NEWSLETTER
We’re into crunch time for holiday gift shopping. If you have a hockey fan in your life (I’m guessing you do), this might be a tough year to buy something. With the Blackhawks rebuilding, it’s impossible to know if anyone on the current team will be here long enough to warrant a jersey purchase; frankly, most fans already have one/both of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews‘ sweaters at home.
So let’s talk about some other holiday gift options for that special hockey fan. I’m a big fan of reading and the history of the game, and there is a nice collection of books that have hit shelves in the past 14 months or so that could be interesting reads. I’ve read a few of these (and wrote one of them).
Here’s a list of eight books Blackhawks fans could consider as holiday gifts:
Marián Hossa: My Journey from Trencín to the Hall of Fame
by Marián Hossa with Scott Powers
Triumph Books
$30
We’ve talked about this one here a lot this season. If you haven’t bought it yet, get it. If you want to save on the purchase, I’ve got you. I have this book and have read it and it’s absolutely a must-read for Blackhawks fans from the past 15 years.
Call Me Indian: From the Trauma of Residential School to Becoming the NHL’s First Treaty Indigenous Player
by Fred Sasakamoose
Viking
$17.69
Saskamoose is the first Indigenous player with Treaty status to appear in an NHL game. He made his official debut with the Blackhawks in 1954 on Hockey Night in Canada and appeared in 12 NHL games before returning to his tribe. This is a really good read, not only about a unique moment in Blackhawks and NHL history but also to understand the trials of Indigenous people in Canada.
Mosienko: The Man Who Caught Lightning In A Bottle
by Ty Dilello
Great Plains Publications
$20.95
The current generation of Blackhawks fans celebrate 17 seconds. But Mosienko still owns the NHL record for the fastest hat trick in league history — he scored three times in 21 seconds against the Rangers on March 23 1952. Mosienko was one of the great players of his era and was one of the first Blackhawks Hall of Famers.
Odd Man In: Hockey’s Emergency Goalies and the Wildest One-Day Job in Sports
by Stephen Whyno
Triumph Books
$26.99
This book reads like fan fiction. Whyno did an amazing job going deep on the history of EBUGs in the NHL, including Blackhawks legend Scott Foster. I really enjoyed reading this book and speaking with Whyno about putting it together.
Inexact Science: The Six Most Compelling Draft Years in NHL History
by Evan Dowbiggin and Bruce Dowbiggin
ECW Press
$19.95
This book digs into some of the more intriguing drafts in NHL history, and the Blackhawks impacted each of them. Unfortunately, some of these drafts are going to stir awful memories (like taking Keith Brown seventh overall, right before Boston selected Ray Bourque in 1979). Others will bring a smile (picking Eddie Olczyk third overall in 1984).
Victory on Ice: The Chicago Blackhawks’ First Stanley Cups
by Paul Greenland
North Hill Books
$21.95
This made the Toronto Sun‘s list of Christmas books to buy this year, and it dives into the earliest championships in Blackhawks’ history.
The Greatest Comeback: How Team Canada Fought Back, Took the Summit Series, and Reinvented Hockey
by John U. Bacon
Collins
$27.95
This is the 50th anniversary of the Summit Series. This book looks back at the history made and ways that series changed the future of the game.
Chicago Blackhawks: An Illustrated Timeline
by Tab Bamford (me)
Reedy Press
$39.95
