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Season In Time, A: Super Mario, Killer, St. Patrick, the Great One, and the Unforgettable 1992-93 NHL Season
Twenty years after the fact, the mere mention of the 1992-93 NHL season brings back vivid memories for hockey fans across North America. The last time that the Montreal Canadiens hoisted the Stanley Cup, Wayne Gretzky's last appearance in a playoff final, and Mario Lemieux's most inspirational season; these events mark 1992 and 1993 as some of the greatest years in NHL history. Now, in A Season in Super Mario, Killer, St. Patrick, the Great One, and the Unforgettable 1992-93 NHL Season, acclaimed hockey writer Todd Denault looks back to those heady days that came to be known as "the last great season," A Season in Time is a true trip down memory lane, covering the stories of Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, Patrick Roy, and Doug Gilmour, and capturing the frenzy and excitement that hasn't been seen since. A Season in Time is essential reading for hockey lovers of all ages.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
10 people are currently reading
85 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 26, 2018
Audio book gets a four...the material is great, but the narrator mispronounced so many names. The one that grated me the most was "Roy". When talking about the legendary goalie, it's pronounced "Wah", not "Roy" like Roy Rogers. That was just the most glaring of name mispronunciations. Think I'll have to get the print or ebook to truly enjoy this one.
February 26, 2024
A great review of one of the greatest seasons in the history of the NHL.
Rookie scoring records, Patrick Roy cements his legacy, THE high stick, McSorley's curve, Lemieux comes back from cancer diagnosis to win the scoring title... this book has everything!
Rookie scoring records, Patrick Roy cements his legacy, THE high stick, McSorley's curve, Lemieux comes back from cancer diagnosis to win the scoring title... this book has everything!
December 9, 2025
As a Leafs fan, this was a great story and I enjoyed recalling the excitement of the playoffs that Spring.
The narrator was fine, but to really capture the intensity of the 92/93 season, the publisher should have chosen someone who knew hockey. It was like a screeching sound when he mispronounced the names of the hockey players and places in Canada.
Vincent Damphousse is not “Damp housse”, Serge Savard is not ‘Ser gay’ Savard, Yonge Street is not ‘Yon gee’ street. There were so many. I guess Don Cherry was not available.
Too bad in this book, it wasn't a Toronto Maple Leafs vs Montreal Canadiens Stanley Cup finals. There is always next year…..
The narrator was fine, but to really capture the intensity of the 92/93 season, the publisher should have chosen someone who knew hockey. It was like a screeching sound when he mispronounced the names of the hockey players and places in Canada.
Vincent Damphousse is not “Damp housse”, Serge Savard is not ‘Ser gay’ Savard, Yonge Street is not ‘Yon gee’ street. There were so many. I guess Don Cherry was not available.
Too bad in this book, it wasn't a Toronto Maple Leafs vs Montreal Canadiens Stanley Cup finals. There is always next year…..
September 14, 2025
Writing this long of a book about a single NHL season and keeping it interesting is a feat. Surprisingly informative. Heavy nostalgic feelings for this season since its the first one I remember as a kid, and also, because I owned Rock Em Sock Em 5 (yes, it includes Don Cherry's techno song). However, it also made me relive the Leafs loss to the Kings in the Conference Finals, which set the rest of my life up for disappointment in my sports fandom.
June 30, 2019
Great book, very detailed and well written. Hard to find but worth the search.
September 9, 2019
This book brought back a few memories. The hockey was unbelievable.
January 31, 2023
When you hire someone to read your audiobook, make sure you know how to pronounce the names in the book. Patrick Roy (pronounced "Wah", not "Roy"). It made this book unlistenable. DNF.
July 20, 2023
excellent review of a memorable NHL season.
February 7, 2025
A thorough recap of one of the greatest hockey seasons ever. It’s meticulously researched and well structured to make for a rewarding read!
September 30, 2025
One of the best hockey books ever written.
January 20, 2015
For hockey fans of a certain vintage, this book is a wonderful trip down memory lane. It was such a different time for hockey back then and our collective experience in the twenty years since makes so many of the stories Denault relates all the more remarkable. This was truly an amazing, unparallelled year for hockey and the author documents it admirably.
The research poured into the book is impressive. Denault is a sound hockey scholar who mined old hockey articles, newspapers and magazines as well as harvested new input two decades after the fact from the participants themselves. Maybe it is just me but even the post-game quotes from back then seem more candid, honest and refreshing compared to the reticent boiler-plate spewed by players today. Big words for massive deeds the like of which hockey fans will probably never see again.
I dinged the book one star from perfection, mainly because there are a number of typographical errors and as well, I felt that the treatment of the notorious Gretzky high sticking non-call in the conference final was banal. No quotes from the referee in question and indeed, Kerry Fraser seems to get a free pass on one of the most cowardly non-calls in history. While I am not a Toronto fan I would think the reverberations and bitterness echoing today among such a huge fan-base would merit more than a one-page politically correct treatment.
Nevertheless, this is easily the second best hockey book I have read (I mean really, most hockey books are quite boring and badly written). The first you ask? Journeyman by Sean Pronger.
The research poured into the book is impressive. Denault is a sound hockey scholar who mined old hockey articles, newspapers and magazines as well as harvested new input two decades after the fact from the participants themselves. Maybe it is just me but even the post-game quotes from back then seem more candid, honest and refreshing compared to the reticent boiler-plate spewed by players today. Big words for massive deeds the like of which hockey fans will probably never see again.
I dinged the book one star from perfection, mainly because there are a number of typographical errors and as well, I felt that the treatment of the notorious Gretzky high sticking non-call in the conference final was banal. No quotes from the referee in question and indeed, Kerry Fraser seems to get a free pass on one of the most cowardly non-calls in history. While I am not a Toronto fan I would think the reverberations and bitterness echoing today among such a huge fan-base would merit more than a one-page politically correct treatment.
Nevertheless, this is easily the second best hockey book I have read (I mean really, most hockey books are quite boring and badly written). The first you ask? Journeyman by Sean Pronger.
September 1, 2013
The writing in this book wasn't spectacular, but Denault did do his homework, interviewing dozens of players, coaches, GM's, journalists, and people involved in the game. I felt this book would've been better presented as TV documentary of interviews and game highlights. Even though this book does not merit any awards in sports journalism, it was nonetheless a fun trip down memory lane for anybody who was a fan of the game at the time.
One is particularly struck by the sheer number of historic moments that were concentrated in a single season: Selanne's 76 goal rookie campaign, l'Affaire Lindros, Gretzky's injury, Lemieux being treated for Hodgkin's disease and yet still winning the scoring title, May Day May Day May Day, the Islanders dethroning the seemingly invincible two-time Stanley Cup champion Penguins in the 2nd round, the Leafs vs Kings Campbell Conference finals (what I think is still the best NHL series I've ever seen), 10 overtime wins, St Patrick.
It was only the beginning of Gary Bettman's reign as commissioner, the last season of the Wales/Campbell conferences and the Adams/Smythe/Norris/Patrick divisions. Furthermore, looking at that season through the prism of the NHL of late, it is astounding to read about frequent 6-5 basketball-esque games and the number of players scoring 100 points and/or 50 goals!
One disappointing omission is any talk of the expectation that existed across Canada of an all Canadian original six Montreal/Toronto final.
One is particularly struck by the sheer number of historic moments that were concentrated in a single season: Selanne's 76 goal rookie campaign, l'Affaire Lindros, Gretzky's injury, Lemieux being treated for Hodgkin's disease and yet still winning the scoring title, May Day May Day May Day, the Islanders dethroning the seemingly invincible two-time Stanley Cup champion Penguins in the 2nd round, the Leafs vs Kings Campbell Conference finals (what I think is still the best NHL series I've ever seen), 10 overtime wins, St Patrick.
It was only the beginning of Gary Bettman's reign as commissioner, the last season of the Wales/Campbell conferences and the Adams/Smythe/Norris/Patrick divisions. Furthermore, looking at that season through the prism of the NHL of late, it is astounding to read about frequent 6-5 basketball-esque games and the number of players scoring 100 points and/or 50 goals!
One disappointing omission is any talk of the expectation that existed across Canada of an all Canadian original six Montreal/Toronto final.
December 27, 2012
A great hockey read about the last great offensive season in the NHL: '92/'93. This was around the time when I first started to get into hockey (I'd attend my first Caps game in December of '93), so the events that are described in this book really took me back.
From the explosion of goalscorers, to Mario Lemieux's battle with Hodgkin's disease, through the entire 1993 playoff run, this book captures everything in a nutshell, and does it well. It truly was the end of an era.
From the explosion of goalscorers, to Mario Lemieux's battle with Hodgkin's disease, through the entire 1993 playoff run, this book captures everything in a nutshell, and does it well. It truly was the end of an era.
November 10, 2015
This author deserves a lot of credit for all the research he did for this book. It is one of the few sports books where I didn't notice any errors in dates or years of things happening.
I wish he would have gotten reflections from more of the players looking back on that season. But I'm sure access to Lemiuex and Lindros would be tough.
Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend it for and hockey or sports fan.
I wish he would have gotten reflections from more of the players looking back on that season. But I'm sure access to Lemiuex and Lindros would be tough.
Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend it for and hockey or sports fan.
August 10, 2014
This book felt like it was born out of the idea to write a book about the 92-93 Leafs with details on the rest of the season filled in from there, with too many dull Doug Gilmour and Pat Burns quotes taking up unnecessary space to make the book enjoyable. It's okay reading for hockey fans looking to fill the void of hockey during the summer, but unless you have a strong affinity for the 92-93 season there's much better options out there.
December 1, 2012
Exhaustively researched and well put together, the book revolves around one of the most interesting hockey campaigns in the NHL's history. The writing itself wasn't special, I am more impressed by the comprehensiveness of his research. The many officials, players, coaches, journalists who weigh in on various events make the facts come to life.
June 16, 2013
92/93 was the year i got into the NHL. Snes version of NHL was being played around the clock and we without any NHL broadcasting in sweden and this being way before the internet ages we followed games via teletext.
This book brings me back to those days and gives me lot more information and duels that was unavailable to us due to lack of information.
This book brings me back to those days and gives me lot more information and duels that was unavailable to us due to lack of information.
September 27, 2014
It was interesting and fun to go back and relive one of the last great hockey seasons although suffering through the Pens early departure to the Isles was still tough. A lot of names and good stories but it felt like I was reading the world's longest ever newspaper article wrapping up a season, not a game.
July 8, 2014
An amazing recollection of the awesome 1992-93 NHL hockey season. The last best season.
August 13, 2014
A LOT of detail. More than your average hockey fan (like me) can grasp. Still, a decent read, and I picked up a few trivia bits that I didn't know.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews