Today, I'm looking at Don't Call
Me Goon: Hockey's Greatest Enforcers, Gunslingers, and Bad Boys,
by Greg Oliver & Richard Kamchen.
Hockey
has had fighters and “goons” since the game started. Names like
Bad Joe Hall and Eddie Shack lit up the ice in the past, and every
team has had their lists of fighters. In many cases, the fighters are
the most popular players on the team, more so than the top scorers
and playmakers.
This
book starts with highlights of the early days of pugilism. It
seamlessly moves into the Original Six days, and post-expansion,
including a section about the Broad Street Bullies in Philadelphia.
Oh yes, they were brutal days in the late 60s and the 70s.
Moving
into the 80s, every team had their stock of fighters, and some could
argue that the 1980s brought out some of the best fighters and goons
ever seen. While we will never be able to completely and accurately
compare Joe Hall with someone like Marty McSorley or Bob Probert, we
can, for certain, debate the fights between the latter.
With
further expansion in the 90s, plus retirement, new fighters found
more roster spots opened up, and they too are featured. Brian
McGrattan and Arron Asham are just two of the “new age” fighters.
However, today's fighters have to be able to play the game to some
level, or they find themselves relegated to the minors in many cases.
Time
will tell if “the goon” is truly out of the league for good. Many
desire just that, while others would never want to see that day.
Special
thanks to Sara Dunn at ECW Press for making this book available for
reviewing purposes.
ECW
Press: http://www.ecwpress.com/books/goon
Powell's
City of Books: http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9781770410381-0
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