Author: Greg Franke
Publisher: Page Publishing Inc
Year: 2018
406 pages
As a hockey fanatic, I was very excited to stumble across this book. While I wasn't yet born when the '72 Summit Series occurred, I am well versed in the games and the end result, including having watched subsequent years of Canada-Russia hockey games and the emotions during those battles.
So to discover a book that brings to light the meaning and reasons behind one of the greatest sports-rivalries in history? There was no way I wasn't going to pick this book up!
The Canada-Soviet rivalry didn't begin until after WWII but Franke's book begins with a backstory of hockey in Canada, dating back to the 1920s.
One thing I was amazed to learn was how Olympic hockey teams were decided in the beginning, that is was the winner of a national senior men's hockey league that represented Canada at the Olympics. Very different from the system now.
What was interesting to me, as a born-and-raised Winnipeger, was how successful Winnipeg hockey teams were at the beginning of the 20th century.
Franke's book is full of interesting facts and direct quotes and accounts from players, coaches, and media personnel. There is a lot of background as to why the conflict between Canada and the Soviet Union began and why it became so important to everyone involved, including the fans.
What I found to be missing was the passion behind the events. Where I was expecting to read stories, the book ended up reading like a history book. While there is nothing wrong with that as a style, it was not what I was expecting which made it hard for me to make it through to the end.
Overall, though, it was interesting to read the story behind one of the "greatest sports dramas of all time", learn about the start of hockey in the Soviet Union, and to hear from the players that were involved.
I will recommend this book, especially to hockey lovers, under the caveat that I was left wanting more in the end.
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