Book Log 2006 #15: The Game by Ken Dryden

The jacket bills this as the greatest book ever written on hockey, and Sports Illustrated has touted it as one of the greatest sports books. I'd agree on both accounts.

The hockey parts are very interesting, especially when it comes to Dryden's own ambivalence about being a professional hockey player. Given the near-mythic status professional athletes have today - even those who play hockey - it's surprising, and a bit refreshing, to get this point of view. It's also entertaining to read Dryden's reflections on his teammates and how Howard Ballard killed the Maple Leafs.

When Dryden talks about the influence of money on the game, and the failure by the NHL management to get a network TV contact, you'd think you were reading something written in the last year or two, not 20 years ago. Dryden also has a section on the ills of structured play time which, in a world where kids have busier schedules than some CEOs, means as much now as it did when it was written.

Highly recommended.