Title/Author:
“Kooks and Degenerates
on Ice: Bobby Orr, the Big Bad Bruins and the Stanley Cup Championship That
Transformed Hockey” by Thomas J. Whalen
Tags:
Ice Hockey, professional,
championship, history, Bruins
Publish date:
May 13, 2020
Length:
240 pages
Rating:
4 of 5 stars (very
good)
Review:
On May 10, 1970 Bobby Orr scored the
game winning goal in game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals, giving his Boston Bruins
a series sweep over the St. Louis Blues and the Stanley Cup championship. Immediately after he shot the puck, he was
tripped by a Blues defender, sending him airborne and creating one of the most
famous photographs in sport history. The story of Orr, that team and the road
to their championship is remembered in this book by Thomas J. Whalen.
This book has all the elements that
are typical for a book about a championship team or season: there are game
recaps, especially for the playoffs and all four games of the Finals. There are
plenty of stories about players for the team featured. In this case, among the prominent Bruins from
that club discussed are Orr, Phil Esposito, Derek Sanderson and Gerry Cheevers. Something that isn’t usually included in this
type of book is player profiles from other teams. Whalen included profiles of
such personalities as Glenn Hall and Bobby Hull, goaltender for the Blues and
forward for the Chicago Blackhawks respectively. There is also a final look at the Bruins and
the key players after that championship season.
All of these sections make for easy,
entertaining reading. It does feel a bit choppy when describing the actual
1969-70 season as that is where many of the player profiles are placed in a
random manner. Before this, there was
much text about the social and political situation of 1970 along with a brief
history of the Boston Bruins. This was
good information that took about 25% of the book, but reading through this was
worth the time, especially the Bruins history.
That sets the tone for the wild season in which, in the words of Eddie
Johnston, “a bunch of kooks and degenerates who get along” won the Stanley Cup.
Hockey fans will enjoy this book,
especially Bruins fans, as a colorful team won one of the most prized trophies
in sports with an iconic photo to capture the championship moment. The 50th anniversary of this team
is remembered well in this book.
I wish to thank Rowman and
Littlefield 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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