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11th out of 98 books
—
27 voters
The Game
by
Ken Dryden
Widely acknowledged as the best hockey book ever written and lauded by "Sports Illustrated" as one of the Top 10 Sports Books of All Time, "The Game" is a reflective and thought-provoking look at a life in hockey. Intelligent and insightful, former Montreal Canadiens goalie and former President of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ken Dryden captures the essence of the sport and wh...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
February 4th 2005
by John Wiley & Sons
(first published October 1st 1983)
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Published in '83, this book assumes that I will have been part of the 70s, part of the 2 channel television world, part of the hockey world. That is a fine assumption at the time. However, as I picked this up as a book that nearly won Canada Reads, that's not good enough. That assumption lay thickly between me and the words of the book. So many passages are just words - names, descriptions, references I don't get.
I wanted to like this book. I wanted to learn to like hockey better. I liked Ken D...more
I wanted to like this book. I wanted to learn to like hockey better. I liked Ken D...more
Ken Dryden's
The Game
has been hailed as the best hockey book ever written and included in Sports Illustrated's list of the top 100 best sports books of all time. While an interesting and insightful look at NHL hockey, its age may now hamper those accolades.[return][return]For those unfamiliar with him, Dryden played goalie for the Montreal Canadiens, a true hockey dynasty. During Dryden's eight seasons with the Canadiens in the 1970s, the team won the Stanley Cup six times. Dryden does not fit...more
Touted as the greatest hockey book ever written I jumped eagerly into its pages. Dryden is smart, and delivers many quiet insights on players, positions, and the nature of not just hockey, but what it means to play any sport. With that going for it, I was bored for most of the novel. Dryden's cerebral nature is manifest throughout and his contemplative style stifles much of the excitement one would get from reading a sport's novel. By the end, I was left wondering did Dryden's novel receive such...more
One of the best sports books I've ever read. I'm not just saying that because I've always been a huge hockey fan. Dryden has an excellent writing style. Yep, a sports book written without a ghost writer! Just check out this quote about fighting in Hockey: "The NHL theory on violence goes something like this: Hockey is by its nature a violent game. Played in an area confined by boards and unbreakable glass, by players carrying sticks travelling at speeds approaching thirty miles per hour, collisi...more
The Game, by Ken Dryden, is acknowledged as the best hockey book ever written, and as one of the best sports books of all time. More than just a hockey book, it has become a classic, a provocative look at a life in hockey and at the game itself.
Ken Dryden, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, is recognized as one of the greatest goalies ever to play the game. Beyond that, he is one of hockey’s most intelligent commentators. In The Game, Dryden captures the es...more
Ken Dryden, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, is recognized as one of the greatest goalies ever to play the game. Beyond that, he is one of hockey’s most intelligent commentators. In The Game, Dryden captures the es...more
Liked this book more than I expected I would. It had 2.5 strikes against it in advance:
1. It's about hockey, and I am a huge sports fan in general but not particularly into hockey.
2. The author went to Cornell. Nothing against Cornell in particular, but I'm always suspicious when sports writing by Ivy League graduates is praised to high heaven -- raises the risk of George Will/Phil Jackson--style "the game is actually a metaphor for life/politics/community......." essays that get old fast.
2.5 No...more
1. It's about hockey, and I am a huge sports fan in general but not particularly into hockey.
2. The author went to Cornell. Nothing against Cornell in particular, but I'm always suspicious when sports writing by Ivy League graduates is praised to high heaven -- raises the risk of George Will/Phil Jackson--style "the game is actually a metaphor for life/politics/community......." essays that get old fast.
2.5 No...more
1 like · like · see review
I finally read this book by Ken Dryden, a former goalie for the Montreal Canadiens and really liked it. Dryden may be the smartest former athlete I've ever read a book of. Also a lawyer now and a Hall-of-Famer for hockey, Dryden chronicles a week during the 1978-1979 seasson, a season in which Montreal would eventually win its fourth straight Stanley Cup (don't worry, not giving anything away, that part is not in the book). The week, which takes place around March of 1979 talks about playing in...more
The Game is a novel written by a former NHL goalie. This novel takes place in the last season of Ken Dryden's hall of fame career. The whole novel centers around him reflecting on his career and the people that are around him. This is a great perspective, and one that not many people get to see. I enjoyed this because, it gave us a look inside the author's thoughts. It allowed me to gain a more personal relationship with the author, just through reading his work.
Throughout this novel, Ken Dryden...more
Throughout this novel, Ken Dryden...more
The comment on the cover of this book calls it "The best hockey book ever written". I expect it is probably right, although I have not read many other hockey books and may not qualify as a hockey fan to some minds.
To me, Dryden's memoir was about far more than hockey. With playing goal for the Habs as his backdrop, Dryden shares a snapshot of Canadian history and contemplates the identity issues faced by a pro-hockey player in a country where hockey was once described by Douglas Coupland as bein...more
To me, Dryden's memoir was about far more than hockey. With playing goal for the Habs as his backdrop, Dryden shares a snapshot of Canadian history and contemplates the identity issues faced by a pro-hockey player in a country where hockey was once described by Douglas Coupland as bein...more
Excellent book,
It has kind of a slow start as Dryden's is speaking from the perspective of an NHL player, and his idiom isn't particularly easy to access, but it has a very strong middle and conclusion.
I wasn't so sure about his analysis of Canadian/Soviet style hockey vs English/Hungarian soccer, although he draws some interesting parallels I think he may be overstating his case. I don't think that Canadian hockey is dying (as he pessimistically states), but is vibrant and competitive on the i...more
It has kind of a slow start as Dryden's is speaking from the perspective of an NHL player, and his idiom isn't particularly easy to access, but it has a very strong middle and conclusion.
I wasn't so sure about his analysis of Canadian/Soviet style hockey vs English/Hungarian soccer, although he draws some interesting parallels I think he may be overstating his case. I don't think that Canadian hockey is dying (as he pessimistically states), but is vibrant and competitive on the i...more
You want to get more than a general feel for hockey? Want to dig into every aspect with a microscope, but, in an easy to read way? This is the book.
Dryden takes what you might think is just a hockey story to a completely new level. To the level of literature, in my opinion.
The writing is amazing...it really is.
Dryden writes from his point of view, the strange view of a goalie. The player who is on the ice the entire game, but, only directly involved in the play for a few minutes. His view is of...more
Dryden takes what you might think is just a hockey story to a completely new level. To the level of literature, in my opinion.
The writing is amazing...it really is.
Dryden writes from his point of view, the strange view of a goalie. The player who is on the ice the entire game, but, only directly involved in the play for a few minutes. His view is of...more
I've read this book three times over the years, and although it is often said by many, it truly is one of the best if not THE best hockey book ever written. What makes this book special is the absence of a ghost writer. Dryden wrote this himself. I enjoyed the layout of the book, with a personal diary of the 1978-79 season interrupted by Dryden's thoughts on certain players or situations. Having followed this team religiously as a teen, it was very interesting to get Dryden's behind the scenes p...more
I never would have read this if it hadn't been a Canada Reads 2012 selection. I am not a sports fan. I occasionally watch the NHL playoffs when there are Canadian teams in the running, but that's about it. I've never played hockey.
Of the five Canada Reads finalists, this is the one I had the least interest in. I decided to download the free Kindle sample, but didn't plan to buy it.
I was pleasantly surprised. It was quite readable, even for a non-sports fan. So, despite my original expectations,...more
Of the five Canada Reads finalists, this is the one I had the least interest in. I decided to download the free Kindle sample, but didn't plan to buy it.
I was pleasantly surprised. It was quite readable, even for a non-sports fan. So, despite my original expectations,...more
Looking forward to this book. Habs are my team - for ever and always. I lived in Mtl during the years of this book as well ... his team was "my" team.
Also - this is one of the five finalists for CBCs 2012 Canada Reads series.
Wheeee!!!!
FINAL REVIEW:
Outstanding book. It has been voted one of the top one hundred sports books of all times. One understands why. Dryden trained as a lawyer and is a remarkable writer. He is the super rare combination of a member of one of the outstanding teams of all t...more
Also - this is one of the five finalists for CBCs 2012 Canada Reads series.
Wheeee!!!!
FINAL REVIEW:
Outstanding book. It has been voted one of the top one hundred sports books of all times. One understands why. Dryden trained as a lawyer and is a remarkable writer. He is the super rare combination of a member of one of the outstanding teams of all t...more
Apr 23, 2010
Derek
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone interested in hockey or learning more about what "the game" is really about
Recommended to Derek by:
Barnes & Noble (and my dad)
I wish I could give this book 4.5 stars. It is an excellent, thoughtful, and provocative book about hockey and the sporting life writ large. It becomes something more than just a 'sports book'; quickly you realize this is more a treatise or philosophy on life through the eyes of a goalie mask. Dryden explores his innermost thoughts and feelings on the game, along with his fellow Canadiens' players and provides insight into things far beyond the general reckoning of hockey or sport. The only thin...more
The Game by Ken Dryden is an excellent sports book. He is a good orator, and although his writing style is at times simplistic, is highly intelligent for an athlete. His insights into the psyche, components, and the essence of team make the first 2/3 of the book excellent, easy reading. The way that Dryden recount the history of the game, how it came to be the way it is, and how shared heritage defines the way the modern games are played (and a great parallel drawn between Canadian hockey and En...more
The Game is easily my favorite sports book of all time. Dryden isn't your typical jock, he's probably the Canadian equivalent of Bill Bradley as he served in the Canadian Parliament following his exceptional career in athletics. In The Game he provides an inside view of the legendary Montreal Canadian dynasty during its 1979 season. One of the central figures is the Habs' mercurial head coach Scotty Bowman, who is the Phil Jackson of NHL coaches. Dryden writes excellent biographical vignettes on...more
"A time capsule buried at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1931 and revealed on Thursday (January 26, 2012) contains an NHL rule book, a municipal code, financial information on the team and a tiny carved ivory elephant of mysterious origin."(1)
Hockey in all its forms, in all its lore, never fails to captivate many Canadians. But do we listen carefully to those voices from the distant (1931 NHL rule book ...) and more recent past?
The Game by Ken Dryden, first published in 1983, offers enduring contribution...more
Hockey in all its forms, in all its lore, never fails to captivate many Canadians. But do we listen carefully to those voices from the distant (1931 NHL rule book ...) and more recent past?
The Game by Ken Dryden, first published in 1983, offers enduring contribution...more
This book has been in my bedside pile for a long time, so when it was #2 on Canada Reads,I thought it was time. I would never voluntarily read a hockey book, but, having watched Dryden play and following his career a bit, it figured my daughter's recommendation could be acted on. I couldn't follow all the hockey technicalities, but it is not just about that. It's about people and philosophy and money and skill and family and growing up and about Montreal and Toronto. Strangely enough, although i...more
I don't read a lot of sports books, because I have this idea in my head (one I admit is probably incorrect) that they're mostly bullshit, just pieces of the publicity machine. But now that I am into hockey, I do the thing I always do, and start reading books about whatever my new thing is; I'd heard that this is one of the best ones. I can totally see why. I'm not really sure what to say about this book, except that's it about the past, present, and future of hockey; and Dryden is an interesting...more
Written just after this hall-of-fame goalie retired at 30 years old, future Canadian MP Ken Dryden describes the psychology of hockey in the 1970s. His observations are alarmingly personal and astute, and he is unafraid to wax socio-political about the young men he shares the entire expectations of a city and its an ethnic minority with - an ethnicity he doesn't belong to. His personality sketches are endearing and his views on the institution of the NHL unflinching. Not just a sports book - a r...more
Good book. I do think I expected a little bit too much from Ken Dryden and the book itself when I picked it up, but that didn't affect my reading experience all that much. Frankly, I was disappointed with how Dryden slowly lost interest in playing the game (being a hockey player, I cannot even begin to comprehend losing the love for my game), and became more interested in his law studies. In the end though, if you love hockey, if you're a Habs/Ken Dryden fan, or just want a good sports read, The...more
I'm more upset at myself for finding this book this late in my life...This an absolute gem of a read.
The fact that he pulled the book together from notes on napkins, paper clippings, and tear sheets is even more amazing. I'm hard-pressed to find a sports book that captures the true essence of being part of a team while encountering the ups and down of an athlete's career.
An athlete's career is intertwined with his teammates, fans, celebrity, salary, and the constant state of change within the...more
The fact that he pulled the book together from notes on napkins, paper clippings, and tear sheets is even more amazing. I'm hard-pressed to find a sports book that captures the true essence of being part of a team while encountering the ups and down of an athlete's career.
An athlete's career is intertwined with his teammates, fans, celebrity, salary, and the constant state of change within the...more
2 stars, 3 stars, 2 stars, 3 stars...
The publisher gets 1 star! The editor gets no stars! But that's OK, because there is no editor, which is why the publisher gets only one star.
One section had many, many e's printed as c's. There were scats on the bus. The case of a task was discussed. (Another section had a similar substitution, but I can't recall what it was.) Long dashes and hyphens were used interchangeably through the book, which is far, far more confusing than it sounds. Dryden has what...more
The publisher gets 1 star! The editor gets no stars! But that's OK, because there is no editor, which is why the publisher gets only one star.
One section had many, many e's printed as c's. There were scats on the bus. The case of a task was discussed. (Another section had a similar substitution, but I can't recall what it was.) Long dashes and hyphens were used interchangeably through the book, which is far, far more confusing than it sounds. Dryden has what...more
This book is quite good. Why 3 stars? Well, let it be said here - minus one star for being a Montreal Canadien. Hah hah, just kidding. I don't know, it just felt like I had to feel bad for him or something. Here's a professional goaltender - and a damn good one - who is also smart enough to be an Ivy League lawyer and parts of this book are about his melancholy around being a champion professional athlete. Still, a very good read and well worth your time if you're a hockey fan.
This is the best sports book I have ever read. More than a typical jock-tells-anecdotes-for-cash collection, Dryden's memoir is as unusual a sports bio as Dryden was a professional athlete. Dryden is introspective and philosophical, asking questions about himself and the sport that few others would consider, let alone put to page. This is a must-read for every hockey fan, and a great example of how great sports writing can be great writing, full-stop.
Given all the hype that surrounds this book I found myself disappointed. Sure it is fascinating to read his fly-on-the-wall accounts of locker room goings-on but even in moments of levity I am enjoying them more than Dryden does. I don't think I have ever seen a man sadder to be a professional athelete. Most of the book is maudlin and depressing. Dryden thrives on competition but rarely seems to enjoy winning and is only clinically affected by losing. He is a smarty-pants, and he knows it. Clear...more
I really loved this book. Read it as part of the CBC Canada Reads contest. I was surprised how much I liked it, despite being all about hockey! I'm a hockey fan, but not to the extent of most people, i enjoy it, but dont know too much, but enough. WOW did I learn a lot in this book. You learn so much about the game as an identity of Canada, and gave me a deeper respect for the French Canadian roots of hockey. Ken Dryden is a fabulous writer; I would suggest reading this- it is excellent! (but i...more
I absolutely agree with all of the reviews on this book. This is the best hockey book ever written, plain and simple. I got so into it. After reading his book, it made me look at Dryden in a completely different way. He’s a winner, a true aficionado of sports and politics. I really hope he becomes the Liberal leader in the future.
I’m somewhat disheartened, mostly because I know that the next hockey book I pick up will not match the brilliance that is found in this book
I’m somewhat disheartened, mostly because I know that the next hockey book I pick up will not match the brilliance that is found in this book
I cannot express how much I enjoyed this book! I read this for a school event and was asked to champion it for a university wide competition, but this book became more than a part of a competition for me, it left me with profound life lessons I will not forget, as well as knowledge about the game I love in my home country! Dryden's book is beautifully written and will stick with me for a long time.
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