Title/Author:
“Slim and None: My
Wild Ride from the WHA to the NHL and All the Way to Hollywood” by Howard
Baldwin with Steve Milton
Tags:
Ice hockey,
professional, memoir, Whalers, Penguins, Flyers, owners
Publish date:
October 7, 2014
Length:
320 pages
Rating:
5 of 5 stars (outstanding)
Review:
Even though he was a
good athlete through high school and college, Howard Baldwin never thought to
have a sports career as a player – instead he wanted to own a team. He achieved that dream at the young age of 28
as one of the partners of the New England Whalers of the fledgling World Hockey
Association. How he got there and what he did with the team, as well as his
future endeavors are captured in this wonder memoir that is entertaining,
informative and full of great memories for hockey fans.
Baldwin doesn’t spend
too much time talking about his childhood or his college days. After his time in the Marines, he dives
immediately into his sports career, becoming a ticket manager for the expansion
Philadelphia Flyers in 1967. When Gary Davidson had an idea to create a rival
hockey league in 1972, Baldwin convinced two other men to become the owners of
the brand new New England Whalers franchise. The team was one of four WHA teams
to join the NHL in 1979 as the Hartford Whalers – a merger (although for business
reasons it was called an “expansion”) between the two leagues in which Baldwin
played a key role.
How Baldwin and the
Whalers got there and their years in the NHL makes for great reading. How the
team and the entire WHA league was able to make deals with players, negotiate
rent for arena time and yet still provide excellent hockey is covered
throughout the book. It is clear that Baldwin is very passionate about the
Whalers and the city of Hartford even after he sold his shares in 1989 and the
subsequent move of the franchise to Raleigh in 1996.
Life after the Whalers
is discussed in depth as well in the same entertaining manner – Baldwin later
moved to the West Coast after marrying his second wife Karen and was
instrumental in making San Jose a viable NHL market. However, that lead to a
very brief tenure as an owner of the Minnesota North Stars. He went from
Minnesota to Pittsburgh and was able to celebrate the Penguins’ 1992 Stanley
Cup championship with them. He also went
on to become a successful movie producer with his wife, the most notable of his
films being the hockey movie “Mystery, Alaska.”
Hockey fans will love
the stories of the WHA and some of the wisecracks Baldwin makes. One of my
favorites came during the discussion of the final season of the WHA, when it
finished with six teams, only four of which would join the NHL. Baldwin stated
that “the NHL had its Original Six and the WHA would have its Final Six.” His relationships with people like Jack
Kelley, whom he hired from Boston University to become the first Whalers coach
and GM, are told with reverence. It is clear that he feels that he should do
right to people who help him or work for him and it is really no surprise he
became such a successful team owner.
This was one of the
few memoirs that I read in one sitting because I was riveted to the book’s
hockey stories and Baldwin’s writing that was easy to read. It was entertaining, insightful and a book
that is highly recommended for hockey fans.
People who have fond memories of the Hartford Whalers will especially
love this book.
Book Format Read:
E-book (Kindle)
Buying links:
Sounds like a winner, Lance. I will add it to the TBR list!
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