After a much-too-long delay involving some family issues, I am back to reviewing!

Today, we're looking at Champions: The making of the Edmonton Oilers, by Kevin Lowe and Stan and Shirley Fischler.

The book is divided more or less into two sections. The first is a history of hockey in Edmonton over the years. Between the Oil Kings and the World Hockey Association's Oilers, there is a rich tradition of hockey in Alberta. When the Oilers were allowed to join the NHL in 1979, Kevin Lowe was a first round selection, and joined the team right away.

Kevin Lowe would go on to play defense for the Oilers in the 1980s, winning 4 Stanley Cups between 1984 and 1988. His insiders take on the inner workings of the team as it was built and molded into champions is quite a tale. He speaks candidly about his teammates as they come and go. The discovery of talent in Finland, bringing in players that, in some cases, were almost cast-offs from other clubs who would blossom under the Oilers new playing scheme.

He talks about the heartbreaking losses to the Islanders in the Stanley Cup finals, and how the Oilers learned from their mistakes as they would slowly make their way along the path to winning the Stanley Cup for the first time.

Mention is made of the Gretzky trade in August of 1988, but mostly in passing, and almost exclusively in a manner that is non-confrontational and essentially neutral. At the back of the book there are some Oilers records listed as well as some other statistics.

All in all, I’d recommend this book for the inside, easy to follow manner in which Kevin Lowe lays everything out. You don't have to understand hockey to keep up with what he's talking about.

Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Champions-The-making-Edmonton-Oilers/dp/0132356236/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369368720&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=champions%21+the+making+of+the+edmontion+oilers

Link to Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/champions-kevin-b-lowe/1006142273?ean=9780449217665