Title/Author:
“Blood Feud: Detroit
Red Wings V. Colorado Avalanche: The Inside Story of Pro Sports’ Nastiest and
Best Rivalry of Its Era” by Adam Dater
Tags:
Ice Hockey,
professional, rivalry, Red Wings, Avalanche
Publish date:
November 25, 2006
Length:
272 pages
Rating:
3 of 5 stars (okay)
Review:
Between 1996 and 2002, the best rivalry in professional sports
was that between the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche. They were
the best two teams in hockey at that time, winning four Stanley Cups between
them and facing off in some memorable games in both the regular season and the
Stanley Cup playoffs.
This rivalry is captured in this book by Denver sports writer Adam Dater. There are short biographies of key personnel from both sides, such as Colorado goaltender Patrick Roy and Detroit coach Scotty Bowman. Memorable fights are relived such as the hit on Red Wing Kris Draper by Claude Lemieux, which was believed by many to be the opening salvo in this bitter feud.
Dater covers these seasons fully, especially the Stanley Cup playoffs, mainly through stories about the teams in the major newspapers of the two cities. While a book on any good sports rivalry can be riveting, this book falls a bit short of that because of the frequent use of newspaper articles for the information. Most of the original material is not new insight into the rivalry but instead on short biographies on players and coaches for both teams. The two previously mentioned, Roy and Bowman, make for good information to readers who may not be familiar with their stories, but hardcore fans may be left disappointed with the lack of depth.
Dater also injects personal notes into the book, including a
passage on how he became a sports writer.
Again, this is a mixed bag. Sometimes
his personal interactions with players and coaches adds a nice touch, such as
the story about Bowman, but other times this comes off as too much
self-promotion.
Because of the quality of the teams and the rivalry between
them, I did finish this book and enjoyed reliving that era of hockey. This book is for readers who are just looking
for that type of experience, or if they are fans of either team. Since Dater is a Denver resident, there is a
slant toward the Avalanche, but overall the writing is fair to both teams and
also fair in overall quality.
Book Format Read:
E-book (Kindle)
Buying links:
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