In time for Christmas . . . The Book Shelf: Part 3 of 4

The Book Shelf: Part 3 of 4

Just in time for Christmas, here’s a brief look at some of the books I have read over the last while:

One Summer: America, 1927 -- My goodness, but this is an entertaining book. Author Bill Bryson puts a microscope on the United States in 1927, a year that featured, among other personalities, Charles Lindbergh, Babe Ruth, Henry Ford, Calvin Coolidge, Al Capone and on and on. Bryson is able to transport the reader back to that year -- there’s a flag-pole sitter and an executioner and prohibition -- and you get a real sense for the excitement that was all over America like an invasion of locusts. This is one of the best books I have read in recent years. (Kindle)

Orr: My Story -- Former NHL defenceman Bobby Orr, now a player agent, tells his story. It’s really straight forward, with no surprises and no dirt of any kind. He does take some shots at his former agent, Alan Eagleson, but other than that it’s a real soft-shoe. Perhaps the most interesting part is near the end where Orr spends time discussing what he calls “the state of the game.” (Viking, hard cover, 290 pages, Cdn$32.00)

The Power of One -- An extraordinary story of the troubles of a nation (South Africa) that is wrapped around the maturing of a youngster known simply as Peekay. His dream is to become the welterweight boxing champion of the world, but the path is anything but straight and narrow. Author Bryce Courtenay weaves a wonderful story through terrific characters in a novel that is based during the Second World War. This one was recommended to me by Detroit Red Wings assistant coach Jim Hiller, who is an avid reader. (Kindle)

Runnin’ Rebel: Shark Tales of ‘Extra Benefits,’ Frank Sinatra, and Winning It All -- This book, written with Dan Wetzel, a prolific author who is a columnist for Yahoo Sports, is Jerry Tarkanian at his story-telling best. Tarkanian (aka Tark the Shark), who came to fame as the head coach of college basketball’s UNLV Runnin’ Rebels, tells all kinds of tales, most of them unkind to the NCAA. He takes the towel out of his mouth long enough to point fingers at almost everyone, too, including UCLA and the great John Wooden. It was released in January 2013. (Kindle)

Seasons in Hell: With Billy Martin, Whitey Herzog and "The Worst Baseball Team in History" - The 1973-1975 Texas Rangers -- Mike Shropshire was with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 1973 when he was assigned to cover the Texas Rangers. They then were managed by Whitey Herzog; later would come Billy Martin. They are only two of the characters in this book, which should come with a colourful language warning. Shropshire does a fine job of detailing for the reader the trials and tribulations of covering a major league team that wasn't very good. He also proves to have a strong liver, perhaps not quite as strong as Martin's, but up there just the same. (Kindle)

Showtime: One Team, One Season, One Step from the NHL -- The OHL's Peterborough Petes gave Ed Arnold, a former managing editor at the Peterborough Examiner, unfiltered access to all avenues of their operation during the 2012-13 season. This book is the result of what he witnessed. How did it go? Well, the general manager (Dave Reid) was fired early in the season. The head coach (Mike Pelino) didn't see Christmas. If you would like a good look at how a community-owned major junior hockey team operates, this book provides it. (Kindle)

Slim and None: My Wild Ride from the WHA to the NHL and all the way to Hollywood -- Howard Baldwin has seen a lot, and been through a lot, in hockey and the movie business, and this is his story, written with help from Steve Milton of the Hamilton Spectator. Baldwin was involved in the ownership of the Hartford Whalers, in the WHA and the NHL, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. That means he was in the meetings that led to the NHL adopting, at a price, four of the WHA's teams, including the Whalers. He has been involved in the making of a bunch of movies, including Ray, the story of Ray Charles. That means he's been in the good seats for the Academy Awards ceremony. So there are a lot of stories and, yes, he names names. But, in the end, this is a light read without a whole lot of depth, kind of like a bun without meat. It touches on this, that and the other thing, but moves on without really digging into any one subject. (Kindle)


A Soldier of the Great War -- Some writers have love affairs with the language; some don’t. Mark Helprin, the author of this wonderful book, first published in 1991, has an intimate relationship with words. This is the story of an aging gentleman who has been through the First World War in a way that is virtually beyond description. He tells his story and a colourful and compelling one it is, all told in such a beautiful way that the reader really doesn’t want it to end. (Kindle)

Sycamore Row -- Another thriller from the keyboard of John Grisham, this one brings back attorney Jake Brigance for the first time since A Time to Kill, a book that was published in 1989. Yes, Brigance ends up being pitted against lots of big-city lawyers. No, there aren’t any real surprises. But that doesn’t take away from this book’s readability. (Kindle)

Tigers, Ice going to Game 7

G Riku Helenius (Seattle, 2007-08) signed a two-year contract with Jokerit Helsinki (Finland, KHL). Helenius split this season between the AHL and ECHL. With the Syracuse Crunch (AHL), he was 3.43 and .875 in five games; with the Florida Everblades (ECHL), he was 6.08 and .797 in four games. . . . Helenius, a first-round selection (15th overall) by Tampa Bay in the 2006 NHL draft, had his NHL contract terminated by the Lightning in February. The NHLPA had filed a grievance over that release and the case seems headed to arbitration. Lindsay Kramer of syracuse.com has more right here.
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D Nick Holden of the Colorado Avalanche was in Vancouver recently, which gave Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province the opportunity to chat with him. And guess what? Holden says his junior team, the Chilliwack Bruins, would have survived just fine had the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat not arrived on the Lower Mainland hockey scene. . . . That piece is right here.
Interestingly, the city of Abbotsford has called a news conference for this morning at 10 a.m. PT, at which it is expected to address the future of the Heat. Again, there are rumours that the franchise is about to be sold and moved, this time to Glens Falls, N.Y.
Gord McIntyre of the Province reported last night that the Canucks aren’t interested in moving their AHL franchise, which is in its first season in Utica, N.Y., to Abbotsford at this time. That piece is right here.
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F Sean MacTavish, who once was drafted by the Kelowna Rockets, has committed to Boston University. MacTavish, the son of Edmonton Oilers GM Craig MacTavish, was taken in the ninth round of the 2009 WHL bantam draft. He played the last two seasons with the AJHL’s Sherwood Park Crusaders. . . . MacTavish will turn 20 on Nov. 21.
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The Vancouver Canucks inducted former general manager Pat Quinn into their Ring of Honour on Sunday. Ed Willes, a sports columnist with the Vancouver Province, wrote a column on Quinn that appeared in Sunday’s paper. Buried deep in that piece was a quote from Ron Toigo, the majority owner of the Vancouver Giants, that is rather interesting. It seems that Quinn, a minority owner with the Giants, isn’t all that enamoured with the Giants’ style of play of late.
Quinn’s teams, Willes writes, “have always been characterized by an uptempo pace and an emphasis on puck movement.
‘He doesn't really like the way we've played the last couple of years," Toigo says of the Giants' defensive style. ‘He likes the offensive game and defencemen who can move the puck. He says winning is important, but we still have an obligation to entertain.’ ”
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Justin Crann of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has been following the situation in that city involving the Warriors and their bringing back a 30-year-old logo as part of their 30th anniversary celebrations. Crann writes that the Warriors are too deep into this anniversary to turn back now, but adds that “it can be used as a positive learning opportunity.” . . . That piece is right here.
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Tom Gaglardi, the owner of the NHL’s Dallas Stars and majority owner of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, was back in a Kamloops courtroom on Monday. Gaglardi was on the stand as he faces two charges of harmful alteration of a fish habitat. . . . According to Tim Petruk of Kamloops This Week, Gaglardi spent part of his time in the courtroom apparently playing with line combinations as his Stars get ready to open the NHL playoffs this season. . . . Petruk’s story is right here.
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D Ryan Pulock of the Brandon Wheat Kings will finish his season with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders. Pulock was a first-round selection, 15th overall, by the Islanders in the 2013 NHL draft. . . . Pulock played his first game with the Sound Tigers on Monday night, going pointless in a 4-2 loss to the visiting Adirondack Phantoms.
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The 106th Allan Cup competition, for the championship of Canadian senior AAA hockey, is underway in Dundas, Ont. Steve Milton of the Hamilton Spectator takes a look at the field right here, explaining how each of the six teams qualified.
In Monday night’s opener, the Brantford, Ont., Blast edged the Kenora, Ont., Thistles, 5-4. F Sean McAslan (Calgary, 1996-2001) scored one of the Thistles’ goals.
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THE SECOND ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
(x - if necessary)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON (1) vs. BRANDON (7)
(Edmonton wins, 4-1)
Season series: Edmonton, 3-1-0; Brandon, 1-2-1.
Thursday: Brandon 0 at Edmonton 5 (5,899)
Saturday: Brandon 0 at Edmonton 3 (7,115)
Tuesday: Edmonton 5 at Brandon 2 (3,522)
Wednesday: Edmonton 2 at Brandon 5 (3,246)
Friday: Brandon 1 at Edmonton 5 (6,356)
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MEDICINE HAT (4) vs. KOOTENAY (6)
(Series tied, 3-3)
Season series: Medicine Hat, 3-3-0; Kootenay, 3-3-0.
Saturday: Kootenay 4 at Medicine Hat 2 (3,750)
Sunday: Kootenay 2 at Medicine Hat 5 (3,755)
Wednesday: Medicine Hat 1 at Kootenay 3 (2,461)
Thursday: Medicine Hat 4 at Kootenay 7 (2,578)
Saturday: Kootenay 2 at Medicine Hat 9 (3,624)
Monday: Medicine Hat 2 at Kootenay 1 (2,732)
Wednesday: Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
(NOTE: Kootenay plays home games in Cranbrook, B.C.)
INJURIES
Medicine Hat: F Gavin Broadhead, day-to-day; F Hunter Shinkaruk, indefinite.
Kootenay: F Tim Bozon, indefinite; F Ryan Chynoweth, indefinite; D Landon Cross, day-to-day; D Tanner Faith, 3-5 months.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
KELOWNA (1) vs. SEATTLE (4)
(Kelowna wins, 4-0)
Season series: Kelowna, 2-1-1; Seattle, 2-1-1.
Thursday: Seattle 2 at Kelowna 6 (4,581)
Saturday: Seattle 3 at Kelowna 6 (5,675)
Tuesday: Kelowna 5 at Seattle 4 (5,029)
Wednesday: Kelowna 5 at Seattle 2 (2,219)
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PORTLAND (2) vs. VICTORIA (3)
(Portland wins, 4-1)
Season series: Portland, 1-1-2; Victoria, 3-1-0.
Friday: Victoria 2 at Portland 8 (6,152)
Saturday: Victoria 3 at Portland 6 (10,947)
Monday: Portland 1 at Victoria 2 (6,505)
Tuesday: Portland 4 at Victoria 3 (6,745)
Thursday: Victoria 1 at Portland 5 (8,083)
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THE THIRD ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
(x - if necessary)
WESTERN CONFERENCE

KELOWNA (1) vs. PORTLAND (2)
Season series: Kelowna, 4-0-0; Portland, 0-4-0.
Friday: Portland at Kelowna, 7:30 p.m. (Sportsnet)
Saturday: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, April 22: Kelowna at Portland (Moda Center), 7 p.m.
Wednesday, April 23: Kelowna at Portland (Moda Center), 7 p.m.
x-Friday, April 25: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday, April 27: Kelowna at Portland, 5 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 29: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Kelowna: F Myles Bell, week-to-week.
Portland: None.
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EASTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON (1) vs. MEDICINE HAT (4)/KOOTENAY    (6)
Season series: Edmonton, 5-0-1; Medicine Hat, 1-5-0.
Season series: Edmonton, 4-2-0; Kootenay, 2-2-2.
Friday: Medicine Hat/Kootenay at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 20: Medicine Hat/Kootenay at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
Other dates TBA.
INJURIES
Edmonton: D Blake Orban, day-to-day.
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MONDAY’S GAME:
In Cranbrook, F Curtis Valk broke a 1-1 tie with 35.6 seconds left in the third period as the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Kootenay Ice, 2-1. . . . The second-round series is tied 3-3 with Game 7 scheduled for Medicine Hat on Wednesday night. . . . The winner of the series will open the Eastern Conference final in Edmonton against the Oil Kings on Friday night. . . . F Miles Koules gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead at 8:10 of the first period with his fourth goal of these playoffs. . . . The Ice tied it at 15:46 of the third period when F Jon Martin got his second goal off a rebound. . . . Valk, known as The Incredible Valk around the Tigers, won it with his 10th goal of the playoffs. It was his sixth goal of this series, all of them coming in the last five games. . . . It also was Valk’s 20th playoff goal in 43 games. He has scored 19 times in his last 28 post-season games. . . . Valk and F Jaedon Descheneau of the Ice lead the WHL, each with 10 goals. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski turned aside 28 shots, two more than Marek Langhamer of the Tigers.
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From Darren Steinke (@MHND_Steinke) of the Medicine Hat News: “(Monday) night will mark the 392nd post-season contest Bob Ridley calls as the play-by-play voice of the #MHTigers.”
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From F Anthony As (@AAST18) of the Medicine Hat Tigers: “Curtis Valk is my man crush Monday right now. Someone sign this guy to a NHL contract. That is all #CaptainClutch #TheIncredibleValk #Game7”
Ast was scratched from Monday’s game.


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