Review of "The Fundies"

Making a book based off of a series of comedy videos doesn't sound like it would be interesting, but this hilarious book on hockey fundamentals, or "fundies" will make hockey fans laugh long and hard.  Here is my review of "The Fundies"

Title/Author:

“The Fundies: The Essential Hockey Guide from On the Bench” by Olly Postanin and Jacob Ardown

Tags:

Ice Hockey, advice, humor

Publish date:

October 22, 2019

Length:

248 pages

Rating: to

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Two minor hockey coaches, Steven Campbell (Olly Postanin) and Ryan Russell (Jacob Ardown) have created a series of hockey videos titled "On the Bench" and they have developed a large following in Canada.  The videos are meant to be both instructional and entertaining.  They have brought the subject to book format in this book that is very entertaining to read and may even leave hockey fans a little more knowledgeable.

Something to know before opening the book is that a reader will encounter a lot of words ending in "y" or "ie" that are shortened versions of commonly used words. A few examples are "celly" for celebration, "tendy" for a goaltender, "bisscy" for the biscuit (a slang term for the puck) and of course, in the title, "fundies" for fundamentals. These were a bit confusing at first, but as one progresses through the book, they make more sense, as does the purpose of the book.

While there is some great information about some of the basics and even more abbreviations, such at "T.J." for tape job on one's stick, be warned that not all of the advice should be taken as a player.  One such example is in Chapter 5, when the object of all players should be to get their names in the scoresheet as much as possible.  If that means taking more penalties, especially for the ones who don't score often, then so be it. Their objective should be to get those scouts to notice you.  Whether a forward, d-man or tendy, the more you are seen, the better you are at the game. This is especially true for your celly – the more outrageous the better.  In fact, the authors state this is especially important for the tendy.

If this review makes you chuckle, then this would be the book for you if you are looking for a book with some humor, as this is the main draw of "On the Bench."  Whether that comes from this book or the videos, the comedy is excellent, entertaining and will leave you laughing very hard.  It is recommended to have tissues handy if a reader is prone to crying when laughing, as that will be the dominant emotion when reading this book.  When finished, the reader will be ready to show off that wild celly.

I wish to thank Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.      

                                                    

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Fundies-Essential-Hockey-Guide-Bench/dp/0735236984/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=