It's story time again in Hockeyland.
Canadian sports reporter James Duthie had some success in 2020 with a book about some of the backstage moments for hockey players. He called it "Beauties." It should be mentioned that calling something or someone a "beauty" in the world of hockey is high praise, especially north of the border.
The book seems to have done quite well - well enough to earn a sequel. Therefore, "Certified Beauties" arrived in the bookstores in 2025. As you'd expect, this is no time to break up a winning formula. The approach is about the same: talk to a wide range of hockey personalities, and collect some of the best stories that come up.
Duthie throws out a rather big net to catch the tales, which is a good idea. There's the time that a summer beer-league hockey game had a couple of ringers turn up one day in an attempt to get in a good workout - Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The time that Mike Johnson received some bad directions to the airport shortly after he was called to the NHL for his first game. How about Sam Gagner scoring eight points in a game out of absolutely nowhere? Then there's the moment when Nick Foligno was convinced to pay tribute to his father Mike by jumping after a goal. And there's a story about the rise of Kenyan hockey - as in Kenya in Africa, and its one rink.
Since this is a book about hockey and its players, a few other elements pop up too. Hockey players are rather legendary for their consumption of alcoholic beverages, and that can cause some problems. Jeff O'Neill had just been recalled from the minors when he decided to try out the legendary nightlife of Los Angeles ... which caused him to sleep in the next morning, prompting a mad drive through the crowded city streets in order to catch the bus to practice. Then there is the matter of practical jokes. Hockey players have left behind a trail of sawed-off sticks and scissored ties and stolen suits and moved cars behind over the years. That's not my favorite subject, but others will enjoy those accounts.
Two members of the Buffalo Sabres turn up here. Marty Biron had just missed out on making Canada's World Junior Team in December 1995 when he was called up by the Sabres for his first look at the NHL. It's around Christmas, and Marty had trouble finding out what exactly was going on. But he flies to Pittsburgh, expecting to have a good seat on the bench ... only to discover he was starting. Against Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and Company. The other Sabre is Zenon Konopka, who turned up for a half-season during the playoff drought to take faceoffs and get into fights. It was Team No. 19 in his personal hockey odyssey, starting in junior hockey in Ottawa. He broke his nose 14 times along the way. Ouch.
Two of the stories here are a bit out of the norm from the rest of the book for all the right reasons. Duthie pays tribute to brothers John and Matty Gaudreau, who were killed in 2024 when while riding bikes were hit by a car. An excellent recollection is offered here. Later, the book recounts the last meeting between two old teammates, Darryl Sittler and Borje Salming. Grab a tissue.
One little warning, courtesy of the author: Hockey players tend to speak in two languages: their native tongue and profanity. This comes uncensored - especially a speech by Bruce Boudreau. You can decide if that quality is a potential turn-off or a selling point.
"Certified Beauties" probably won't stay in the bookcase forever. It's an easy, fun read that will put some smiles on your face, even if you won't remember too much about it later on. If that, Mr. or Ms. Hockey Fan, sounds like it's in your sweet spot, by all means take a look at it.
Three stars
Learn more about this book from Amazon.com. (As an Amazon.com affiliate, I earn money from qualified purchases.)
Be notified of new posts on this site via X.com @WDX2BB.
No comments:
Post a Comment