The Big 50: Detroit Red Wings

by Helene St. James, Chris Osgood

Longtime sportswriter Helene St. James explores the living history of the team, counting down from number fifty to number one. This dynamic and comprehensive book brings to life the iconic franchise’s remarkable story, including greats like Howe, Yzerman, Lidstrom, Datsyuk, and more.

Genres: Hockey, Sports

336 pages, Paperback

Published October 13, 2020

Reviews

[Maddie Coe · Rating 5 out of 5]

In an attempt to become a better Michigander, I bought this book. The insane stories, good and bad, we’re an absolute thrill to read about. There were times I had to remind myself that this all happened. It also makes me excited for the future of the team, under the fantastic Steve Yzerman. I can’t wait to read about Mo Seider, Lucas Raymond, and Dylan Larkin in the future. And, the mentions of Andrei Vasilevskiy and Corey Perry (though he was of course with the Ducks at the time) brought smiles to my face. LGRW!

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second Helene St James book on the Detroit Red Wings I have read... and I WON'T buy another. Yes it is interesting but are there actually 50 big things in here? Not a chance. With al, the repetition and repeats...many WORD FOR WORD... I would say there are about 30 -35 different stories in here. It's poorly edited with too many spelling or grammar errors. This seemed like a rush job to get it to press. It is really a one star book but I give it another because it's on one of my favorite subjects: hockey and the Red Wings.

Helene, if you're reading this you need to invest more time in researching and digging deeper- not just rehashing old Free Press articles.

[Tracie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I left Detroit because the winters were grey and brutal. The one thing that helped me get through them was watching the Red Wings. Helene St. James has written about Detroit sports for a long time and she covers the people, rivalries, and buildings from the beginning to the present in 50 short chapters. The accident involving Konstantinov and Mnatsakanov and their grievous injuries can still make me teary eyed, but the book brought back many happy memories and made me glad I was raised in Detroit. However, any hockey fan will like this book as she relates bits of the history of the whole sport.

[Kyle Youngblood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good look into the history of the Red Wings but could be repetitive at times.

[Andrea]

2.5 stars
Each chapter repeats its so it got a bit annoying and I couldn't wait to finish this book. Felt more like it was listing off stats than telling unknown/ behind-the-scene stories.

[Dakota Riscili · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's brings good moments in red wings history