Thursday, December 26, 2019

Review of "Toe Blake: WInning Is Everything"

Here's to wishing everyone reading this a very happy holiday season, no matter how you are celebrating.  While the biggest day for Christians was yesterday, it should be noted that today is not only Kwanza, but also Boxing Day, a holiday celebrated in Canada.  One of Canada's most storied teams is the Montreal Canadiens and one of their legendary figures, Toe Blake, is the topic of this excellent biography.  Here is my review of this book:


Title/Author:
“Toe Blake: Winning is Everything” by Paul Logothetis

Tags:
Ice Hockey, biography, Canadiens, Maroons, coaching

Publish date:
March 24, 2020

Length:
300 pages

Rating: to
5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:
Joseph Hector "Toe" Blake is best known as one of the most successful coaches in NHL history, winning eight Stanley Cup championships while pacing behind the bench for the Montreal Canadiens from 1955 to 1968.  However, there is much more to the story of his life and it is told in this excellent hockey biography by Paul Logothetis.

While Blake is best remember for his coaching days with Montreal, including five consecutive Stanley Cups in his first five full seasons guiding the Canadiens, he also had a very successful playing career and that is told in great detail as well as his coaching. Blake won three Cups in his playing days, and adding on his eight while as a coach, he is one of two people to have his name engraved on the Cup 11 times.  Fittingly, one of his players from his winning Canadiens teams, Henri Richard, is the other person to have won a total of 11 times.

Blake's playing days, from the time he played junior hockey in Sudbury (also winning the Memorial Cup in 1932) to his days with the Canadiens are captured in great detail by Logothetis. It did include the one Cup he did not with the Canadiens as Blake played his first eight NHL games in 1935 with the Montreal Maroons, who won the Cup that year and had Blake's name engraved.

Speaking of his name, Logothetis provides some information on where Blake got the nickname "Toe." It was widely believed that it was because his sister could not pronounce "Hector" correctly, and instead said "Hec-toe."  There is doubt on that story in the book as it notes that Blake himself that was because one of his brothers couldn't pronounce the name.  No matter which story is the truth, this passage is a good example of the depth and detail Logothetis writes about Blake, whether about his playing days, his coaching days or his personal life.

It should be noted that Logothetis provides a lot of material on not only Blake, but on many of the great Montreal players and teams during Blake's coaching career.  This helps to portray Blake as a man of great passion to win, including displaying his legendary temper when needed.  Even going down to the detail of how hard Blake would be chewing his gum during a critical playoff game, Logothetis provides a great portrait of Blake on the ice and behind the bench.

Off the ice, however, Blake is portrayed in an entirely different manner as he not only would be kind and generous to others, his devotion to family is evident in how he cared for his wife Betty when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  It should also be noted that included in the portrayal of Blake's life after hockey is how much time he dedicated to running a tavern he opened before he started coaching, Toe Blake's Tavern, and was a fixture there until it closed in 1983.  Of course, the final years of Blake's life are mentioned when he was battling Alzheimer's disease before passing in 1995.

One of the most complete hockey biographies I have read, this book is a wonderful look at Blake's career and life and any hockey fan would enjoy reading this. Canadiens fans who may not be familiar with Blake would especially benefit from picking this up and learning about one of the legendary figures in the team's storied history.  

I wish to thank ECW Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
                                                    
Book Format Read:
E-book (Kindle)

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