DOUG'S FINE BOOKS
This page is set up in association with
Amazon.com (hey, it's a Seattle business, and I've always had great
success in ordering from them). If you order one of these books after
linking from my page, it doesn't cost you anything extra, but Amazon.com
pays me a percentage of the total order. My hope is that I'll be able
to use this to help finance operation of the page.
There are several sections here; the first contains books about the position
of goaltender. Self-help books, in a nutshell. The second are biographical
books about goaltenders, and the third are books written by goaltenders.
If you enjoy a goaltending book that's not listed, please contact me and
I'll add it as soon as possible.
Enjoy!
BOOKS FOR GOALTENDERS:
Hockey Goaltending for Young Players: An Instructional Guide - by
Francois Allaire. Allaire, currently the goaltending coach for the Mighty
Ducks of Anaheim, is widely credited with bringing out the best in young
Patrick Roy. Designed for the youth coach,
I've used this with both the Colorado goaltenders and with the youth
goaltenders I work with, with much success. Lots of diagrams help to
explain the drills and save moves. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
The
Hockey Goalie's Handbook - by Jim Corsi and John Hannon. This is a
goaltending instruction book the way that I'd write one (and plan to, some day).
It's aimed at young goaltenders, but there's a lot of information in here -
covering the mental and physical aspects of the game, with tips for goaltenders,
coaches and parents. Even includes something I rarely see in a goaltending
book - drills for goalies! The biggest flaw would be that, in his
list of goaltending references in the back of the book, my page isn't listed,
but I'm sure that'll be remedied in the next edition. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Hockey Goaltending - by Brian Daccord. I've really warmed up to this
book in the past few months, and have started recommended it as the first
book to get for new goaltenders. Features save techniques, excercises for
strength, flexibility, speed and quickness, advice on equipment and tips for
developing mental toughness. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Goaltenders Are Not Targets - by Vic LeMire. LeMire, who runs the
prestigious Vic's Hockey Schools, covers the basics, including positioning
and save techniques. Also a special section for mental conditioning.
Off The Post: The Advanced Book of Goaltending... - by Vic LeMire.
This book (the second of two) continues where "Goaltenders are Not Targets"
leaves off, entering into more advanced realms.
Goaltending in the New Millennium - by Ron Mays. I don't have this
one yet (although it was released in 1999 - don't know how I missed it), but
it's written by a very talented individual and I'll have it soon
(hopefully).
On Goaltending - by Jacques Plante.
Plante should need no introduction, of course. This book, originally
printed in the early 1970's, was at my local library, and I nearly wore it
out, before finally photocopying the entire thing. Thnakfully, it's been
reprinted here. The equipment section is a bit dated, but overall, it's a
great book, focusing on all aspects of the position.
Goaltending: Hockey the NHL Way - by Sean Rossiter. This book is
definitely designed for the younger goaltender, filled with colourful pictures
of today's NHL stars. On the other hand, most of the information is broken
down into concise, easy-to-digest, bits. The price is certainly right, as
well.
Laura Stamm's Power Skating - by Laura Stamm. One of my goaltending
tenets is that, ideally, the goaltender should be the best skating player
on the team. While that's not always possible, Stamm will help you
give it your best shot. It's hard to teach skating properly in a book,
but I've learned a lot, and my game has improved.
Behind the Mask: The Ian Young Goaltending Method - by Ian Young and Chris
Gudgeon. Young is one of the best hockey minds today, and he's the only
prominent author who doesn't strictly teach the butterfly method. This book
concentrates on the fundamentals, specifically positional play and save
techniques. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Lords of the Rink - by Ian Young and Terry Walker. Young I mention above,
but I can't say enough good about the man. This book has been cald the
"goaltender's Bible", because in this 184-page tome you will find a reference
on nearly all aspects of the position.
The Hockey Play Book - by Michael A. Smith. First, a caveat - this book
doesn't detail any goaltending fundamentals. However, it's helped me
a lot, because it gives me an idea of what's going on during the game -
where my teammates will be, where the forecheck is going to come from, et
cetera. Especially if you didn't learn "proper hockey", this book is
invaluable.
BOOKS ABOUT GOALTENDERS:
Goalies: Guardians of the Net - by Denis Brodeur and Daniel Daignault.
Brodeur, the father of current Devils' netminder Martin Brodeur, has been the Montreal
Canadiens' photographer for as long as I can remember, and this text, featuring
more than 500 colour photographs, gives short biographical data on most
of the netminders who played in the latter half of the 20th century.
Great Goalies - by James Duplacey. Duplacey's one of the editors for
Total Hockey, and I enjoy his writing style immensely. Definitely
for the younger reader, this book looks at today's stars as well as those
who paved the way. An official publication of the N.H.L.
Hockey's Hottest Goalies - by James Duplacey. This small book is
very inexpensive, and for young readers.
Sawchuk - The Troubles and Triumphs of the World's Greatest Goalie - by
David Dupuis. Sawchuk was a very complex
individual, and this is a great read. I received it for Christmas one year,
and nearly read it straight through - finishing it before a Seattle
Thunderbirds game the next evening. While it's debatable that Sawchuk was
the best goaltender of all time, he probably has the most interesting life
story. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Hot Goalies - by Stan Fischler and Chico
Resch. Fischler I have a hard time recommending, simply because he
usually presents a larger-than-usual number of errors. This book contains
bios on most current netminders, plus a number of past greats. The
highlight is Resch's section, where he analyzes the top goaltenders of today.
A Breed Apart: An Illustrated History of Goaltending - by Douglas Hunter.
I have this in hardcover; it's now available in paperback. This book goes back
more than a century, covering aspects of goaltenders and goaltending. With
a lot of illustrations and photographs, and profiles of individual netminders.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
In The Crease: Goaltenders Look at Life in the NHL - by Dick Irvin. Irvin,
hockey's longest-tenured broadcaster, talks with and about goaltenders in
a revealing look at how the NHL game is. One of my favourite things about
this book is that he doesn't focus merely on the stars; he interviews everyone,
and it's often the career back-ups who have the best insights.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Guardians: The Secret Life of Goalies - by Gary Mason and Barbara Gunn.
I'll admit that I don't have this book, but it's on my "to buy" list. I'll
include it here for (relative) completeness. I have looked through it,
though - the pictures are very good, and large.
Puck-Stoppin' Trivia - by Don Weekes. Of course I approve; this book
is all goaltenders. If you've played
Goaltender Trivia, you'll know most of these, but there were even some
questions that entertained me. Well-presented, inexpensive, and suitable
for young hockey fans. In the book, it claims that if you already know
all of these answers, you should write your own book...so if any publishers
are reading this, drop me a line :-)
Total Hockey: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Hockey League -
by Dan Diamond (editor), James Duplacey (editor), Igor Kuperman (editor). I
put this last in the section because it's not just about goaltenders, but at
nearly 1900 pages, it's the ultimate source of hockey information currently
available. From the history of the game, through today's players, to future
projections, this book has it all. Except for my URL in their web directory.
BOOKS BY GOALTENDERS:
The Game - by Ken Dryden. Many people
consider this to be the best hockey book ever written. Dryden, in his
final season as the Canadiens' netminder, delves deeply into hockey as played
in the National Hockey League. If you've read this, you'll know what I
mean; if you haven't, what's keeping you? HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Home Game: Hockey and Life in Canada - by Ken
Dryden and Roy MacGregor. The six chapters of this book each look into
a different area of Canadian hockey life, all about how the people of Canada
interact with, and relate to, the sport of hockey. One of the few books that
I've found the time to read over and over. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Open Net - by George Plimpton. Whether you're familiar with Plimpton's seminal
"Paper Lion" or not, you'll have to check out his insider look as a National
Hockey League goaltender. I found this on eBay a long time ago; thanks to Dan
Morris for pointing out that it's (finally) been reprinted! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
OTHER BOOKS:
The
Hockey Compendium: NHL Facts, Stats and Stories by Jeff Z. Klein and
Karl-Eric Reif. This was the book, in its first edition, that really got me
juiced about hockey, and I probably checked it out from the Bellingham (WA)
Public Library close to thirty times before I finally just photocopied the
whole thing. Suffice it to say that, without this book, there wouldn't even
be a Goaltender Home Page. Anyhow, this is where Perseverance Rating
comes from, and I'm "acknowledged" in the back of this edition for helping along
with that. If you're the type of person that wants to know more about the
game, from a statistical standpoint, then you need this book. HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED
What's
the Score: A One-Of-A-Kind Compendium of Hockey Lore, Legend, History, Facts,
Stats by Liam Maguire. I know Liam as the man who tore through
Goaltender Trivia from 1995 through 1997
and, the more I got to know him, I wasn't really surprised, because this man
knows everything about hockey trivia. His first book was incredible, but
this one takes it to a new level. The first book I've sat down and read,
cover-to-cover, in a long time. A must-have! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED