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A Trio of Book Reviews

Hockey Addict’s Guide: Toronto

I love the opening picture of Greenwood Park Rink. It’s a very cool shot. The Coca-Cola Coliseum and Wayne Gretzky’s are staples. Both worthy of a visit.

This book lists record stores, the Hockey Hall of Fame and some great local rinks and eateries. Toronto can be a busy place to visit and a book like this can really help a visitor focus

The Countryman Press and author Evan Gubernick have done a nice job!

Hockey: A Global History

Authors Stephen Hardy and Andrew C. Holman have set the bar high. Hockey is a popular sport and trying to give the reader a feel for how it’s perceived globally is a big challenge.

The mention of Dave Bidini’s book was a nice touch. I did review that for this very website back in the day.

The book is elegantly written, and I love the debate over where the game actually started. They showed some great illustrations and found amazing source material from pond hockey accounts to playing indoors.

The women’s game is well represented in this book with written accounts and photographs.

It digs into the “sponsorship system” and how that worked and why it wasn’t fair. It even gets into the “reserve clause” in player contracts that started in major league baseball.

College hockey gets some representation here as well. The indexing in the back of the book is appreciated! University of Illinois Press has put together something to be proud of.

Once There Were Giants

Jerry Izenberg is the gold standard in regard to boxing. He paints a picture early on how he became a fan and it’s a look back into the history of NY/NJ sports as much as an entrée into boxing.

The “Fight of the Century” between Ali and Frazier is in there. I learned a few more things about Joe, my favorite boxer, that I didn’t know before. Pre-fight career information, in-ring trash talking, all stuff Jerry was able to get from these guys because he was trusted.

Both Spinks brothers, Tyson, Foreman, they’re all in here.

Any boxing fan would love this book by Skyhorse publishing. Any sports fan should still buy it as well.

Russ_Cohen
I'm the author of 10 books. If you're looking for autographed copies just go to my Twitter @Sportsology and DM me.

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