Money Players: The Amazing Rise and Fall of Bob Goodenow and the NHL Players Association

by Bruce Dowbiggin

Who can forget — or forgive — the image that played out in headlines in sports pages and television screens across North America when NHL owners and the players union met in a desperate last-minute vote in their protracted labour negotiations: NHL Owners and Players Association Vote: Screw You! to Fans. Money Players is a bare-knuckles brawl of a book about the way the real game is played — the game that goes on behind doors behind rich execs and greedy agents — and even greedier players.

Genres: Hockey, Sports, Nonfiction, History

320 pages, Paperback

First published April 27, 2007

Reviews

[Denis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bruce Dowbiggin's chronicling of the NHL's history of labor unrest is remarkably thorough. Money Players examines the successes and failures of the NHL and NHLPA, while looking at what the future holds for the fourth major professional sport.

[Louis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really revealing look at the workings of a professional sports union and their battle with the league.

[Tim Armstrong · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was recently involved in a major labour action, during this time I listened to a podcast that featured the author of this book talking about 2004-2005 NHL lockout, how it happened and what the results were. I found it insanely interesting, not only because I myself was involved in labour action, but also because I find the business of the NHL to be interesting. So I really wanted to read this book.

I come away mostly disappointed I guess. The first and last chapters (the ones added to the revised and updated version) are really interesting and what I was hoping to get from this book. They detail the lockout itself. The bulk of this book is basically a history of labour and the NHL. Some of this is insanely interesting, but as the book drags on, it repeats itself a lot and becomes more and more tedious.

So solid additional chapters and I would love to read a full book about this topic now that there have been more labour actions in the NHL since 04/05. But the main body of this book is severely dated.

[Karoline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting history of the NHL from angles I've not heard before.

[V Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides so much valuable information on the path to the NHL becoming the organization it is today. We see hockey players in a different light than other sports figures. We also are able to understand the business and see the evolution of the business of hockey. If you are a fan of hockey this is a book you should give a peruse.

[Jeremy Porter · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was old; written in 2006 but I knew that going in. The content was scattered and never came close to what I was hoping to have read / learned. I paid $5 for this book (new) and I think that was about $4 too much.