Hockey Card Stories: True Tales from Your Favourite Players

Hockey Card Stories #1

by Ken Reid

Hockey Card Stories reveals what was really going on in your favourite old hockey cards through the eyes of the players depicted on them. Some of the cards are definitely worth a few bucks, some a few cents ― but every story told here is priceless. Sportsnet’s Ken Reid presents the cards you loved and the airbrushed monstrosities that made you howl, the cards that have been packed away in boxes forever, and others you can’t believe ever existed. Whether it’s a case of mistaken identity or simply a great old photo, a fantastic 1970s haircut and ’stache, a wicked awesome goalie mask or a future Hall of Famer’s off-season fashion sense, a wide variety of players ― from superstars like Bobby Orr, Denis Potvin, and Phil Esposito to the likes of Bill Armstrong who played only one game in the NHL ― chime in on one of their most famous cards.

Genres: Hockey, Sports, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Canada

272 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2014

Reviews

[Karlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A time machine on cardboard."

Not a fan of Sportsnet at all, but Ken Reid does a fantastic job of giving these hockey cards from the 70s, 80s and 90s a second-life. Each hockey card literally tells a story, through an interview with the player about that game, that year, or what's going on with that card.

At first I was a bit put off because I didn't recognize many of the players. But this book isn't necessarily about the players. It's about the stories behind the cards, like fantastically horrible air brushing, or legendary facial hair.

Each card highlights a great hockey story, like John Garret being pulled into a game as a back-up goalie with a half-eaten hot dog tied into his pads, or Orest Kindrachuck's hockey hair and mustache so popular he brought it back to life in a 2012 alumni game.

Whether it was a player with one game in the NHL, or a Hall of Fame career, these stories kept me entertained throughout, and made me laugh a lot. I hope someone can do the same with baseball cards next!

[Jakub Kvíz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nedávno jsem na Instagramu začal narážet na spoustu profilů, který se věnujou hokejovejm kartám, včetně těch z devadesátek, který jsem sbíral jako kluk. A v rámci nostalgický vlny jsem narazil i na tuhle knížku, kterou napsal nadšenej sběratel a sportovní komentátor Ken Reid.

V rámci 59 krátkejch rozhovorů Reid přiblíží histori za kouskem kartonu ze 70. a 80. let (a dokonce pár z devadesátek, který pamatuju i já), a to čitvou a zábavnou formou. Příběhy jsou rozděleny do tématických kategorií a dojde na členy Síně slávy, bitkaře, brankáře, hráče, co měli jen jednu kartu, ale i na zoufale špatný airbrushe (ruční předchůdce Photoshopu) nebo crazy účesy.

Tohle není kniha, se kterou by se člověk zavřel doma na odpoledne a dal jí na jedno sezení. Vzhledem k tomu, že příběhy mají často společný jmenovatel, tak je lepší si jí dávkovat po 2-3 příbězích, aby se toho člověk nepřesytil. Ideální materiál na cestu do/z práce (pokud teda nedojíždíte hodinu) nebo poslouží jako "coffee table book".

Těším se na druhej díl, už jen proto, že tam má být víc karet z devadesátek.

[Craig Rowland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hockey Card Stories is the third book I have read by Ken Reid, following One Night Only: Conversations with the NHL’s One-Game Wonders and One to Remember: Stories from 39 Members of the NHL’s One Goal Club. I found this one to be the funniest of the bunch, and as a hockey card collector from the seventies I surely recognized all the cards he profiled from that period. Since my collection is within easy reach, and not buried in a box in the garage or unfortunately thrown out by an overzealous tidier of a mother, I could reach in and take a look at these cards myself. Reid provided life-size shots of the front and back of each card he talked about.

Before I saw any hockey cards, though, when I opened the cover my eyes were greeted by a double-sided page of pink. I have to admit that it took me a few seconds to figure out what this page was (was it a misprint or ink error?) and then it dawned on me: it was a piece of dusty hard hockey card gum. Priceless!

Reid divided his stories into eleven chapters based on card theme, such as Goalies, Rookies, Hall of Famers and WHA cards, but by far the most amusing chapters dealt with topics such as Strike a Pose (for the best card posers), Making it Look Mean (for the meanest faces ever to adorn a card) and my favourites, Airbrush and Error Cards. Unquestionably the worst cut-and-paste job in hockey card history has to go to the 1971-72 O-Pee-Chee for Rogie Vachon. He had just been traded from the Montreal Canadiens to the Los Angeles Kings and a card was hurriedly pieced together to create this:

That is Rogie’s head but definitely not his body. According to Reid, everything from the neck down belongs to Ross Lonsberry.

In the chapter on Colorado Rockies player Jack Valiquette, Reid wrote:

“Confession: I love the Colorado Rockies uniform…I loved pulling out the odd Rockies card from a wax pack. I loved the way they looked: the blue, red, gold and white just worked for me.”

I have to agree with him. In the 1977-78 O-Pee-Chee series, the team logo card, below, was one of my favourites:

Reid has written a second volume of hockey card stories and I will have to request it via interloan.

[Amanda (bookedwithamanda) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was unexpectedly awesome. I loved seeing the old cards and hearing the stories behind them from the author and also from the player. The writing was a little "choppy" at times but the book was still very enjoyable.

[Ben · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is full of interesting anecdotes and factoids, but it will not sate a hockey fan who wants to take a deep dive into the history of hockey cards. The prime focus here is the players and their stories about individual cards Reid interviews them about. Topics range from errors on cards, commenting on hairstyles far too often, equipment, and bits of trivia only the elite of hockey nerds will get a kick out of.

It would benefit the author to go through his material and remove repeated mentions of certain items. One being, Reid's need to remind us he comes from Pictou, Nova Scotia. Another being the aforementioned need to comment upon outdated hairstyles.

Reid only focuses upon retired players who played through the seventies and into the early nineties. I think he did this primarily because he was framing the narrative around the players on the cards he collected in his youth. But, I think he missed the mark with the opportunity to reach out to recently retired players and active players.

This book amounts to something to just thumb through. A book used as a bathroom reader or staple to your dusty collection atop your coffee table for bored guests.

[Benjamin Kahn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light, enjoyable read. Sportnet's Ken Reid, an avid hockey card collector, takes several cards from his collection and tracks down the featured players and the stories behind them. Some are more interesting than others, some have more of a story about their card and the reaction to it. Nothing that in-depth, nothing that life changing, a little too much "sweet haircut/moustache/uniform." But there is enough of interest here that it's worth putting up with all the talk about haircuts and facial hair.

I found the last section - hall of famers - probably the least interesting. But some good stuff here. I read the ebook version, but I think the actual book is a coffee table edition, and would probably be a great souvenir for the hockey fan.

[Page · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected more than stories about funny hairstyles that were totally in fashion in the seventies so not actually funny. I expected more stories about what the players were doing and feeling in general. There was a little of that (one man was listed as a general manager but never actually got the job) but mostly it was hair, airbrushed clothing and misspellings. The big issue was the audio version wasn't just the narrator reading. It was strange sound effects (phones ringing, doors shutting, rustling paper ect...)and the most annoying background music in the history of background music. There was a lot of talk about the players looking like 70's porn stars with their big mustaches. I guess the music was supposed to fit in.

[David Horton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great hockey book to dip in and out of especially in the off-season when there isn't much going on. I didn't feel compelled to read it end to end or rush through it. Essentially, it's a collection of blog-length essays about the people and history behind the author's favourite cards. Some of the stories are amusing, some are touching, some are merely pedestrian but all are reminders of a time when hockey seemed more fun and entertaining rather than the over-produced corporate events of today.

[Joe Seliske · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was like a trip down memory lane when I was a young adult keeping up with the goings on in the NHL. I remember the airbrushed photos and "Now with the...." comments but I didn't know that O-Pee-Chee swapped heads and bodies as well. I lived in London for almost seven years in the 1980s and used to walk by the old O-Pee-Chee building on my way to the comic book store. My dad worked there as a teenager way back in the 1930s. I couldn't put the book down.

[Dave Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty neat read! Ken does a good job delving into the back story on many cards from the 70's-early 90's. Clearly this is the start of a great series and I look forward to seeing more offerings in the future. Each card has about 3-4 pages devoted to it and that makes this book easy to read or put down if you are needed elsewhere.

[Dave Cottenie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice light read that goes by really quickly, Hockey Card Stories goes back to an era before the card explosion in the ‘90s. Plenty of neat little stories and “I didn’t know that” moments. It is uncanny how much Ken Reid notices in a single hockey card and all the little tidbits that go with that card.

[Dave Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kinda cool to see a few cards I own/ traded away in there. Interesting idea for a book, and some of the interviews seemed pretty fun. It's good to hear from alumni that weren't so famous or well known, or who may not be well known to younger fans.

[Mojoswork · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of anecdotes and short stories from some of 70s hockey’s (and into the 80s) most colorful characters, HCS is a breezy and interesting read for grizzled veterans and rookies alike. Also, tremendous jacket art.

[Mylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories got a tad repetitive by the end, but this was a really enjoyable and quick read that helped scratch my hockey card collecting itch!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Closer to 3.5.

[Chris Schaffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun, good book. Better than the baseball equivalent I read.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read, would've taken more from the interviewees though. Definitively gonna read the second part for more stories.

[Brent Vogel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good quick stories, a fun read, but not out of this world.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look at hockey cards from the 1970s and 1980s, Reid takes some various examples and interviews the players on the card, getting their thoughts on both the card and events relating to their career. A fun easy read, he provides some neat stories, while also giving some background information as to why certain cards were the way they were. That he was able to talk to the players themselves really adds to the book, and it is interesting to hear their thoughts on the cards and playing in the NHL.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given this book for free from the author. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

It is no secret that Canada lives and breathes hockey. It is a part of the culture and the spirit of being Canadian. It is as Canadian as poutine and the loonie.

Publishers in Canada know this as well. So as the wind begins to chill and the season begins anew with the hopes and dreams of a nation, without fail, Canadian publishers release a ‘hockey book.’

Seriously. An agent once told me that for publishers, a hockey book is an easy sell in Canada. This is especially true around Christmas when people are trying to find gifts and basically defaults to purchasing a hockey book because “Oh, Johnny likes hockey so maybe he’ll enjoy this book about his favourite sport.”

Hockey Card Stories is one such hockey book. Ken Reid himself owned to that fact when I asked him about it.

What I didn’t realize was that it was also a coffee table book as well.

What’s a coffee table book? It’s a book you leave on the coffee table (or even a washroom) for visiting friends or family to browse when you’re busy getting the beer or poutine and is generally filled with short, funny stories that you can pick up and put down at your own convenience or will and is easy to flip to certain parts if you so wish.

This is all good and fine when you're filling time at the coffee table or on the can. However this book had 49 different and unique stories that average about four or so pages led by a coloured photo of the hockey card in question. That made it a tough go when trying to read it continuously while sitting on a cramped bus.

Staying immersed was hard when the story jumped around as much as it did. It jumped around so much so in fact that it took me until well past the halfway point to realize that the book wasn't in fact a jumbled and seeming random collection of stories about hockey cards but actually organized by theme in chapters. Whoops. Although once I realized that, it did make reading go by a little more smoothly.

With all that said, the voice of the book was pure Ken Reid. It was both reverent and irreverent of his little treasures and had just a touch of self-deprecation, though he stopped short of calling himself a nerd. Mix that in with some truly hilarious stories by the players regarding the story behind the card, or the history of it, and you can almost forgive the amount of jumping around it did. Because ultimately, each card held its own unique story that singularly belongs to the players that tell it.

And ultimately, as much as the cards told the story of the good ole hockey game through thin cardboard, it also told the story of Mr. Reid's obsession while growing up in small-town Maritime Canada.

Mr. Reid may have stopped short of saying it, but let's be honest, Ken Reid is a giant nerd. But I say it in the most genuine of ways because he's one in the best sense. Because he's not out to hoard his knowledge or experiences, but to share it. And as it turned out, the story he had to share was at times just as interesting as the players that ended up on his much beloved hockey cards.

Although honestly, I still wished the jumping around wasn't as jarring as it was, or if the story had been more continuous, or maybe better bridged between each card. All of which would have made the book move a little more smoothly for me, and maybe made immersion a little easier to grasp.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember finding a unique hockey card when I was in high school – the Canadiens' Jacques Lemaire, wearing a brightly colored Buffalo Sabres jersey. As a Sabres fan, I wondered if I missed hearing about a trade that would bring a fantastic player into our fold. No – he was still with the Habs. I also wondered how they managed to get the player to pose in a different jersey. (At the time, I was unaware of airbrushing, the pre-laptop equivalent of Photoshop.)

In “Hockey Card Stories”, Ken Reid looks at unusual situations like the one above (although that particular example is not brought up in the book). Each vignette begins with a photo of the card in question, then devotes 3 to 5 pages to discuss the card, how the player pictured on the front felt about it, and revealed a little about said player's career and post-playing activities as well.

Some players were selected because their card caught the spirit of the era, others because the card contained an error – occasionally even a photo of the wrong player! Some of the players included were superstars (a term new to the 1970s) and future Hall-of-Famers, others because the player managed to sneak onto a card during a brief career.

ALL of the stories are short, easy to read, and flat-out fun to read. As such, I gave this book my highest marks.

Oh, that Lemaire card I mentioned earlier … the most believable story that I found online was that the Sabres had acquired a player named JACQUES Richard from Atlanta, and a little miscommunication resulted in the depiction of a trade that only happened on cardboard.

RATING: 5 stars. I won't claim this is the Great Canadian Reference Volume, but I liked it and had fun reading it and will remember it long after I've moved on to other books.

[Eileen Sateriale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received this book for free in a Goodreads Giveway. This is a first read copy.

Hockey Card Stories is a fun read about a hockey card collector. As a boy, Ken Reid collected hockey cards. In the book, he actually interviews the people who are featured on the hockey cards and gives their take on the card. Reid sets up the book like a hockey card file with penalty minute players, goaltenders and hall of famers, the defunct World Hockey Association, even cards that were airbrushed when the player was traded to another team! Good read for hockey fans.

Mr. Reid, thanks for sharing.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty fun read. I was a little worried in the beginning. Seemed like all the interviews with the former players amounted to "I don't remember that picture being taken" and "It was great to be in the NHL." But, it got better and deeper as it went along. There ended up being a lot of interesting and unknown (to me) stories. Some of the hockey cards the author talked about, I used to have and he was pointing out details that I never thought twice about before. And, of course, there were some quirky cards that I often wondered about myself and finally got some answers! Worth a look if you're a hockey fan, even if you didn't collect the cards as a kid (or adult).

[Terry Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the way Ken used hockey cards to link us to his past. He's a passionate guy and these stories are cool to begin with; I can identify as I was a hockey card collector from Atlantic Canada as well.

I hope this book does well - its unique, funny, and the stories are told by a great storytellsr. Put it this way; I'm not sure if everyone will love it like me, but I can't see anyone NOT liking it. A no-brainer for any sports fan who enjoys the lighter side of the game. I directly hits on some very historical moments as well. Bravo Kenny R

[miketheboy89 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great insight into incredible and hilarious tales from the cardboard. Sportsnet analyst Ken Reid interviews former NHLers who have great tales about their own cards. Reid interviews both legends and players who had careers of only one game. One downside is the limited span of years on the cards, most being from the 70s-80s. I would have liked to see some newer ones, but all in all, an interesting perspective on one of the country's most popular hobbies.

[Sheldon Bungay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this fabulous offering from Ken! As a huge hockey fan and card collector from Atlantic Canada, i could relate so well to many of the stories and situations that Ken shared. I also loved how this first book (I hope there are more to follow) stayed away from some of the cards I assumed would be included (I.e. Gretzky, Lemieux etc.), great stuff!

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very fun read if you're a major hockey nerd. It's full of great and fun stories of players' experiences in the NHL, told with quite of humor. And, of course, it has photos of all the hockey cards these wonderful stories stem from.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good. Author from eastern Canada, and slightly younger than me. Thus, he used OPC cards, and talked about players that I did not know. Other than that, a fun book. Good for hockey fans and card collectors.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read, but I didn't love it. There definitely were a lot of different players and teams represented, which was nice.

Received from NetGalley.