pipes: A Revealing Look at Hockey’s Legendary Goalies” by Randi Druzin
Tags:
Ice
Hockey, Professional, biography
Published:
October 1,
2013
Length:
287 pages
Rating:
4 of 5
stars (very good)
Review:
Throughout
the colorful history of the National Hockey League, goaltenders have always had
a special place that forwards and defensemen do not enter. Whether that is
superstition, unusual habits or just being “different”, many talented
goaltenders have interesting stories behind their legendary careers. Randi Druzin’s book on twelve of the best
goalies in NHL history takes a look at their careers, their achievements and
yes, their idiosyncrasies as well.
The span
of time covered by the book is long. Goalies who had success during the time
when the NHL had only 6 teams are portrayed are included as well as recent
stars such as Ed Belfour and Martin Brodeur. The stories of these legendary net
minders such as Terry Sawchuk and Glenn Hall made for some of the more
interesting passages in the book. Jacque Plante’s knitting hobby may have
earned him some ridicule from teammates, but it served him well while becoming
a Hall of Fame goalie. Ken Dryden appeared to be deep in thought while the
action was on the opposite end of the rink, leaning on his goalie stick. This
book puts that myth to rest, as he states that he simply was relaxing in a
different manner than most goalies. Passages like these are the best parts of
this book.
The style
of Druzin’s writing is easy to read, quick paced and well organized. Each goalie’s chapter starts with a personal
story or two, his amateur career, his NHL career season by season followed by
life after the NHL. None of these
sections get too detailed that would drag the book, nor does it skim too much
to not be insightful
I have
only one quibble with the book – some of the stories or actions by the men
being featured were written in a manner that left me wanting to know more about
it or wondering why this happened. One example was in the chapter on Dominik
Hasek when he retired from the Detroit Red Wings, only to play the next season
in the Czech Republic. There is no reason given for his sudden retirement from
the NHL, not even that he did it to play in his home nation. That left me wondering just why he wanted to
leave the Red Wings. Excerpts like this
made me wonder if there is more than what is written in the book. It doesn’t detract from the overall book, but
it would have been even better with a full explanation.
Overall, this is a fun book to read that any
serious hockey fan, especially those who are fascinated with the position of
goaltender, should add to the reading list.
Did I skim?
No. Because each goalie had a unique
characteristic about him, I was interested in learning more about their
personalities as well as their accomplishments.
Pace of the book:
Very
quick. Because Druzin concentrated on
each goalie’s personality instead of detailing each man’s childhood or extra
analysis of their greatest seasons, each chapter was a quick and easy read for
me.
Do I recommend?
Hockey
fans in general should enjoy this book.
For fans like me, who pay extra attention to the goaltenders as they
have a special role in the success of the team and have also gained notoriety as
being “different”; this book is very informative and fun to read.
Book Format Read:
e-book
(Kindle)
Buying Links:
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