Today, we're looking at Jean Beliveau: My Life in Hockey by Mr. Beliveau himself, with Chrys Goyens and Allan Turowetz.

Where do you start when talking about a member of one of the most storied hockey franchises of all time, the Montreal Canadiens? Beliveau broke into the NHL with the 6-team league in the 50s, and was able to help win 5 consecutive Stanley Cups between 1956 and 1960, a record that may never be broken.

In all, Beliveau won a total of 10 Stanley Cups as a player, and 7 more as an executive with the Canadiens.

The book is laid out fairly straightforward. It is important to remember throughout that much of his career was played with only 5 other teams in the league, as opposed to modern times where there are 30 teams. He talks about his teammates, both the ups and the downs; same about coaches.

Along the way, you begin to get a sense of Quebec-based provincial pride that he holds onto. His post-hockey career is chronicled as well... travels around the world, interactions with former teammates, plus the grandkids.

All in all, I’d highly recommend this book. First, Beliveau is a true legend in the game of hockey, and holds an important place in the game. Second, his contributions to the game, both in Montreal and for the NHL in general are beyond measure. Definitely worth reading in my opinion.

Link to Powell's City of Books: http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9781553651499-1

Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jean-Beliveau-My-Life-Hockey/dp/0771011083/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364253397&sr=1-3&keywords=jean+beliveau

Link to Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-life-in-hockey-jean-beliveau/1000070717?ean=9780771011085

Today on Facebook, I noticed that Arcadia Publishing said the following about my reviews of their hockey books: 

Some more great reviews from our friend Mark Hinrich over on his hockey blog!

I would like to give a HUGE shout-out to them and thank them once again for continuing to send me hockey books for reviewing purposes. They have gone beyond my wildest expectations and dreams in helping me along with this little venture of mine, and they deserve all sorts of accolades. By the way, if Facebook has brought you here, please drop a quick line in the comments section and let me know. I'd love to expand the reading audience. Also, check out the Facebook page I've got set up to augment this site; it's located at   Mark's Hockey Reviews

By the way, Arcadia Publishing has so much more to offer in the way of historical books, than just hockey. Chances are, they've got a town or sport near you covered in some way, so head on over to www.arcadiapublishing.com and see what they've got to offer. I am sure that you won't be disappointed in what you find.

Today, after a lamentable delay, we're looking at The New York Rangers, by John Halligan.

The New York Rangers are an Original Six franchise, with four Stanley Cup championships to their credit.

Rangers fans have some of the most passionate fans in the NHL, and have probably the best known arena in all of sports, Madison Square Garden.

A veritable pantheon of stars have worn Rangers blue and white over the decades; Ron Greschner, Ron Duguay... Mark Messier signed with the Rangers in the early 90s and helped lead the club to their 4^th Stanley Cup in 1994, silencing the critics once and for all. The immortal Wayne Gretzky finished his career as a Ranger as well.

This book is filled with wonderful pictures from the last few decades, and the history of the Rangers is well laid out by decade, for easy reference. Coaches, famous players, and historically important events are all pictured, making this a welcome book to any Ranger fan's collection.

Link to Arcadia Publishing: http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/9780738512280/The-New-York-Rangers

Link to Powell's City of Books: http://www.powells.com/biblio/61-9780738512280-0

Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/New-York-Rangers-Images-Sports/dp/0738512281/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363579178&sr=1-1&keywords=new+york+rangers

Link to Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/new-york-rangers-john-t-halligan/1100094593?ean=9780738512280

Special thanks to Arcadia Publishing for making this book available for reviewing purposes!

Today, I'm reviewing Boston University Hockey, by Bernard M. Corbett.

Boston University, or BU as it is often called, took to the ice in 1918, and has been one of the most successful NCAA college hockey programs since. Numerous players have come and gone through the program, many of them on to the pro ranks.

Four of the biggest names in BU history, Jack O'Callahan, Jim Craig, Dave Silk, and Mike Eruzione, all played for the 1980 men's Olympic hockey team that upset the Russians and won gold in Lake Placid. Other names include John Cullen '87, Rick Meagher '77, the school's only three-time All-American.

Remarkably, for such a long-lived program, there have been very few coaches behind the bench; Harry Cleverley '37, who returned to coach the team, Jack Kelly, and Jack Parker, who is set to retire at the end of this season.

There are also a pair of pictures of Travis Roy; his collegiate career ended just eleven seconds after it started, when he went into the corner to throw a hit onto an opponent, and ended up paralyzed. His number 24 was retired not long afterward, and remains the only retired number in BU history to date.

This book has a lot of pictures that haven't been seen anywhere else. As always, Arcadia Publishing has done a tremendous job of bringing action shots along with up close player photos, depicting BU history over the decades.

Link to Arcadia Publishing: http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/9780738511276/Boston-University-Hockey

Link to Powell's City of Books: http://www.powells.com/biblio/61-9780738511276-0

Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Boston-University-Hockey-Images-Sports/dp/0738511277/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363119957&sr=1-1&keywords=boston+university+hockey

Link to Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/boston-universitys-terrier-ice-hockey-bernie-corbett/1100582761?ean=9780738511276

Special thanks to Arcadia Publishing for making this book available to me for reviewing purposes.

Today has us looking at The Hartford Whalers by Brian Codagnone.

Originally, the Whalers were part of the new WHA, the World Hockey Association. They set up shop as the New England Whalers, and played in Boston. Unfortunately, they had trouble finding playing time, having to settle for times behind the established Boston Bruins, the AHL's Braves, and all the other events taking place in that arena. The team would spend some time in Springfield, before settling in Hartford.

Many illustrious names passed through the Whalers uniforms in the days of the WHA; Larry Pleau was one of the biggest, along with Al Smith and Ted Green. Two of the best known players, though, were Jack and Steve Carlson, who would go on to motion picture fame as part of the infamous hockey movie Slapshot.

In 1973, the New England Whalers won the very first Avco Cup, signifying the WHA Championship. Later on, after moving to Hartford, the team was unable to match that level of success, yet they still had many more big names playing on their roster, none bigger than the legendary Gordie Howe, who joined his sons Mark and Marty after their previous WHA team went under.

The Whalers would be one of the lucky four teams to merge with the NHL in 1979, and soon developed a fierce rivalry, both geographic and on-ice, with Boston and both New York clubs.

The 1986-87 was a crowning moment in team history, when the Whalers won the Adams Division. Pictures and profiles of key players are shown in this book. Some of the biggest names in Hartford hockey history are shown. Ron Francis, one of the biggest names, was traded to Pittsburgh in what is called “one of the darkest days of the franchise.”

On a personal note, I found one of my favorite players from my local junior hockey team pictured in the book as well; Glen Wesley, a defenseman that Hartford acquired from Boston.

While “the Whale” is gone, having moved to Raleigh, North Carolina in time for the 1997-98 season, they are not forgotten. When the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in 2006, many green Whalers jerseys could be seen in the crowds, showing that the spirit of the Whalers is still truly alive.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has lived in the Northeast part of the United States and remembers the Whalers, but also to anyone who follows hockey in general. Pucky the Whale is alive and swimming in Hartford, and everyone who reads this book will likely feel that way as well.

Special thanks to Arcadia Publishing for making this available for reviewing!

Link to Powell's City of Books: http://www.powells.com/biblio/61-9780738555010-0

Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hartford-Whalers-CT-Images-Sports/dp/0738555010/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362706699&sr=1-1&keywords=the+hartford+whalers

Link to Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hartford-whalers-connecticut-images-of-sports-series-brian-codagnone/1100604768?ean=9780738555010

Link to Arcadia Publishing: http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/9780738555010/The-Hartford-Whalers

Hello to all my loyal readers!

I've branched out to make it easier to connect with all of you. I now have my own Facebook page. Look me up at

Mark's Hockey Reviews

You can leave me comments on books, let me know what you think, and so on.

Look forward to hearing from all of you... new review is just a day or so away!

Cheers!

Heads up readers!!

Due to positive feedback with Arcadia Publishing, they've sent me more books for reviewing. Those will be the focus of my next reviews, and I should be able to start on Monday.

Again, I would like to extend a HUGE, sincere thanks to Arcadia Publishing for this continued opportunity to review their books.

If any of my readers get a chance, consider taking a look at their website, located at www.arcadiapublishing.com and see what they've got.

Today's review has us looking at Road Games by Roy MacGregor.

This book is, essentially, a look at a full year or so in the life of the NHL, specifically the 1992-93 season. While it focuses on the first year of the re-born Ottawa Senators, there is so much else going on in the league that the book creates a myriad of storylines.

The ongoing drama of the Senators and their first year struggles in the league reach a boiling point when upper management makes the fateful decision to actually plan to lose games in order to finish last overall in the league standings. A league inquiry after the season was made into whether the team “tanked” for that first overall pick. At that point, the NHL still awarded the Entry Draft picks in reverse order of finish, meaning last place received the first pick.

Eric Lindros, the top pick two years ago, had been the top pick, and refused to sign with Quebec, the team that wanted him. They would eventually trade his rights to Philadelphia. In doing so, they set up a precedent in that teams could draft players, even though they didn't want to sign there, and eventually trade them for multiple players and draft picks, allowing a low-ranked team to become competitive quickly.

Mario Lemieux is highlighted, in a season that should have been a chase at some of the greatest records in league history. Instead, he was forced to deal with a lump on his neck that would sideline him for several weeks. His return was a highlight of the season.

In addition, there was the emergence of several new faces, including many European players who were experiencing breakout seasons; Pavel Bure, Teemu Selanne, Alexander Mogilny, just to name a few. All of them were experiencing seasons that would match any of the best that North American players were playing through at that point.

This is a fascinating book; behind the scenes with the league offices, the Ottawa Senators, and in-depth looks at various players around the league as well. I've read this book before, but I found that even in reviewing it this time, there was information that I found for the first time, increasing enjoyment. I truly found this to be a fascinating read. Anyone wanting a look at the insides of the league, a snapshot, if you will, should look at this book as a representative example.

Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Road-Games-Year-Life-NHL/dp/0921912587/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362349477&sr=1-2&keywords=road+games

Link to Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/road-games-macgregor/1023414650?ean=9780921912583