The Best of Down Goes Brown: Greatest Hits and Brand New Classics-to-Be from Hockey's Most Hilarious Blog

by Sean McIndoe, Sean McIndoe, Bob McKenzie

The greatest hits from the world's largest—and most hilarious—hockey humour blog Hundreds of thousands of hockey fans around the world are addicted to Down Goes Brown, and with good Sean McIndoe is the funniest writer in hockey. His often insightful, always entertaining posts have made the site one of the top hockey blogs in the world—and definitely the most amusing. From shrewd observations to tongue-in-cheek commentary, Down Goes Brown manages to capture the essence of hockey while exposing the frequently funny side of the sport. Now, in The Best of Down Goes Brown , McIndoe himself compiles some of the blog's best-loved posts, along with a host of all-new content, in one side-splitting volume. Packed with fan favourites, including The Hockey's Unwritten Rules Revealed, The official map of an NHL rink, A complete transcript of every NHL game ever broadcast, What an official NHL trade call really sounds like, An NHLer’s guide to never saying anything interesting, The other former NHL stars who interviewed for Colin Campbell’s job, and more, many of which have become so ubiquitous that readers who have never even heard of Down Goes Brown know them by heart, the book is the ultimate gift book for hockey fans everywhere. Sure to hit hockey fans right on the funny bone, The Best of Down Goes Brown is the ultimate anthology of the very funniest writing from the world's largest hockey humour blog.

Genres: Hockey, Sports, Nonfiction, Humor, Canada

288 pages, Paperback

First published August 14, 2012

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had to pick the time of the day/night to read this, as my uncontrollable laughter would wake The Husband up from a sound sleep. Sean McIndoe is incredibly hilarious! Any NHL fan would find much to laugh at in this book.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good collection of humorous hockey writing - unfortunately, it really doesn't stand the test of time (six years) that well.

[Shoshana · Rating 5 out of 5]

New material + old favorites = Stanley Cup!
Love DGB, love his blog, love this book.

[C.E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, but am only a casual hockey fan, so many of the references to actual players went way over my head. I got the broad jokes, though.

[catechism · Rating 3 out of 5]

DGB is always hilarious, and a few of these posts remain good, but "here's some funny stuff I wrote on the internet" doesn't age well as a book.

[Pushon Bhattacharya · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hilarious look at the NHL, strictly for hockey fans

[Benjamin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book contains facts about ice hockey players. I don't have a favorite part because it is very boring and self-contradictory. Kenny Reardon's nickname was "horse-face".

[amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really wish I hadn't chosen to read this book while visiting my family because I think the sound of me cackling every few minutes was a little creepy.

[Teebz Hbic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for The Best of Down Goes Brown can be found on Hockey Blog In Canada.

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, in terms of content, this book probably should've been a 3-star. Most of the articles are copied directly from the website with no further editing aside from a few fixed typos (though the new ones added for this book are quite good). The articles in the book have the same strengths (attention to detail, incredible memory for hilarious moments in hockey) and weaknesses (a bit too reliant on bait-and-switch jokes).

But in a sport where the current standard for reporting seems to encourage being as boring as possible, McIndoe's articles are a respite from all the bland reporting you'll find on other hockey media sites. Plus, the guy knows his hockey, and often has some pretty insightful observations about the status of the league and the hockey media as a whole.

If you like hockey but think maybe it would be more fun if there were lots of jokes about how awful Mike Milbury is, this is your book.

[Brent Venton · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times hysterical, the thing I like most about this compendium of Sean McIndoe's hockey humour blogs is that you really, REALLY need to be hockey fan to fully enjoy the numerous small jokes that prop up the main thrusts of the articles. Being also of a similar vintage as the author, many of the touchstones that clearly stand out in his hockey-fan consciousness are the same as mine and he reaps those events relentlessly and mercilessly. Only drawbacks are sometimes the jokes get a little too cutesy and since he is a Leafs fan we can launch the accusation of some east-coast bias here but overall almost every page merits a chuckle. Or, as a Canucks fan, a wince.

[Douglas McLeod · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I told you there was a book combining hockey and comedy, you'd think of Gary Betteman's autobiography. However, instead of a tome about the NHL commissioner, we get this delightful romp from the creator of the "Down Goes Brown" blog, Sean McIndoe.

Each chapter is a slap shot to the funny bone as every page is a laugh riot for everyone who enjoys the fastest game on ice. If you're a novice to the game or an aging veteran, this book entertains the reader from cover-to-cover. I highly recommend it.

[Stefan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, this was such a good read. I have been a DGB fan for some time now. I remember reading some of these on the website. It was so nice to have them all in one place.

As I typically read late at night once my wife has gone to bed, I had to be careful while reading parts of this book as I would start to laugh out loud.

If you are a hockey fan, with a good sense of humour, this is something you might want to pick up and read.

[Beata · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a die-hard Ottawa Senators fan, leafs fans in Ottawa are pretty much my least favourite people. As someone who also likes the Canucks, the jokes in this book should not amuse me. And yet, DGB's sense of humor, often at the expense of certain teams, players or fanbases, never failed to make me laugh, and only crossed the line a few times. This totally-true mocking of the NHL is a must read for any hockey fan.

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I first got this book I leafed through it and laughed at loud at several stories. When I sat down to actually read it later it wasn't as funny or as entertaining as I first thought. It is still good for some giggles and snorts. The book is timely though, in a few years after the players have changed it won't be as entertaining.

[Evan Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my money there is nobody funnier when it comes to online hockey bloggers than Sean McIndoe (aka Down Goes Brown). His Twitter feed is constantly smart and funnelled through his unique humour. Anyways, the book is exactly that and captures his humour expertly in a bunch of different types of lists and entries, made to be picked up and re-read when you have a minute or two.

[Keelin Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely more of a 4.5. This book is funny and highly entertaining while also being somewhat informative. I think my only reasoning for the 4.5 instead of 5 would be that it was pretty repetitive. Still think that this is way more for current hockey fans than new fans as it is very sarcastic and full of *wink wink* mentions that don't get explained.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love hockey and love to laugh, and you don't have this book then something is wrong with you. This is a must have for any hockey fan. DGB has such witty and smart humor, loved reading every page.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the really knowledgable fan, "the Best of Down Goes Brown" is a treat. McIndoe is sharp and on the money without resorting to the a lot of the smartass comments one endures when watching many sportscasts. I liked it and will start to follow his blog on an ongoing basis.

[Nicole Maxim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great humorous read about the NHL, something to get you through the lockout. Definitely check out the author's blog its worth the time

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was great. I love hockey and humour, and this book perfectly combined the two.

[Henrik Löfqvist · Rating 4 out of 5]

McIndoe never ceases to amaze me with his humour. Fun and entertaining throughout, even the ones you've read on his site already.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminded me of Jim Gaffigan's book. Read the first half in a couple of days and limped through the rest. The jokes get a bit repetitive and formulaic. Overall pretty solid though.

[Karyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for any hockey fan! Made me laugh out loud in parts, except for the parts where he dissed Sidney Crosby and Matt Cooke. However, the rest of it was pretty funny!

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hockey humor at its best, and it's something I can read over and over again.

[Delvin Hut · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a hockey fan, then you must own this book!

[Melanie Ting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely hilarious. Except for the parts about the Vancouver Canucks, which for some reason, I did not find funny at all.

[SA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly amusing.

[Jay Ranton · Rating 3 out of 5]

uhm ok wasn't worth $12

[Simon Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sean McIndoe is one of the very best hockey writers around, and definitely the funniest. This is an essential read for hockey fans, packed with great jokes and insightful analysis.