Dropping the Gloves: Inside the Fiercely Combative World of Professional Hockey

by Barry Melrose, Roger Vaughan, Wayne Gretzky (Foreword)

     Barry Melrose's life is hockey. From the time he was old enought to skate, he knew it's what he was meant to do. Growing up in Kelvington, Saskatchewan, he was one of a generation of future NHLers that included Wendel Clark, Bernie Federko, and the Kocur brothers. He fought his way through the Canadian minor league system, eventually getting drafted by the Montreal Canadiens.
     But Melrose chose instead to play for the WHA's Cincinnati Stingers, beginning a professional career that saw him sent up and down, between the big leagues and the minors, before ending his playing career as a player coach in the AHL. As a coach, he saw success at every level, winning a Memorial Cup, a Calder Cup, and reaching the Stanley Cup Final as coach of the LA Kings.
     Dropping the Gloves shares Barry's years of experience. He explains the psychology of the game, the inner workings of the locker room, and how many different elements are required to create a winnning team.Told in the same plain-spoken style that has made him ESPN's best-known hockey commentator, Dropping the Gloves is a fantastic compendium of hockey knowledge.

Genres: Hockey, Sports, Nonfiction, Biography

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Barry Melrose (born 15 July 1956) is one of the few athletes who has played and coached in all three major organizations within the sport of hockey: Junior Hockey, the American Hockey League, and the National Hockey League. As NHL coach he took the Los Angeles Kings—and Wayne Gretzky—to the Stanley Cup finals. For the past fifteen years, Melrose has been commentator and hockey analyst for ESPN TV.

Reviews

[Teebz Hbic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of Dropping the Gloves can be found on Hockey Blog In Canada.

[Payne Family · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barry!!!

Loved how he told the story of his hockey life. He played when hockey was so fun to watch...talking about hos minor league experiences was also great...Thanks Barry

[Peter Cimino · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Barry Melrose scores a “hat trick” for hockey purists!”

For my official review of the awesome behind the scenes look into the world of professional hockey, by the one and only Barry Melrose, which I wrote for the New York Journal of Books, click on this URL or copy and paste it into your web browser.

http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/revie...

This book is truly one of a kind and told in a way that only Barry Melrose can tell it - brutally honest and raw!

Great stuff!

[Benn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read, I found the "new chapter", to be a little sloppy eg Tampa Bay Devil Rays?!! should be the Lightning, and Eric Staal should be Marc Staal. Picky I know, but you'd expect a Hockey guy to get these things right.

[Nick Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much better than I ever thought it would be. Great insight into hockey starting with a youngster moving throughout career. Really enjoyed the book.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interest insight into the world of hockey starting from youth hockey and up through the ranks.

[Brent Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read for fans of hockey that are relatively new to the sport. By reading it I got some insight on aspects of the game that I didn't know much about.