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Open Ice: Reflections and Confessions of a Hockey Lifer
OPEN ICE In this new collection of exquisitely crafted essays, veteran sports writer Jack Falla writes about hockey as he has seen and experienced it over the past fifty years. Reflections on the game, its personalities and arenas, and twenty-five years of commitment to creating his backyard rink are woven into family memories and other fond remembrances. A heartwarming and amusing collection, Open Ice is sure to touch every hockey fan and all those who have grown up loving the game. Praise for Jack Falla's Previous Collection of Essays, Home Ice "literary hot chocolate that will warm your heart."
—The New York Times "While Home Ice may be a book about hockey and the charm of backyard rinks, it is more than that, too. It is a book about relationships—between fathers and sons, husbands and wives—and how the game can bridge the gaps that commonly occur between generations in a family... It's a treasure and one that readers will be happy they searched out. Possibly the best hockey book since Ken Dryden's The Game ."
—The Globe & Mail "A gentle and powerful book."
— Dave Bidini , Author of Tropic of Hockey and The Best Game You Can Name
—The New York Times "While Home Ice may be a book about hockey and the charm of backyard rinks, it is more than that, too. It is a book about relationships—between fathers and sons, husbands and wives—and how the game can bridge the gaps that commonly occur between generations in a family... It's a treasure and one that readers will be happy they searched out. Possibly the best hockey book since Ken Dryden's The Game ."
—The Globe & Mail "A gentle and powerful book."
— Dave Bidini , Author of Tropic of Hockey and The Best Game You Can Name
256 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2008
2 people are currently reading
330 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 24, 2009
Though my relationship with hockey has spanned the better part of 25 years, my connection to Jack Falla and some of the more hardcore hockey fans like him is rather new. It was less than a year ago when I decided I was going to build a rink in my backyard. I stumbled upon a Yahoo Group dedicated to the topic, and in my introduction to the group, mentioned Jack and wondered aloud if he still had his rink in Natick. To my surprise, within an hour, Jack himself responded. He was helpful, courteous, friendly. It wouldn't take long for me to realize that this was the way Jack operated.
We exchanged a couple of e-mails, I vowed to read his books now that I had a family (and backyard rink) of my own, and I didn't think much about it.
It startled me how much his sudden passing in the fall of 2008 affected me. A subject in one of the Yahoo group e-mails simply read: "To Jack - We'll Miss You." A lump in my throat formed that felt like a hockey puck was lodged in there. Never have I been so affected by the passing of a person I never met, though it soon became apparent that I was not alone. Rink builders, colleagues, students - all mourning the passing of one of the nicest people they'd ever met (or in my case - never met).
It is with this as an undertone that I began reading Open Ice in January 2009. The book is a collection of essays that center around a number of topics - his rink, his beginnings as a hockey fan at the old Boston Garden, his grandchildren, his wife, his travels. But a common thread in each essay is the sport of hockey.
As a fellow hockey lifer, I felt like this book was written just for me. Each essay, whether it be on Rocket Richard, George Vezina, or his grandson Demetre, contained equal parts humor and humility, often intertwined with his own personal life and those lives of long-lost hockey heroes who only exist in rink folklore. He had a true love for the game, and that love has taken him to some amazing places for some very strange reasons. But it makes sense to the hockey lifer, and thus, it makes sense to me.
I am a member on another website where books can be swapped - think of it as an internet library. I put most of my books on there after reading, as I rarely read the same book twice. I will not be putting this book up for trade. Rather, I hope to entice friends and family to pick it up and give it a spin. Growing up in a hockey-centric family, I think I'll find a few who will enjoy it. And hopefully they'll get a glimpse into a man I wish I'd met much sooner.
We exchanged a couple of e-mails, I vowed to read his books now that I had a family (and backyard rink) of my own, and I didn't think much about it.
It startled me how much his sudden passing in the fall of 2008 affected me. A subject in one of the Yahoo group e-mails simply read: "To Jack - We'll Miss You." A lump in my throat formed that felt like a hockey puck was lodged in there. Never have I been so affected by the passing of a person I never met, though it soon became apparent that I was not alone. Rink builders, colleagues, students - all mourning the passing of one of the nicest people they'd ever met (or in my case - never met).
It is with this as an undertone that I began reading Open Ice in January 2009. The book is a collection of essays that center around a number of topics - his rink, his beginnings as a hockey fan at the old Boston Garden, his grandchildren, his wife, his travels. But a common thread in each essay is the sport of hockey.
As a fellow hockey lifer, I felt like this book was written just for me. Each essay, whether it be on Rocket Richard, George Vezina, or his grandson Demetre, contained equal parts humor and humility, often intertwined with his own personal life and those lives of long-lost hockey heroes who only exist in rink folklore. He had a true love for the game, and that love has taken him to some amazing places for some very strange reasons. But it makes sense to the hockey lifer, and thus, it makes sense to me.
I am a member on another website where books can be swapped - think of it as an internet library. I put most of my books on there after reading, as I rarely read the same book twice. I will not be putting this book up for trade. Rather, I hope to entice friends and family to pick it up and give it a spin. Growing up in a hockey-centric family, I think I'll find a few who will enjoy it. And hopefully they'll get a glimpse into a man I wish I'd met much sooner.
May 30, 2025
Some of the best sportswriting I've ever read. A true gem of a book that is a collection of essays the late Jack Falla wrote for this last book. Just absolutely beautiful writing, kind of reminds me of David Halberstam, my favorite writer ever. This book is a ode to the game of hockey, but also Falla's wife, Barbara. Now I really want to put skating the Rideau Canal Skateway on my bucket list because of this book. It is a MUST for hockey fans and all sports fans will enjoy as well. I actually believe NON sports fans will enjoy as much of this book is about life and growing up and the lessons we learned. A true gem of a book, was not expecting to like this as much as I did. Jack Falla is old school, and that's right up my alley. His sentence about his wife and their shared favorite player when meeting is absolutely perfect. Just gold.
December 23, 2019
Jack Falla has always been one of my favourite hockey writers (even though he is a Bruins fan), so I was not surprised I enjoyed this book so much. For anyone who loves the game of hockey, "Open Ice" is a must read. Falla's family background, French-Canadians on one side and New Englanders on the other, really positions him well to understand what the game means to many people in North America; it is far more than a sport for some, as it is interwoven with culture, family and heritage. Falla does a great job exploring that in this book through discussions of a variety of topics ranging from Rocket Richard to Hobey Baker to backyard rinks. Overall, I would strongly recommend this book.
April 8, 2018
i think its beautiful
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2021
A collection of well written vignettes about hockey, recommended for fans of the genera.
February 1, 2023
Jack really liked hockey
February 10, 2025
Review for Open Ice can be found on Hockey Blog In Canada.
November 22, 2008
One of the things I love about hockey is that as a sport, it hasn't forgotten its roots. There's the legendary Stanley Cup, the storied Original Six, and always the knowledge that this game was born outdoors in the frozen north. Even though more and more of the NHL players are prissy boys who never had the pleasure, frustration, and hard work of skating on a frozen pond or lake, there are still enough people who remember what it is like and those, like Jack Falla, who construct their own outdoor rink each winter to celebrate the sheer joy of cold air, smooth ice, and the greatest game on earth.
This collection of essays differed from his first in that not all of them revolved around his backyard rink. Many of these were beautiful biographical sketches of some of the greatest players the game has ever known. From Rocket Richard to Jean Beliveau, Hobey Baker to Georges Vezina, readers are treated to an entertaining and thoroughly interesting course in hockey history. Falla is not afraid to interject his personal views and his reflections about how hockey connects to real life are thought-provoking and sometimes very poignant.
This collection of essays differed from his first in that not all of them revolved around his backyard rink. Many of these were beautiful biographical sketches of some of the greatest players the game has ever known. From Rocket Richard to Jean Beliveau, Hobey Baker to Georges Vezina, readers are treated to an entertaining and thoroughly interesting course in hockey history. Falla is not afraid to interject his personal views and his reflections about how hockey connects to real life are thought-provoking and sometimes very poignant.
July 15, 2012
I bought this because I had read an excerpt from Home Ice (I’ll probably go back and read that sometime)and I knew that Open Ice had a piece about Georges Vezina in it. I bought this book mostly for that. My stories include a fictional shapshifting goalie who started his professional life in the 20’s and I was looking for information about Vezina.
I have to say I am embarrassed to say I bought this book for research. I wasn’t expecting to be swept away by it. Reading it was like talking to my husband, if my husband was much more articulate. Some of the essays were sad, but none of them was enjoyable.
I have to say I am embarrassed to say I bought this book for research. I wasn’t expecting to be swept away by it. Reading it was like talking to my husband, if my husband was much more articulate. Some of the essays were sad, but none of them was enjoyable.
November 24, 2009
Fantastic essays on an interesting range of hockey-related topics. There were stories that stirred the hockey fan I was growing up in Minnesota, there were stories that stirred the Bruins fan I've become. There were stories that made me miss my family, the rink at Tarnhill, the chilly fiberglass benches at the Bloomington Ice Garden. Everything stirred up was exactly what I was looking for when I picked this up off the shelf. Hockey imitating life and life imitating hockey and all throughout, lessons learned from each.
April 2, 2012
It's easy to look at the games we play (regardless of age) as just that and nothing more. Falla, to his eternal credit, elucidates how his love of hockey has translated into his life's "narrative" as he becomes a husband, father and grandfather. Taking stock of how he and the game have changed, his writing is a sublime blend of informative, compelling and witty. He's not trying to change the world here, just tell you how hockey changed his. Spend some time with it, maybe it'll change yours too.
July 5, 2011
Such a wonderful book! Falla tells of numerous events related to hockey that have shaped his life. As an avid hockey fan, I appreciated Jack's relationship to the sport. This novel would be enjoyable even for a non-hockey fan, since Falla does an excellent job of focusing on issues that are important to every person.
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July 11, 2012Jack Falla is both a fan and a player of hockey. He writes fiction and non-fiction about the sport. Open Ice, a collection of essays that capture his passion and joy in the game, is an excellent starting place for his work.
January 16, 2009
Beautiful. Mr. Falla has gone too soon.
January 13, 2009
A beautifully written journey through Jack Falla's life as a hockey writer and hockey fan.
Heartbreaking, as he died rather suddenly months after the book was published.
Heartbreaking, as he died rather suddenly months after the book was published.
January 2, 2012
It was a good book, a nice set of stories about Falla's hockey experiences and I only have one complain: this man is long winded.
August 10, 2012
More on the "reflections" side than the "confessions" side, 'Open Ice' is still an excellent testimony of a life surrounded by hockey and the love of the game.
December 20, 2012
More reflective than confessional, but Falla does a wonderful job of tying together his hockey stories with the history of the players he admires and the buildings he's visited. It was a great read.
March 6, 2013
Beautifully minimal, precise prose. If you're a hockey fan, there's no excuse for not reading Jack Falla. If you're a writing fan, reading this will be like eating a delicious, healthy meal.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews