Breakaway: From Behind the Iron Curtain to the NHL—The Untold Story of Hockey's Great Escapes

by Tal Pinchevsky

From behind the Iron Curtain onto hockey's biggest stageThe incredible true story of the trailblazing men who risked everything to pass through the Iron Curtain and become NHL superstars, "Breakaway" is a thrilling look at the untold stories that changed hockey forever. From midnight meetings in secluded forests, to evading capture by military and police forces, this is the story of the brave players whose passion of the game trumped all.

Featuring exclusive interviews with the legends of the ice who put everything on the line just for the chance to play on the world's greatest stage, many of them speaking about their experiences for the very first time, the book looks at how Peter Stastny, Igor Larionov, Petr Klima, Petr Nedved, Sergei Fedorov, Slava Fetisov, Alexander Mogilny, and other hockey superstars captured the imaginations of fans around the world.The remarkable true story of some of the true pioneers of hockey, told for the very first time, often in the players' own wordsA fascinating look behind the Iron Curtain and the trials these brave men endured for a taste of freedom, through their love of the gameLooks at how some of the NHL's greatest players made it onto North American ice

As much a tale of espionage and social history as a gripping hockey chronicle, "Breakaway" sheds light on the untold stories of some of the sports' most inspiring heroes.

Genres: Hockey, Sports, Nonfiction, History, Politics

288 pages, Hardcover

First published June 12, 2012

Reviews

[Dave Cottenie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In “Breakaway” Tal Pinchevsky takes the reader through the dangerous world of the defecting hockey player from Czechoslovakia and the USSR. Almost unbelievable at times, it almost reads like a spy thriller with clandestine meetings and smuggling people. Having grown up with these players as part of the NHL, I had no idea what they had to go through to get to North America. Great read.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wavered a little between 3 and 4 stars, because the writing and copy editing left something to be desired, but the stories were interesting. The struggle of the Soviet players to make it to the NHL is thoroughly covered elsewhere (check out the film “Red Army” if you haven’t yet), but much less has been written about the players from Czechoslovakia, so that’s welcome. I became a hockey fan in that era, and Peter Stastny and Petr Klima were two of my favorite players, so I enjoyed reading more about their defections. (I’d like to get my hands on the French language biography of the Stastnys, but so far it’s only available for a king’s ransom on Amazon)

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fascinating little corner of hockey and NHL history. A couple of these stories might make a good film. It does feel more like a series of articles rather than a complete book, though. Still, I learned quite a bit, and I enjoyed coloring in some more of my knowledge of the history of hockey in North America.

[Mylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it doesn't cover each and every hockey defection from the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia, there are some really great hockey and life stories here that make it worth a read. Definitely a different time, can't even imagine what it was like for a player to choose to flee their country for the West.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super compelling! A little too into capitalism and the ideology of "freedom" for my taste but the narrative flows really well and all the players' stories feel honestly rendered along with being just FUCKING WILD.

[Martyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some fascinating stories but it grew repetitive and could have done with offering alternative perspectives (e.g. from players’ partners), and perhaps a little something on what it meant for ordinary Soviet citizens to try and defect.

[Brent Vogel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book, the Czech defection stories were new to me, while the Russian defection stories have been told many times. Suspenseful!

[Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great look into the difficulties that Czech and Russian players had to deal with to play in the nhl.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insightful but could be better

Many interesting insights and tidbits and history but could be confusing at times and better written - felt repetitive at times

[Teebz Hbic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for Breakaway can be found on Hockey Blog In Canada.

[Brenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that needed to be written. And I hope it's translated into every language that covers Europe, but especially the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Russia. It's been twenty years now since the fall of the Soviets, and with time, memory fades. Books like Breakaway keep the Western Memory refreshed. I'm sure Eastern Europe doesn't forget, but for the new generation just now finding the sport of hockey will need this resource to understand exactly how free they are now.

I did have disappointments with the book in spots. Omissions were committed, some minor, some major. I would have liked Pavel Bure's story added, to give comparison to those who had the harder exodus. His trip to Disney Land was his path to the NHL, and it was allowed because of the successes of those who went before him. One major omission was recognizing that four Russians were on the NY Rangers team to win the Stanley Cup in 1994, not just two. He names Alexei Kovalev and Sergei Nemchinov, but Sergei Zubov is only mentioned in other parts of the book, and Alexander Karpostev was not named at all.

Pinchevsky had a wealth of personal interviews to use for the book, which makes up for most of the omissions. The full chapter on Petr Nedved was a pleasant surprise, since Nedved usually is ignored by the hockey establishment, and Pinchevsky goes into the contract disputes that caused the bad feelings. I highly recommend the book to any hockey lover, and any student of Soviet history.

[Gali · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some parts of this book that deserve a perfect five star rating and some others that are lacking a bit. So, I suppose it's more of a 3.5 star book than 4 but we do have to round up around here.

One can certainly only applaud the author for all the care he took in writing out the statistics of each player and describing their evolution and adaptation (or lack thereof) to the world of the NHL. Sometimes though I did not quite understand the logic in the order of the presentation of the players. For example in the chapter about the Russian players, I would have thought that Mogilny's defection should have come before the story of the Green Five, given that his coming to the NHL preceded theirs (and, in my opinion, was quite more impressive).

The one point I do wish the author had spent more time on, although it would have probably taken a lot of research and possibly deep knowledge in social aspects of the USSR era, is the fate of those left behind the Iron Curtain. There are a few times where he mentions that the homes of the families were visited by officials and someone had lost their job following the defection of one of the players, but all that is really only mentioned in passing. All those social stories would be fascinating to read about! But perhaps they should be saved for another book that's less about hockey and more about the social impact of the players' decisions to leave their native countries during the Soviet era.

[Brent Venton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched with a clear love for the subject matter Breakaway documents the Iron Curtain-busting exploits of the first waves of Eastern European hockey players to land in the NHL. From the first notable defectee, Vaclac Nedomansky, in the 70s down to the last in Canucks' biggest mistake Petr Nedved,Pinchevsky does an excellent job tracking down most of the key figures in what became a mini-industry of player smuggling. The book is more of an international spy thriller than a hockey story - detailing secret meetings in secluded woods, hikes across barbed borders and dodging KGB agents in glitzy hotels. All very exciting stuff for the reader as well the rumpled hockey executives turned secret agents who participated. The only thing holding this book back is Pinchevsky's somewhat limited prose whereas a writer like Red Fisher perhaps would have given the stories more of the romance and nostalgia that they are lacking. A must read for any NHL fan old enough to remember the Stastny brothers, Petr Klima's helmet, and the arrival of the famed Russian Five.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating system is as follows: 1 star = couldn't even finish it; 2 stars = read it, but couldn't wait for it to be over; 3 stars = enjoyed it; 4 stars = so good, I'm telling everyone to read it; 5 stars = mind blown, my life will never be the same. So far, only one book has ever earned all 5 stars; Watership Down. So for me to give Breakaway 4 stars means you should listen up!

This book is not only interesting if you're a hockey fan, but also if you like history. Double bonus if you enjoy hockey history! As a hockey fan who loves to read about the sport, I knew a little about players defecting, but had never read in depth about how the whole thing went down. These stories are intense! The risk, the danger, the aftermath... I enjoyed every chapter. Hockey fans shouldn't miss this one.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This looks at the several cases of players from the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia who defected to the NHL throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Looking at them on a case-by-case basis and often based on interviews with the players themselves, or the people who helped, he gets into the minute details of how each player made the choice to defect, and how they organised it and ultimately arrived. He also considers the wider scope of the issue by noting the political climate of both countries, and how it influenced each players. It is a really interesting book, and the inclusion of the various Czechoslovaks who defected really adds to it, as they are often downplayed or outright forgotten, or even ignored in favour just of the emergence of the Russians in the NHL.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on hockey I've read so far, right up there with the Game by Ken Dryden. Gives a very deep insight into the former Eastern Block players who risked everything to play in the NHL. From the first Czech dissidents Nedomansky and the Stastny brothers, right through the greatest Soviet players: Fetisov, Larionov, Fedorov. I really enjoyed their stories, especially of those players that I had the privilege to see such as the famous Red Army line of the Detroit Red Wings. It also gives a very good historical/social background to better understand their circumstances and decisions.

[Tomas Tomka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read book for all hockey fanatics.

[Benn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful, and a good read. Found it very interesting.