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Odd Man Rush: A Harvard Kid's Hockey Odyssey from Central Park to Somewhere in Sweden—with Stops along the Way
In his hilarious, gritty, and touching debut, Bill Keenan—a hockey star once on the fast-track to the NHL—tells of how he overcame multiple obstacles to find fulfillment and redemption in the strange world of European minor-league professional hockey.
Keenan’s hockey obsession begins as a five-year-old on Lasker Rink in New York’s Central Park—“love at first stride,” as he calls it. He then becomes the youngest, and skinniest, player on the New York Bobcats, a Junior B hockey team. Later, after his hockey career at Harvard doesn’t end as planned—with a fat NHL contract—Keenan decides to play in the minor leagues in Europe, where the glamour of professional sports is decidedly lacking.
Part fish-out-of-water travelogue, part coming-of-age memoir, Odd Man Rush will capture the interest of not just hockey fans, but also fans of good writing. Throughout, Keenan’s deep affection for the game shines through, even as he describes fans who steal players’ clothes from the locker room or toss empty beer cans onto the rink after games. Abusive fans, cold showers, long bus rides—nothing diminishes his love for the sport. “Because that’s the way it works with me and hockey. Even when it’s horrible, it’s wonderful.”
Keenan’s hockey obsession begins as a five-year-old on Lasker Rink in New York’s Central Park—“love at first stride,” as he calls it. He then becomes the youngest, and skinniest, player on the New York Bobcats, a Junior B hockey team. Later, after his hockey career at Harvard doesn’t end as planned—with a fat NHL contract—Keenan decides to play in the minor leagues in Europe, where the glamour of professional sports is decidedly lacking.
Part fish-out-of-water travelogue, part coming-of-age memoir, Odd Man Rush will capture the interest of not just hockey fans, but also fans of good writing. Throughout, Keenan’s deep affection for the game shines through, even as he describes fans who steal players’ clothes from the locker room or toss empty beer cans onto the rink after games. Abusive fans, cold showers, long bus rides—nothing diminishes his love for the sport. “Because that’s the way it works with me and hockey. Even when it’s horrible, it’s wonderful.”
279 pages, Hardcover
First published January 5, 2016
16 people are currently reading
1643 people want to read
About the author
Bill Keenan
3 books91 followersBill Keenan played hockey at Harvard University from 2005 to 2008 and professionally in Europe from 2009 to 2012. After completing his MBA at Columbia Business School, he worked for two years in Deutsche Bank's investment banking division. He currently serves as COO of Graydon Carter's Air Mail.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 18, 2017
If a child is playing a sport, chances are good that he or she dreams of playing the game at the highest professional level in the sport. Hockey player Bill Keenan took that dream to its ultimate test as when he realized his dreams of a National Hockey League contract would not reach fruition. Instead, he started a European adventure, playing on teams in Germany and Sweden. The adventures he had while playing there as well as Harvard for his college hockey career are captured in this very funny and entertaining memoir.
The book is part hardcore hockey, part coming-of-age in both the sport and in life and part wild ride in the far outreaches of European minor league hockey. Keenan writes these stories with a great deal of humor (some at the expense of others, some self-depreciating) and just a bit of melancholy as well. The latter is especially true when he was in Sweden and had to end a relationship with a woman when he was sold to another team.
The hockey talk is great in that it is detailed enough to satisfy very knowledgeable fans, but easy enough to understand so that non-fans or casual fans will understand it as well. There isn’t a lot of statistical information, no X’s and O’s and no detours to long winded explanations of the European minor league structure - just good stories about Keenan’s wish to keep his hockey-playing dreams alive as long as possible. This is a book that hockey fans, humor fans and anyone who wants to read an entertaining memoir will want to add to his or her library.
I wish to thank Mr. Keenan for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
The book is part hardcore hockey, part coming-of-age in both the sport and in life and part wild ride in the far outreaches of European minor league hockey. Keenan writes these stories with a great deal of humor (some at the expense of others, some self-depreciating) and just a bit of melancholy as well. The latter is especially true when he was in Sweden and had to end a relationship with a woman when he was sold to another team.
The hockey talk is great in that it is detailed enough to satisfy very knowledgeable fans, but easy enough to understand so that non-fans or casual fans will understand it as well. There isn’t a lot of statistical information, no X’s and O’s and no detours to long winded explanations of the European minor league structure - just good stories about Keenan’s wish to keep his hockey-playing dreams alive as long as possible. This is a book that hockey fans, humor fans and anyone who wants to read an entertaining memoir will want to add to his or her library.
I wish to thank Mr. Keenan for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
March 6, 2016
This is one of the better hockey books out there. But it covers so much more than hockey. It's really a quest book. In Bill Keenan's case, instead of the grail it is a shot at high level pro hockey. It touches on the lengths we will go to pursue our dreams and does it with a great combination of humor and emotion. Keenan does not take himself too seriously while also finding the beauty in sports - be it the passion of fans, the bonds between teammates or the humor of a locker room or bus ride. If you've ever played on a team you'll recognize some of the characters he encounters at Harvard or in Belgium, Germany or Sweden. And when you finish it you are left missing the likes of Mother Russia, Chara, and Dean -- and you wonder what Erika thinks of it all. It's a touching and at times hilarious story.
May 19, 2017
I received a copy of this book for free through a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.
If you are any kind of hockey fan (causal to diehard) you have to read this book. Simply fantastic.
The book description and title give a great overview. Keenan is funny and self deprecating which comes off perfectly in his writing. The sarcasm comes through too. The cast of characters throughout the book are just as interesting as Keenan's story itself. I can relate to Keenan's experiences even though I've never played hockey...as he discusses his adventures with travel, friendships and women (or lack there of).
There is a lot of hockey talk...most of it explained if the reader is unaware of the nomenclature. More about the off the ice side of hockey though...rather than stats and game recaps.
I have one small gripe though and that is
There is a lot of room for a follow up memoir as well, which I'm entirely looking forward to. Overall, any sports fan should read this book. Any hockey fan in particular shouldn't miss it. It can even be viewed as a coming of age tale as well. Still reading this? What are you doing!? Go order it now!
If you are any kind of hockey fan (causal to diehard) you have to read this book. Simply fantastic.
The book description and title give a great overview. Keenan is funny and self deprecating which comes off perfectly in his writing. The sarcasm comes through too. The cast of characters throughout the book are just as interesting as Keenan's story itself. I can relate to Keenan's experiences even though I've never played hockey...as he discusses his adventures with travel, friendships and women (or lack there of).
There is a lot of hockey talk...most of it explained if the reader is unaware of the nomenclature. More about the off the ice side of hockey though...rather than stats and game recaps.
I have one small gripe though and that is
There is a lot of room for a follow up memoir as well, which I'm entirely looking forward to. Overall, any sports fan should read this book. Any hockey fan in particular shouldn't miss it. It can even be viewed as a coming of age tale as well. Still reading this? What are you doing!? Go order it now!
January 10, 2018
Very enjoyable read. Lots of crazy characters...they're hockey players so what else would you expect? Interesting to hear a hockey story from the NCAA perspective, as well as of a North American playing in Europe. The language differences lead to a lot of funny moments.
June 21, 2017
This book is amazing!!! I am currently reading and if you like sports, hockey, or adventure, then you will love this book. I love Bills story and you will truly be captivated by it and i promise that you will not want to put the book down!
March 22, 2017
I've read a lot of hockey biographies/autobiographies and I have to say that Odd Man Rush is one of the best of the lot. Typically hockey books are full of dry prose and pace slowing stats. Keenan's writing is the opposite - lively, humourous, and almost devoid of the rundown of numbers that are like speed bumps when reading.
His take on hockey is just as passionate as any NHL star, but, Keenan is not afraid to dig into the corners of self deprecation. Layman's terms - he makes fun of himself and some of the situations he gets himself in. That is what makes this books so fresh and different. Most other hockey books are serious and keep up the "man's-man"/winner attitude - which is sometimes inspiring, but, can get kind of dull after reading six books where no jokes or even slightly funny stories are told. Luckily, in Odd Man Rush there is very little heavy-talk about leadership, grit, taking a puck in the face for the team...or really even winning. Instead there is focus on the funny characters one meets in the locker room. The strange superstitions goalies have. Bad crowd behaviour. Childhood dreams mocked. Even a sacreligious criticism of the being-a-man / tough guy attitude.
I love how the hilarity starts right from the beginning. First coach's first prep talk, 'have fun and don't care about winning b/c none of you are going to make the NHL anyway'. Keenan moves teams and takes on new personalities to fit in. It starts with faking a 'Canadian' accent. Then he changes the way he dresses (turns out a preppy private school kid doesn't wear the same clothes as the ragtag bunch from Jersey). He even relishes the day he was given a nickname...rhymes with Billy. Not Silly, not Philly, not Killy, but, Dilly (one of the many slang words for male body part). He was finally accepted as part of the team! Light hearted, fish out of water stories, fill the start of this book - those easy to relate to childhood memories one looks back on and thinks, "wtf was I thinking?"
As Keenan moves up in hockey, and in life, the stories change slightly. Still light hearted, but, are more about his teammates...mostly the wacky ones, the D-bags (as he refers to them), and the influencial people he plays with. The 'fish out of water' stories are still there, but, are more literal as Keenan moves to Europe to play hockey and runs into language problems and cultural differences.
Overall, a fun trip through the hockey community and all the weird and wacky characters that make it what it is.
This book is available on Amazon - http://amzn.to/2nejZhu
His take on hockey is just as passionate as any NHL star, but, Keenan is not afraid to dig into the corners of self deprecation. Layman's terms - he makes fun of himself and some of the situations he gets himself in. That is what makes this books so fresh and different. Most other hockey books are serious and keep up the "man's-man"/winner attitude - which is sometimes inspiring, but, can get kind of dull after reading six books where no jokes or even slightly funny stories are told. Luckily, in Odd Man Rush there is very little heavy-talk about leadership, grit, taking a puck in the face for the team...or really even winning. Instead there is focus on the funny characters one meets in the locker room. The strange superstitions goalies have. Bad crowd behaviour. Childhood dreams mocked. Even a sacreligious criticism of the being-a-man / tough guy attitude.
I love how the hilarity starts right from the beginning. First coach's first prep talk, 'have fun and don't care about winning b/c none of you are going to make the NHL anyway'. Keenan moves teams and takes on new personalities to fit in. It starts with faking a 'Canadian' accent. Then he changes the way he dresses (turns out a preppy private school kid doesn't wear the same clothes as the ragtag bunch from Jersey). He even relishes the day he was given a nickname...rhymes with Billy. Not Silly, not Philly, not Killy, but, Dilly (one of the many slang words for male body part). He was finally accepted as part of the team! Light hearted, fish out of water stories, fill the start of this book - those easy to relate to childhood memories one looks back on and thinks, "wtf was I thinking?"
As Keenan moves up in hockey, and in life, the stories change slightly. Still light hearted, but, are more about his teammates...mostly the wacky ones, the D-bags (as he refers to them), and the influencial people he plays with. The 'fish out of water' stories are still there, but, are more literal as Keenan moves to Europe to play hockey and runs into language problems and cultural differences.
Overall, a fun trip through the hockey community and all the weird and wacky characters that make it what it is.
This book is available on Amazon - http://amzn.to/2nejZhu
February 9, 2025
I bet you there are thousands of books written by professional athletes about how they "achieved greatness" or maybe just their goals. All inspiring books.
How 'bout all those the books from the amateurs who never "make it?" And this is not a dig on the author Bill Keenan. He had a dream and he didn't want to give it up. Even it if didn't take him to the NHL. And I bought the book to read about how he didn't make it.
You get lost, you get found. You win, you lose. But you stick with it because that's what you do with something you love.
I can't tell you if I liked this book more to read about a hockey player who by rights did not have it easy, instead for its amazing references to the Mighty Ducks movies! A triple deke to you Adam Banks!
As I kid, he learned hockey in an apartment complex in New York City. While he never outright mentions that his family was well-to-do, it's not nothing to get into Harvard, where he plays hockey in college. Skinny kid, handful of injuries, he could have hung up his skates. But, something called to him to just keep playing the sport, even if that meant overseas, away from family, and a language and life so foreign to him. Maybe that's personality . . . or maybe it's hockey.
It's no wonder a hockey team is used to illustrate the definition of the word "camaraderie" in the dictionary.
That's what Odd Man Rush is. A story of camaraderie, with all the quirks of hockey. Made me remember why I love the sport so much.
Whoa, was that Reilly from Letterkenny (as Dean) in the movie version of this book???!
How 'bout all those the books from the amateurs who never "make it?" And this is not a dig on the author Bill Keenan. He had a dream and he didn't want to give it up. Even it if didn't take him to the NHL. And I bought the book to read about how he didn't make it.
You get lost, you get found. You win, you lose. But you stick with it because that's what you do with something you love.
I can't tell you if I liked this book more to read about a hockey player who by rights did not have it easy, instead for its amazing references to the Mighty Ducks movies! A triple deke to you Adam Banks!
As I kid, he learned hockey in an apartment complex in New York City. While he never outright mentions that his family was well-to-do, it's not nothing to get into Harvard, where he plays hockey in college. Skinny kid, handful of injuries, he could have hung up his skates. But, something called to him to just keep playing the sport, even if that meant overseas, away from family, and a language and life so foreign to him. Maybe that's personality . . . or maybe it's hockey.
It's no wonder a hockey team is used to illustrate the definition of the word "camaraderie" in the dictionary.
That's what Odd Man Rush is. A story of camaraderie, with all the quirks of hockey. Made me remember why I love the sport so much.
Whoa, was that Reilly from Letterkenny (as Dean) in the movie version of this book???!
August 10, 2024
Bill Keenan was a young kid hockey player when Adam Graves was playing in the NHL. He made playing in the NHL his life's goal. He describes how his parents facilitated his goal by putting him into travel teams then he got into junior teams. Then he went to Harvard and played on their hockey team. (He had some talent or he wouldn't have gotten that far.) He had some injuries along the way, which took away a lot of his college playing time and visibility. He went to Europe to play professionally after college. First team he was on was a low level league. He was injured in the season, the team released him after the first seaon.
He got back from that injury and went to Europe again. between seasons he was able to go up a couple of levels. He was traded once.
Through the European teams experience, he described the lodgings and roommates (lower the league the worse the accomodations). During one team, he and a girl got together and were living together, and then he got traded to another team. He said they could stay together, the gal realistically said it wouldn't work. She was right. He was hurt, but moved to the new team and went on. He did get optioned by the NY Islanders but was never called in.
After a few seasons of hockey in Europe, he realized he'd never be getting into the NHL. He went to Europe to get visibility, and he was decent, but realized he'd have to give up his entire life to hockey, and still no guarantee of going up to higher leagues. So he retired.
Well written (guy's Harvard educated, so should be!). Entertaining, some funny spots, so things were ridiculous by his admission. Definitely worth a read!
He got back from that injury and went to Europe again. between seasons he was able to go up a couple of levels. He was traded once.
Through the European teams experience, he described the lodgings and roommates (lower the league the worse the accomodations). During one team, he and a girl got together and were living together, and then he got traded to another team. He said they could stay together, the gal realistically said it wouldn't work. She was right. He was hurt, but moved to the new team and went on. He did get optioned by the NY Islanders but was never called in.
After a few seasons of hockey in Europe, he realized he'd never be getting into the NHL. He went to Europe to get visibility, and he was decent, but realized he'd have to give up his entire life to hockey, and still no guarantee of going up to higher leagues. So he retired.
Well written (guy's Harvard educated, so should be!). Entertaining, some funny spots, so things were ridiculous by his admission. Definitely worth a read!
February 18, 2020
Review is intended for personal use -- summary of thoughts / takeaways to help decide whether to potentially re-read again later.
Potential for impact: low
Enjoyableness of reading: very high
Likelihood of re-reading: low to medium
This is a really good popcorn read about a guy from Harvard playing hockey in Europe / trying to make it in the NHL, it's a pretty entertaining book and a very easy read.
But yeah, nothing too deep or life changing really. Bill comes across as fairly immature (which makes sense, he's mid-20s), if anything the hockey life reminds me of Navy / military life where in so many ways it feels like summer camp -- relationships are transient, the ship (or locker room) is it's own culture that's so unique that no one who wasn't living it for years has any hope of understanding. Bill does a good job of trying to explain though, and again this is an entertaining book.
Worth an initial read if you want to be entertained. If you're looking for life changing takeaways? Not as much (but you probably know that already)
Potential for impact: low
Enjoyableness of reading: very high
Likelihood of re-reading: low to medium
This is a really good popcorn read about a guy from Harvard playing hockey in Europe / trying to make it in the NHL, it's a pretty entertaining book and a very easy read.
But yeah, nothing too deep or life changing really. Bill comes across as fairly immature (which makes sense, he's mid-20s), if anything the hockey life reminds me of Navy / military life where in so many ways it feels like summer camp -- relationships are transient, the ship (or locker room) is it's own culture that's so unique that no one who wasn't living it for years has any hope of understanding. Bill does a good job of trying to explain though, and again this is an entertaining book.
Worth an initial read if you want to be entertained. If you're looking for life changing takeaways? Not as much (but you probably know that already)
April 19, 2022
Overall a very enjoyable read - the first third of the book was truly outstanding, especially if you are a person or parent to a person who was obsessed with hockey and the dream of playing professionally growing up; This section of the book will truly resonate if so, and really emphasize the sacrifices made by child and parent to do so.
The remainder of the book is enjoyable but nowhere near the heights of the start, however, there remain some great lessons to learn. Particularly about where personal growth comes from, the sacrifices one makes to pursue a dream, and taking joy from small things in life. The writing comes across as a little "frat boyish" during the European escapades, particularly in his description of women, but otherwise, there is little to complain about.
The remainder of the book is enjoyable but nowhere near the heights of the start, however, there remain some great lessons to learn. Particularly about where personal growth comes from, the sacrifices one makes to pursue a dream, and taking joy from small things in life. The writing comes across as a little "frat boyish" during the European escapades, particularly in his description of women, but otherwise, there is little to complain about.
April 28, 2018
Good story that started slow. Highly reliant on cliches with the author presenting all of the cliches and name-dropping as an insiders joke; he acknowledges that's what he's doing, but it still seems forced and calculated as he checks off all the boxes on his list. It was a bit tedious, especially in the first part, about his early years up through his time at Harvard. It got markedly better with Part 2 when he talks about his experiences playing pro hockey in Europe. No real insights. For hockey fans only.
October 19, 2020
As a kid I dreamed of playing professional baseball, or football, or whatever sport season it was at the time, and Keenan taps into that part of my childhood as I read this book. Keenan puts a lot of heart into this book and it covers a lot of things like humor, chasing dreams, and all other types of emotions. There is always a chance that a sports book will get into the weeds or nuances of the sport and become unrelatable but Keenan avoids this masterfully and does a great job at keeping it interesting from all different angles.
August 24, 2017
An entertaining, interesting, and funny look inside the world of minor league hockey. A fast and easy read. Enjoyable. Highly recommend it to anyone -- especially athletes or those interested in sports. Keenan has a great perspective and writes in an engaging way. Look forward to more work from him.
October 25, 2017
I love hockey and loved reading about Bill' life growing in the hockey world around the world. The hard work, sacrifices, injuries, trying to have a life outside the hockey rink, and more in the life of Bill Keenan. I am impressed with Bill as a human being and author. I look forward to seeing more writings from Bill Keenan. Thanks to Goodreads First Reads for a copy of Odd Man Rush:........
December 4, 2017
Okay I"ll start off by saying I know nothing about hockey. Never watched a game, nothing. After reading this book I still know nothing about hockey. But that's okay. It's still an enjoyable book about Bill's life and his experiences around the game of hockey. I'm looking forward to reading more of Bill's books because he has many more stories to tell, I'm sure!!
February 20, 2019
I enjoy watching and following college hockey and thus I enjoyed Keenan's unusual journey from learning to skate as a child in NYC to playing pee wee hockey as a youngster and then for Harvard and finally for several mid-level European professional teams. A lot of anecdotes, a lot of reflections on fellow hockey player friends both European and American, a lot of foul language.
April 14, 2020
This is a must read for any hockey player who has played AAA or higher, some of these stories really hit home and bring back some memories. I had hoped to play in Europe after college but was unable to get it done and played some minor leagues in the US. It was good to live vicariously through his experiences. Well written.
September 8, 2021
Great Hockey Biography, without the ego of a million dollar professional athlete. Very entertaining, if you enjoy offside locker room stories and interesting characters. The movie about this book is also very underrated.
July 25, 2024
Would have gotten four if there weren’t ad infinitum references to his failures with girls and germophobia.
Long Island hockey players can relate to his stories of the Bobcats and Apple Core juniors. Recognized many of the names and other NE teams.
Long Island hockey players can relate to his stories of the Bobcats and Apple Core juniors. Recognized many of the names and other NE teams.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 15, 2021
Lisa: Milhouse, knock him down if he's in your way! Jimbo, Jimbo, go for the face! Ralph Wiggum lost his shin guard! Hack the bone! Hack the bone.
April 28, 2021
Loved it! It’s funny and real, very enjoyable read for a nonreader, and for an avid reader.
May 2, 2016
I recently finished Odd Man Rush: A Harvard Kid’s Hockey Odyssey from Central Park to Somewhere in Sweden—with Stops along the Way by Mike Keenan, which I received as a winner of a First Reads giveaway.
I've read a few hockey books over the years, but I've never come across one quite like this. From the outset it's clear that Keenan was never born to be a hockey player, inasmuch as his skills, physique and other intangibles (e.g. growing up in Manhattan) were not in his favour. Nonetheless, he persevered and after graduating from Harvard finally got to live his dream of playing pro hockey, albeit in lower-tier leagues in Europe. The obstacles and injuries that threaten to derail him, the challenges of being in a foreign country not knowing the language, and the various characters he encounters along the way are part of a journey that Keenan describes with passion and (often self-deprecating) humour. The book gives us a window into the unvarnished realities of "hockey culture" at the minor-league level, but is also part travelogue and coming-of-age story. Keenan is a likeable underdog, and I found myself cheering for him when he finally started scoring (both on the ice and with the ladies). And some of his observations about day-to-day life in Europe from the perspective of a North American made me laugh as they definitely rang true to my own experience.
The book could have been edited a bit more tightly (a couple grammar errors slipped through) and it might have been a neat idea to include a map of Europe with the hockey towns indicated so we could follow his "odyssey" geographically. Overall though, the book is entertaining and has enough insights that I'd be interested to read other things by Keenan, if he decides to pursue writing as a career.
I've read a few hockey books over the years, but I've never come across one quite like this. From the outset it's clear that Keenan was never born to be a hockey player, inasmuch as his skills, physique and other intangibles (e.g. growing up in Manhattan) were not in his favour. Nonetheless, he persevered and after graduating from Harvard finally got to live his dream of playing pro hockey, albeit in lower-tier leagues in Europe. The obstacles and injuries that threaten to derail him, the challenges of being in a foreign country not knowing the language, and the various characters he encounters along the way are part of a journey that Keenan describes with passion and (often self-deprecating) humour. The book gives us a window into the unvarnished realities of "hockey culture" at the minor-league level, but is also part travelogue and coming-of-age story. Keenan is a likeable underdog, and I found myself cheering for him when he finally started scoring (both on the ice and with the ladies). And some of his observations about day-to-day life in Europe from the perspective of a North American made me laugh as they definitely rang true to my own experience.
The book could have been edited a bit more tightly (a couple grammar errors slipped through) and it might have been a neat idea to include a map of Europe with the hockey towns indicated so we could follow his "odyssey" geographically. Overall though, the book is entertaining and has enough insights that I'd be interested to read other things by Keenan, if he decides to pursue writing as a career.
May 14, 2016
I received a copy of this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
I'm generally of the opinion that people should hold off on writing an autobiography until they're fairly long in the tooth. If nothing else, it provides a much larger pool of events to draw from when trying to come up with anecdotes worthy of inclusion in a book. Bill Keenan's Odd Man Rush validates this line of thinking, as his time spent in minor league hockey is long on details due to the need to fill out an entire book, though short on points of interest to anybody other than the most die-hard hockey aficionado simply because his career was relatively brief and he hasn't done a whole lot. There's nothing terribly funny, exciting, or profound in this book, and perhaps it should have been written fifty years later, with the hockey portion condensed to the first third of his life story, greater wit and wisdom being added with more hindsight, a tighter narrative emerging by selecting the best parts and scrapping the minutiae.
I think that this book might be essential reading to one very limited audience, that of teens and young adults who themselves play hockey and are looking to pursue a career in the sport. Anybody else, I'm just not sure that the day to day events recounted herein will be of much interest.
I'm generally of the opinion that people should hold off on writing an autobiography until they're fairly long in the tooth. If nothing else, it provides a much larger pool of events to draw from when trying to come up with anecdotes worthy of inclusion in a book. Bill Keenan's Odd Man Rush validates this line of thinking, as his time spent in minor league hockey is long on details due to the need to fill out an entire book, though short on points of interest to anybody other than the most die-hard hockey aficionado simply because his career was relatively brief and he hasn't done a whole lot. There's nothing terribly funny, exciting, or profound in this book, and perhaps it should have been written fifty years later, with the hockey portion condensed to the first third of his life story, greater wit and wisdom being added with more hindsight, a tighter narrative emerging by selecting the best parts and scrapping the minutiae.
I think that this book might be essential reading to one very limited audience, that of teens and young adults who themselves play hockey and are looking to pursue a career in the sport. Anybody else, I'm just not sure that the day to day events recounted herein will be of much interest.
February 6, 2016
You don't need to know much about ice hockey to have a good time with this book. Although, a little knowledge doesn't hurt :-) . Keenan doesn't shy away from the good and bad of the sport. I got to see from his perspective what its like to have an injury cut short a dream of playing for a certain team. I could really feel his let down. I also got to see what its like to keep working hard, to keep improving, to meet the odds of playing while having fun all along the way. He writes in such a way that peels back the curtains of the locker room. The banter between the players is hilarious. It kind of reminded me of listening to my husband and his friends talk which reaffirms for me that guy talk is thoroughly hilarious. I enjoyed this book and I recommend it to anyone who loves hockey or anyone that likes a good laugh!
I received this book in a giveaway by goodreads. Now I'm going to pass it on to my niece who is a hockey fanatic. We hope to keep the laughs rolling!
I received this book in a giveaway by goodreads. Now I'm going to pass it on to my niece who is a hockey fanatic. We hope to keep the laughs rolling!
March 27, 2016
This book, Odd Man Rush, by Bill Keenan was won from Goodreads. I really liked this book, Bill tells how it is and how he started on his fantastic journey from a little rink in New York City, to the frozen north in Sweden. He meets a lot of people on the rinks and in the cities he plays in.
From the beginning, young boys learn to cuss and spit, it is all part of the game of hockey. When your hockey pants go missing from the locker room, you have been traded. I learned many things about hockey from Bill, things I had never heard about.
Keep writing Bill, as I will be looking to read more about your adventures through your life.
From the beginning, young boys learn to cuss and spit, it is all part of the game of hockey. When your hockey pants go missing from the locker room, you have been traded. I learned many things about hockey from Bill, things I had never heard about.
Keep writing Bill, as I will be looking to read more about your adventures through your life.
December 12, 2015
3.5 Stars.
This was a decent hockey book with some funny stories and good insight into European hockey. The problem with most hockey books, and this is no exception, is that they're written with the expectation that women won't be reading them, so they can get kind of sexist / derogatory towards women. So that always turns me off of a book. I also felt like this book didn't have a real ending - it ends with the suggestion that he might keep pursuing hockey, but by the time of publishing he has retired from hockey.
Received from Edelweiss.
This was a decent hockey book with some funny stories and good insight into European hockey. The problem with most hockey books, and this is no exception, is that they're written with the expectation that women won't be reading them, so they can get kind of sexist / derogatory towards women. So that always turns me off of a book. I also felt like this book didn't have a real ending - it ends with the suggestion that he might keep pursuing hockey, but by the time of publishing he has retired from hockey.
Received from Edelweiss.
Read
October 17, 2017I won this book via Goodreads First Reads. I am an ECE Administrator and I look forward to adding this book to our lending library for parents and staff at my school.
January 6, 2018
Great book. 5-star material, but have to knock it down a notch because of the egregious Mighty Ducks reference error. C'mon Bill, Fulton didn't shoot the knucklepuck.
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