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)
Buying Links:
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