Title/Author:
“Tales of
a First-Round Nothing: My Life as an NHL Footnote” by Terry Ryan
Tags:
Ice
hockey, autobiography, professional, Canadiens
Publish date (anticipated):
May 13,
2014
Length:
252 pages
Rating:
3 of 5
stars (good)
Review:
Terry Ryan
was supposed to take the National Hockey League by storm. He was the eighth overall pick in the 1995
NHL Entry Draft and even better, he was selected by his favorite team, the
Montreal Canadiens. His career with the
team may not have been what he hoped it would be on the ice, but he took with
it great memories. That is evident as
he shares many entertaining stories in this memoir.
The book
covers every aspect of Ryan’s playing days, from his time in youth hockey to
the junior leagues to his many stops in professional hockey. In each one, he has plenty to say about his
teammates, coaches, and life in general.
While
reading this book, it should be noted that Ryan does not follow a strict
timeline. He will at times skip back to
a funny incident prior to the chapter in his career that he talks about. He never comes across as angry or bitter. A good example would be his memory of certain
coaches or teammates with whom he did not get along. While there could have been some trouble
with those people then, he writes about them and his interactions with them
with respect. Given that many of these
interactions occurred as a young age, this is something that is very commendable.
Speaking
of youth, many of these stories would be the type you would expect from young
men who are learning the ways of the world.
Yes, there are plenty of stories about drinking, picking up women and
partying. But there are also some
serious thoughts as well, and this shows how much this time of his life means
to him now.
This is
not to say there are no hockey passages in the book. They are plentiful as well, and some of them
are downright funny. I chuckled at the
story of during Ryan’s first encounter with Tie Domi, the well-known fighter
for the Toronto Maple Leafs. As a
rookie trying to impress his coaches and also to fulfill a promise made to some
hometown buddies, he ASKED Domi to fight him during an exhibition game. Ryan wasn’t disappointed as Domi did so on
the very first shift of the game.
All of
these stories are woven together to make for an entertaining read. By the end of the book, I was glad to see it
come to a conclusion as they were starting to all be jumbled together in my
mind and some felt like they were similar to others with different
characters. Despite this, I do believe
that a hockey fan who enjoys stories about the players’ antics off the ice will
especially like this book.
I wish to
thank NetGalley for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest
review.
Did I skim?
No.
Pace of the book:
Good. It moved along well and was a fairly quick
read. For me, it started to drag near
the end, but overall it was a good read.
Do I recommend?
Yes,
if the reader is looking for a book with personal stories and recollections. This
book has plenty of entertaining stories. If you are looking for a book that is
more about hockey or the career of a player, this may not be the one you want
to read.
Book Format Read:
EBook
(Kindle)
Buying Links:
None at
the time of this review.
No comments:
Post a Comment