Title/Author:
“The Art of the Dealers: The NHL’s Greatest Managers” by Matthew
DiBiase
Tags:
Ice Hockey, professional, management, list
Publish date:
November 12, 2017
Length:
274 pages
Rating:
5 of 5 stars (outstanding)
Review:
In his first book, “Bench
Bosses”, author Matthew DiBiase broke ground by ranking hockey coaches using a
metrical system, the first of its kind. He now follows up that excellent work
by doing the same thing with NHL general managers (GMs) in “The Art of the
Dealers.” This is also a groundbreaking
work as it is the first book that ranks GMs in any of the four major
professional sports in North America (baseball, basketball, football and
hockey).
Like “Bench Bosses”, “The
Art of the Dealers” incorporates a system that at its core, is a simple
concept. A GM earns points for positive
accomplishments that his team achieves, such as a winning record, a Stanley Cup
championship, or playoff appearances. The
GM loses points for negative occurrences such as missing the playoffs or a
losing season. DiBiase, through extensive research, took the records of every man
who has served as a GM in the 100 years of the NHL and ranked them based on
this system, featuring the top 50 in the book.
The book starts with
the highest rated GM and has narratives on each of the top 50. No spoilers in
this review, so there will be no names of these 50 men listed. There are some
surprises, in not only who is and isn’t included but also at some of the rankings. This is because a GM’s entire career is used
to determine the total point value he earns. Some GMs of very successful teams
started or ended their careers managing teams that weren’t very good, thereby
reducing their total value according to the author’s system. This in turn will result in that GM ranking
somewhat lower than some may believe he should be. Conversely, some GMs who many to believe to
not be among the greatest may achieve this ranking because they took over teams
that were championship caliber, thereby earning points thanks to the work of their
predecessors.
The narratives dive
deeper into a GM’s work during his career.
DiBiase writes about each GM’s draft choices and trades, both the good
and the not-so-good. While they do not affect the value assigned to the GM,
these are very helpful in painting the complete picture of the man’s
career. These make for some entertaining
reading. Because the book covers the
entire history of the sport, nearly every star player is mentioned in these
accounts.
Two other short
sections of the book make it a complete account of how GMs have fared in the
league. One is a breakdown of each decade and who were the best GMs during
those decades. This made for an interesting comparison – if one wants to know
how the best GM’s in the Original Six era compare to the best ones in today’s
game, one only needs to read this chapter.
The other section that makes for great reading is about the “heartbreak”
GMs – those who have had success by seeing his team make the playoffs at least
five consecutive seasons but have not won the Stanley Cup. When reading this, I
actually felt sympathy for these men – hopefully those that are still in the
game can shed this label soon.
This was a wonderful
book to read and one that I will be using for reference again and again. Every
hockey fan, not matter what era or team he or she prefers, will want to pick up
this book and learn how these GMs were able to build winning hockey teams.
I wish to thank Mr. DiBiase for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Book Format Read:
Paperback
Buying
Links:
This sounds interesting. As fans we complain about coaches and GMs, but I suspect that we don't know enough about all the aspects of their jobs.
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