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Rocky Hockey: The Short but Wild Ride of the NHL's Colorado Rockies
Long before the Avalanche started winning Stanley Cups, Colorado was home to a short-lived and decidedly less-successful National Hockey League the Colorado Rockies. Operating from 1976 to 1982, the club established itself as a hard-working outfit on the ice that was constantly hobbled by a series of impatient owners and a host of controversial – and often crazy – front-office maneuvers. The result was a team that didn’t win many games but did win the hearts of a small and loyal fan base. In the process, they laid a foundation for the Mile High City’s future hockey success.
Rocky The Short but Wild Ride of the NHL’s Colorado Rockies tells the complete story of this pioneering franchise for the first time. It's a history that included four different ownerships, seven head coaching changes, one inspiring and memorable playoff appearance, and a mountain of rollicking stories from an era when helmets were optional, bench-clearing brawls were common, and player salaries were measured in thousands, not millions.
Though the Rockies’ stay in the NHL wasn’t long, it featured a bounty of wild incidents and larger-than-life characters, including a berserk goalie who trashed a locker room after being pulled; an incompetent goal judge who was fired by a referee in the middle of a game; a maniacal cheerleader named Krazy George; and the near sale of the team to a con man who ended up behind bars.
Meticulously researched and packed with recollections from Rockies players and front-office figures based on original interviews with the author, the book puts a long-overdue spotlight on this unique brand of the game that affectionately came to be known as “Rocky Hockey.”
Rocky The Short but Wild Ride of the NHL’s Colorado Rockies tells the complete story of this pioneering franchise for the first time. It's a history that included four different ownerships, seven head coaching changes, one inspiring and memorable playoff appearance, and a mountain of rollicking stories from an era when helmets were optional, bench-clearing brawls were common, and player salaries were measured in thousands, not millions.
Though the Rockies’ stay in the NHL wasn’t long, it featured a bounty of wild incidents and larger-than-life characters, including a berserk goalie who trashed a locker room after being pulled; an incompetent goal judge who was fired by a referee in the middle of a game; a maniacal cheerleader named Krazy George; and the near sale of the team to a con man who ended up behind bars.
Meticulously researched and packed with recollections from Rockies players and front-office figures based on original interviews with the author, the book puts a long-overdue spotlight on this unique brand of the game that affectionately came to be known as “Rocky Hockey.”
313 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 19, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 19, 2023
When a sports fan thinks of a team called the Colorado Rockies, baseball is usually the sport associated with that team name. But between 1976 and 1982, there was a hockey team with the same name in the NHL. Those years in which the franchise played its home games in Denver are recalled in this book by Greg Enright.
The team was trying to make a fresh start in a new city during that fall in 1976 after two disastrous seasons as the Kansas City Scouts. With a better arena already built and a city that had never had a hockey team at the highest level, it was believed that the franchise would improve in both its won-loss record and its financial situation.
However, as Enright describes well, that was not the case. The Rockies remained at or near the bottom of the NHL standings as well as in attendance. The team had a revolving door in both ownership (4 different owners) and the head coaching job (6 different coaches in 6 seasons). As for players, while there were a few bonafide stars on the team such as Wilf Paiement, Barry Beck, Lanny MacDonald and Rob Ramage, the team was mostly made up of young players or cast offs from other teams. That was the state of the team in Kansas City and also in Denver.
The book is written in chronological order by season and well organized. The writing is mostly like long recaps of each season, both on the ice and in the front office. However, that doesn’t mean it’s dry or boring because Enright includes many entertaining quotes and stories from players, coaches and front office personnel. This is the case right up to the fateful day in 1982 when the NHL voted unanimously to allow the franchise to relocate to the New Jersey Meadowlands (with some extra cash to the Islanders, Rangers and Flyers to soften the blow of having another team in their market).
If a reader enjoyed hockey during that era, they will enjoy reliving the mostly down years of this team that happily found success in its new home. One doesn’t have to have been a Rockies (or New Jersey Devils) fan to like this book.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
The team was trying to make a fresh start in a new city during that fall in 1976 after two disastrous seasons as the Kansas City Scouts. With a better arena already built and a city that had never had a hockey team at the highest level, it was believed that the franchise would improve in both its won-loss record and its financial situation.
However, as Enright describes well, that was not the case. The Rockies remained at or near the bottom of the NHL standings as well as in attendance. The team had a revolving door in both ownership (4 different owners) and the head coaching job (6 different coaches in 6 seasons). As for players, while there were a few bonafide stars on the team such as Wilf Paiement, Barry Beck, Lanny MacDonald and Rob Ramage, the team was mostly made up of young players or cast offs from other teams. That was the state of the team in Kansas City and also in Denver.
The book is written in chronological order by season and well organized. The writing is mostly like long recaps of each season, both on the ice and in the front office. However, that doesn’t mean it’s dry or boring because Enright includes many entertaining quotes and stories from players, coaches and front office personnel. This is the case right up to the fateful day in 1982 when the NHL voted unanimously to allow the franchise to relocate to the New Jersey Meadowlands (with some extra cash to the Islanders, Rangers and Flyers to soften the blow of having another team in their market).
If a reader enjoyed hockey during that era, they will enjoy reliving the mostly down years of this team that happily found success in its new home. One doesn’t have to have been a Rockies (or New Jersey Devils) fan to like this book.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
November 26, 2023
Decent book about the short but crazy life of the Colorado Rockies. If you are a hockey fan I recommend this book. It is a short, quick but entertaining read.
August 1, 2024
I really enjoyed the trip down memory lane of 'Rocky Hockey'.
December 21, 2024
And insanely cool history of a train wreck of an organization
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews