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The Fastest Game in the World: Hockey and the Globalization of Sports (Sport in World History)
The untold story of hockey's deep roots from different regions of the world, and its global, cultural impact.
Played on frozen ponds in cold northern lands, hockey seemed an especially unlikely game to gain a global following. But from its beginnings in the nineteenth century, the sport has drawn from different cultures and crossed boundaries––between Canada and the United States, across the Atlantic, and among different regions of Europe. It has been a political flashpoint within countries and internationally. And it has given rise to far-reaching cultural changes and firmly held traditions.
The Fastest Game in the World is a global history of a global sport, drawing upon research conducted around the world in a variety of languages. From Canadian prairies to Swiss mountain resorts, Soviet housing blocks to American suburbs, Bruce Berglund takes readers on an international tour, seamlessly weaving in hockey’s local, national, and international trends. Written in a lively style with wide-ranging breadth and attention to telling detail, The Fastest Game in the World will thrill both the lifelong fan and anyone who is curious about how games intertwine with politics, economics, and culture.
Played on frozen ponds in cold northern lands, hockey seemed an especially unlikely game to gain a global following. But from its beginnings in the nineteenth century, the sport has drawn from different cultures and crossed boundaries––between Canada and the United States, across the Atlantic, and among different regions of Europe. It has been a political flashpoint within countries and internationally. And it has given rise to far-reaching cultural changes and firmly held traditions.
The Fastest Game in the World is a global history of a global sport, drawing upon research conducted around the world in a variety of languages. From Canadian prairies to Swiss mountain resorts, Soviet housing blocks to American suburbs, Bruce Berglund takes readers on an international tour, seamlessly weaving in hockey’s local, national, and international trends. Written in a lively style with wide-ranging breadth and attention to telling detail, The Fastest Game in the World will thrill both the lifelong fan and anyone who is curious about how games intertwine with politics, economics, and culture.
341 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2019
About the author
Bruce Berglund
32 books5 followersA proud son of Duluth, Minnesota, who has spent long stretches in Kansas and Michigan and shorter stints in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovenia. I'm now back in Prague, where I teach history and writing.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 24, 2026
The fastest game in the world
- I want to learn more about hockey
- Canes in six
- Ooh, this is exactly what I wanted. This is not a book about the history of the NHL, this a book about the hockey world, globalization, economics, culture, youth, macro and micro
- It is a global game but still a small community
- 1/4 of the NHL comes from outside North America. Is that the most of the four sports?
- It is a rich kids sport. It is a blue collar sport, played by the white collar
- Like all sports, people believe that it is good for character and life development
- Why do these people in this area gravitate to this game? Minnesota and Wisconsin are next to each other with similar demographics. Hockey is not big in Wisconsin but is huge in Minnesota. Similar for Colorado (small) and Massachusetts (big). He mentioned two European countries that have a similar discrepancy
- The sport has seen tremendous growth. Hockey use to be limited to the Northern Hemisphere, primarily North America and Europe. The International Hockey Federation, has +70 members, dozens from the Southern Hemisphere
- Hockey is Canada’s game, not possessive but hockey is everything to Canadians
- Christian athleticism - that was toxic and unsurprising
The history of hockey
- Canada did not invent hockey, they innovated it. Hockey developed from various different games that were played in Europe, North America, and indigenous groups, during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. It came from skate, stick, and ball sports
- Professional privately owned sports franchises are a wholly North American idea. European teams were clubs and many still are. They are clubs with dues paying members
- Wow, wild | but makes sense how they are more integrated into the community
- Hockey and baseball created the private sports franchise
- It was hockey that created the closed league without regulation. He explains it better in the book. I think it has to do with keeping players with teams, increasing competition, and money
Wow this book is exactly what I was looking for, well written and comprehensive. A book that I could be keep notes from every page
- American culture dominated Canada, while Canada supplied the raw materials for the growing American economy
- By the ‘30s the NHL had solidified itself as the dominate hockey league in NA
- The league lost teams from smaller markets. Larger cities meant larger attendance, better arenas, more money, and better players. From ‘35 for the next few decades, Canada only had teams in two cities, Toronto and Montreal. The only Canadian cities that had populations greater than half a million
- Hockey and baseball are the reason why we have private teams and closed leagues
- The only publicly owned NA major sports team in the Packers
- Ice skating was once for both genders. By the ‘40s it had split, hockey for boys, figure skating for girls
- It was only briefly a hit in Europe, between the wars
- The depression and wars hit hockey
- In NA, USSR, and the nordic countries hockey continued to grow
- Hockey rose in the USSR, it was launched explicitly as an ideological tool
- The Soviets dominated hockey on the international stage. Their string of nine consecutive world championships is greater than the Celtics 8 and UCLA’s 7
- Canadian hockey was a more aggressive and violent game, the Russians played with more speed
- The summit series in ’72 - eight games between the Canadians and the Soviets. The Canadian game winner in game eight is a national icon
- A big section on Canada, USSR, nordic countries, international hockey, the differences in styles, nationalism, and geo political things
- The rise of hockey in Sweden and Finland
- Hockey absolutely exploded in some countries and states
- Hockey is the most important sport in Minnesota. The high school state championship is one of the most competitive high school championships in the country. Each year the Wild give up their arena for a week for the tournament to be played to a sold out crowd
- The silly debate of amateur v professional. How did this go for so long, across the sports world? Let them make money
- This section was about the olympics, Canadians being pros and not playing at the Olympics or some international stage, other countries getting around the rules. It is all so silly
- The Soviets innovated regimented training programs. They took a scientific and disciplined approach to training
- Soviet coaches are some of the most important figures in the history of hockey
- The Soviets were using an early version of analytics
- The three biggest figures in the book are Canadian hockey, Soviet hockey, and the NHL
- Hockey night in Canada, Saturday
- Hockey was a radio sport for many years and expanded when it was broadcast on TV
- In the 70’s when cable TV and VHS grew, people watched less hockey because there was more on TV and more hockey on TV. More than one day a week was too much? That is nothing compared to what we have know
- Players were not required to wear helmets until the ’80 season - WTF | how are they still not wearing full face masks
- The original six teams ’25-’67
- Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Montreal, New York, Toronto
- The expanded six ’68 | The largest expansion at one time by any of the major sports leagues
- LA, Minnesota, Oakland, Philly, Pittsburg, St. Louis
- Oakland would move to Cleveland in ’76 and fold in ’78
- Minnesota would move to Dallas in ’93.
- ’70 season was when the third Canadian team joined, the Vancouver Canucks. The Buffalo Sabres joined the same year
- ’72 - Islanders and Atlanta | Atlanta would move to Calgary in ’80
- The NHL merged with the WHA in ’79
- Edmonton, Hartford, Winnipeg, Quebec
- Quebec would move to Colorado in ’95
- Canadian hockey was a violet game. Coaches and parents encouraged aggression and fighting in youth hockey - that is gross
- Canada had to reckon with and tone down the violence in their national game
- What changed in sports in the ‘80s - money. Money changed everything; franchises valuations, media rights deal, merchandise, player salaries, etc
- Gretzky’s salary was good for players but would ultimately lead to lockouts and player strikes. Players salary’s would quadruple but were not associated with media rights deals.
- The Miracle On Ice caused a huge boom in hockey, it was the reason ABC covered the entire Olympics, it was a game changer
- What was wrong with Canadian hockey: low youth enrollment, overzealous parents, cost, a win at all costs mentality, Canada not developing talented young players
- Canada has long been arrogant and taken their status as the creators of hockey for granted. They have been beaten many times on the international stage
- Title 9 and expansion of women’s hockey. An ‘86 Canadian court case that ensured equality opportunity in sports
- Women’s hockey expanded in the ’90s and ‘00s. Canada did not have scholarships, Canadians and other international students were coming to American universities to play hockey
- Women’s hockey was first in the ’98 Nagano olympics. US women have had significant success on the international stage
- This was a great section about women’s hockey
The ‘90s
- Disney and the Ducks
- Marketing, merchandise, branding
- 104 new stadiums/arenas were built across the five sports
- The fall of the wall | in ‘90 10% of the NHL was foreign players, in ‘00 it was 30%
- The fall of the wall created a world of haves and have nots. Some European leagues expanded and others folded. Most hockey leagues are closed systems with privately owned teams, modeled off the NHL
- The athletic brain drain of countries, with athletes leaving to play and train in the NHL
- The struggle of smaller Canadian markets to hold on to their teams
- Gary Bettman - he actually came from the NBA. The NHL saw what happened to the NBA in the ‘80s and they wanted in
- Russia, Putin, and geopolitics
- In almost all of his interviews the cost of youth hockey came up, it is prohibitively expensive
- As much as we would like it to be bigger, hockey will always be a niche a sport. It is a global game but still niche
- What is the commonality of hockey - nostalgia. I did not really follow that statement but it was one of the closing statements
- The warming climate has decreased the number of outdoor rinks and rinks on natural spaces. This has impacted hockey
- Some other closing statements
- I loved this book, it was exactly what I was looking for. I love hockey, sports are amazing
- I want to learn more about hockey
- Canes in six
- Ooh, this is exactly what I wanted. This is not a book about the history of the NHL, this a book about the hockey world, globalization, economics, culture, youth, macro and micro
- It is a global game but still a small community
- 1/4 of the NHL comes from outside North America. Is that the most of the four sports?
- It is a rich kids sport. It is a blue collar sport, played by the white collar
- Like all sports, people believe that it is good for character and life development
- Why do these people in this area gravitate to this game? Minnesota and Wisconsin are next to each other with similar demographics. Hockey is not big in Wisconsin but is huge in Minnesota. Similar for Colorado (small) and Massachusetts (big). He mentioned two European countries that have a similar discrepancy
- The sport has seen tremendous growth. Hockey use to be limited to the Northern Hemisphere, primarily North America and Europe. The International Hockey Federation, has +70 members, dozens from the Southern Hemisphere
- Hockey is Canada’s game, not possessive but hockey is everything to Canadians
- Christian athleticism - that was toxic and unsurprising
The history of hockey
- Canada did not invent hockey, they innovated it. Hockey developed from various different games that were played in Europe, North America, and indigenous groups, during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. It came from skate, stick, and ball sports
- Professional privately owned sports franchises are a wholly North American idea. European teams were clubs and many still are. They are clubs with dues paying members
- Wow, wild | but makes sense how they are more integrated into the community
- Hockey and baseball created the private sports franchise
- It was hockey that created the closed league without regulation. He explains it better in the book. I think it has to do with keeping players with teams, increasing competition, and money
Wow this book is exactly what I was looking for, well written and comprehensive. A book that I could be keep notes from every page
- American culture dominated Canada, while Canada supplied the raw materials for the growing American economy
- By the ‘30s the NHL had solidified itself as the dominate hockey league in NA
- The league lost teams from smaller markets. Larger cities meant larger attendance, better arenas, more money, and better players. From ‘35 for the next few decades, Canada only had teams in two cities, Toronto and Montreal. The only Canadian cities that had populations greater than half a million
- Hockey and baseball are the reason why we have private teams and closed leagues
- The only publicly owned NA major sports team in the Packers
- Ice skating was once for both genders. By the ‘40s it had split, hockey for boys, figure skating for girls
- It was only briefly a hit in Europe, between the wars
- The depression and wars hit hockey
- In NA, USSR, and the nordic countries hockey continued to grow
- Hockey rose in the USSR, it was launched explicitly as an ideological tool
- The Soviets dominated hockey on the international stage. Their string of nine consecutive world championships is greater than the Celtics 8 and UCLA’s 7
- Canadian hockey was a more aggressive and violent game, the Russians played with more speed
- The summit series in ’72 - eight games between the Canadians and the Soviets. The Canadian game winner in game eight is a national icon
- A big section on Canada, USSR, nordic countries, international hockey, the differences in styles, nationalism, and geo political things
- The rise of hockey in Sweden and Finland
- Hockey absolutely exploded in some countries and states
- Hockey is the most important sport in Minnesota. The high school state championship is one of the most competitive high school championships in the country. Each year the Wild give up their arena for a week for the tournament to be played to a sold out crowd
- The silly debate of amateur v professional. How did this go for so long, across the sports world? Let them make money
- This section was about the olympics, Canadians being pros and not playing at the Olympics or some international stage, other countries getting around the rules. It is all so silly
- The Soviets innovated regimented training programs. They took a scientific and disciplined approach to training
- Soviet coaches are some of the most important figures in the history of hockey
- The Soviets were using an early version of analytics
- The three biggest figures in the book are Canadian hockey, Soviet hockey, and the NHL
- Hockey night in Canada, Saturday
- Hockey was a radio sport for many years and expanded when it was broadcast on TV
- In the 70’s when cable TV and VHS grew, people watched less hockey because there was more on TV and more hockey on TV. More than one day a week was too much? That is nothing compared to what we have know
- Players were not required to wear helmets until the ’80 season - WTF | how are they still not wearing full face masks
- The original six teams ’25-’67
- Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Montreal, New York, Toronto
- The expanded six ’68 | The largest expansion at one time by any of the major sports leagues
- LA, Minnesota, Oakland, Philly, Pittsburg, St. Louis
- Oakland would move to Cleveland in ’76 and fold in ’78
- Minnesota would move to Dallas in ’93.
- ’70 season was when the third Canadian team joined, the Vancouver Canucks. The Buffalo Sabres joined the same year
- ’72 - Islanders and Atlanta | Atlanta would move to Calgary in ’80
- The NHL merged with the WHA in ’79
- Edmonton, Hartford, Winnipeg, Quebec
- Quebec would move to Colorado in ’95
- Canadian hockey was a violet game. Coaches and parents encouraged aggression and fighting in youth hockey - that is gross
- Canada had to reckon with and tone down the violence in their national game
- What changed in sports in the ‘80s - money. Money changed everything; franchises valuations, media rights deal, merchandise, player salaries, etc
- Gretzky’s salary was good for players but would ultimately lead to lockouts and player strikes. Players salary’s would quadruple but were not associated with media rights deals.
- The Miracle On Ice caused a huge boom in hockey, it was the reason ABC covered the entire Olympics, it was a game changer
- What was wrong with Canadian hockey: low youth enrollment, overzealous parents, cost, a win at all costs mentality, Canada not developing talented young players
- Canada has long been arrogant and taken their status as the creators of hockey for granted. They have been beaten many times on the international stage
- Title 9 and expansion of women’s hockey. An ‘86 Canadian court case that ensured equality opportunity in sports
- Women’s hockey expanded in the ’90s and ‘00s. Canada did not have scholarships, Canadians and other international students were coming to American universities to play hockey
- Women’s hockey was first in the ’98 Nagano olympics. US women have had significant success on the international stage
- This was a great section about women’s hockey
The ‘90s
- Disney and the Ducks
- Marketing, merchandise, branding
- 104 new stadiums/arenas were built across the five sports
- The fall of the wall | in ‘90 10% of the NHL was foreign players, in ‘00 it was 30%
- The fall of the wall created a world of haves and have nots. Some European leagues expanded and others folded. Most hockey leagues are closed systems with privately owned teams, modeled off the NHL
- The athletic brain drain of countries, with athletes leaving to play and train in the NHL
- The struggle of smaller Canadian markets to hold on to their teams
- Gary Bettman - he actually came from the NBA. The NHL saw what happened to the NBA in the ‘80s and they wanted in
- Russia, Putin, and geopolitics
- In almost all of his interviews the cost of youth hockey came up, it is prohibitively expensive
- As much as we would like it to be bigger, hockey will always be a niche a sport. It is a global game but still niche
- What is the commonality of hockey - nostalgia. I did not really follow that statement but it was one of the closing statements
- The warming climate has decreased the number of outdoor rinks and rinks on natural spaces. This has impacted hockey
- Some other closing statements
- I loved this book, it was exactly what I was looking for. I love hockey, sports are amazing
January 19, 2026
Very greatly enjoyed and easily could have read 100 more pages. This was both easy to read and consistently interesting and engaging.
April 30, 2023
Съвети за правене на печеливши спортни залагания
Следните съвети имат за цел да ви помогнат да направите положителен онлайн залог. Вижте тази страница - нашето ръководство заспортни залагания в България. Разбира се, това не гарантира вашите печалби. Може би по-важното е, да се насладим на тръпката от любимото ни забавление:
Определете бюджета си
Този съвет е изключително важен, независимо дали залагате онлайн или офлайн. Все още можете да се задръстите в онлайн залаганията, така че е жизненоважно да зададете праг за вашите средни стойности. Вашият бюджет трябва да бъде сума, която можете да си позволите. Ако се придържате към предварително определен бюджет, можете да си гарантирате спокойствие в случай на емоционални и прибързани действия.
Сравнете коефициентите на различни букмейкъри
По всяка вероятност много фенове на спортните залагания често се чудят къде е най-доброто място за залагане. Според нас винаги трябва да разглеждате коефициентите, предлагани от различните букмейкъри и разбира се да изберете този, който предлага най-високите коефициенти за определено спортно събитие. Това е една от основните причини, поради които е добра идея да имате акаунти, регистрирани в повече от един сайт за залагания.
Прочетете правилата за залагане и бонус офертите
Основните правила за повечето залагания са сравнително ясни, но могат да варират между различните компании за онлайн спортни залагания. Затова отделете няколко минути, за да научите повече за правилата на залозите, които ви интересуват. Също така е важно да обърнете внимание на условията за бонуси и промоционални оферти, които трябва да изпълните, за да се възползвате от тях. Също така следете за специални оферти и промоции, които много сайтове за спортни залагания предлагат на своите клиенти. Те се предлагат в различни форми, като връщане на пари за определени залози или увеличени коефициенти за определен залог.
Спортове, на които мога да залагам онлайн
Най-популярните спортове, на които се залага онлайн, всъщност са най-известните спортове: футбол, волейбол, баскетбол, тенис, бокс, ММА, конни надбягвания. Важно е да се отбележи, че производителите на катарами предлагат доста широка гама от спортове, включително дартс, крикет, футзал и др.
Футбол
Няма съмнение, че спортът на върха в световната ранглиста, разбира се, е футболът. Този спорт има най-голям интерес в световен мащаб, затова букмейкърите му обръщат голямо внимание и се стремят да предложат възможно най-много възможности за залагане и високи коефициенти. Залаганията на футбол онлайн са най-популярни сред комарджиите.
Баскетбол
Следва добре познатият спорт – баскетболът. Този спорт дължи голямата си популярност на американското първенство на НБА. За него пазарите, предлагани от онлайн букмейкърите, са най-много и се предлагат много разнообразни опции за залагане.
тенис
Тенисът е друг изключително популярен спорт, който привлича вниманието на милиони хора по света. Онлайн тенис залаганията са добре развити и можете да се възползвате от многото допълнителни залози, предлагани на големи турнири.
Волейбол
Волейболът също е неизменна част от всеки сайт за спортни залагания. Основните видове залози, които се предлагат, са победител в мача, точен резултат от сета, хендикап, общ брой точки и победител в първия сет. Равенство не съществува.
Бокс
Боксът определено е перлата в короната на спортните залагания. Ако искате вашите боксови залози да бъдат успешни, трябва да се поинтересувате за моментното състояние на боксьорите в мача и колко са амбициозни. Не можем да се оплачем и от липсата на оферти с високи коефициенти, когато става дума за онлайн залагания на бокс.
Конно надбягване
Състезанията между коне на хиподрума привличат вниманието на любителите на спортните залагания поради изключително високите коефициенти, които се предлагат за този тип състезания. Това е чудесна възможност да направите голяма печалба, дори и с малък залог. Това е един спорт, който няма недостиг на изненади, така че трябва да го познавате много подробно, ако искате да се увенчаете с успешен залог.
Следните съвети имат за цел да ви помогнат да направите положителен онлайн залог. Вижте тази страница - нашето ръководство заспортни залагания в България. Разбира се, това не гарантира вашите печалби. Може би по-важното е, да се насладим на тръпката от любимото ни забавление:
Определете бюджета си
Този съвет е изключително важен, независимо дали залагате онлайн или офлайн. Все още можете да се задръстите в онлайн залаганията, така че е жизненоважно да зададете праг за вашите средни стойности. Вашият бюджет трябва да бъде сума, която можете да си позволите. Ако се придържате към предварително определен бюджет, можете да си гарантирате спокойствие в случай на емоционални и прибързани действия.
Сравнете коефициентите на различни букмейкъри
По всяка вероятност много фенове на спортните залагания често се чудят къде е най-доброто място за залагане. Според нас винаги трябва да разглеждате коефициентите, предлагани от различните букмейкъри и разбира се да изберете този, който предлага най-високите коефициенти за определено спортно събитие. Това е една от основните причини, поради които е добра идея да имате акаунти, регистрирани в повече от един сайт за залагания.
Прочетете правилата за залагане и бонус офертите
Основните правила за повечето залагания са сравнително ясни, но могат да варират между различните компании за онлайн спортни залагания. Затова отделете няколко минути, за да научите повече за правилата на залозите, които ви интересуват. Също така е важно да обърнете внимание на условията за бонуси и промоционални оферти, които трябва да изпълните, за да се възползвате от тях. Също така следете за специални оферти и промоции, които много сайтове за спортни залагания предлагат на своите клиенти. Те се предлагат в различни форми, като връщане на пари за определени залози или увеличени коефициенти за определен залог.
Спортове, на които мога да залагам онлайн
Най-популярните спортове, на които се залага онлайн, всъщност са най-известните спортове: футбол, волейбол, баскетбол, тенис, бокс, ММА, конни надбягвания. Важно е да се отбележи, че производителите на катарами предлагат доста широка гама от спортове, включително дартс, крикет, футзал и др.
Футбол
Няма съмнение, че спортът на върха в световната ранглиста, разбира се, е футболът. Този спорт има най-голям интерес в световен мащаб, затова букмейкърите му обръщат голямо внимание и се стремят да предложат възможно най-много възможности за залагане и високи коефициенти. Залаганията на футбол онлайн са най-популярни сред комарджиите.
Баскетбол
Следва добре познатият спорт – баскетболът. Този спорт дължи голямата си популярност на американското първенство на НБА. За него пазарите, предлагани от онлайн букмейкърите, са най-много и се предлагат много разнообразни опции за залагане.
тенис
Тенисът е друг изключително популярен спорт, който привлича вниманието на милиони хора по света. Онлайн тенис залаганията са добре развити и можете да се възползвате от многото допълнителни залози, предлагани на големи турнири.
Волейбол
Волейболът също е неизменна част от всеки сайт за спортни залагания. Основните видове залози, които се предлагат, са победител в мача, точен резултат от сета, хендикап, общ брой точки и победител в първия сет. Равенство не съществува.
Бокс
Боксът определено е перлата в короната на спортните залагания. Ако искате вашите боксови залози да бъдат успешни, трябва да се поинтересувате за моментното състояние на боксьорите в мача и колко са амбициозни. Не можем да се оплачем и от липсата на оферти с високи коефициенти, когато става дума за онлайн залагания на бокс.
Конно надбягване
Състезанията между коне на хиподрума привличат вниманието на любителите на спортните залагания поради изключително високите коефициенти, които се предлагат за този тип състезания. Това е чудесна възможност да направите голяма печалба, дори и с малък залог. Това е един спорт, който няма недостиг на изненади, така че трябва да го познавате много подробно, ако искате да се увенчаете с успешен залог.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2023
Alapvető fogadási készségek fejlesztése
Sok általános tévhit létezik a sportfogadásokkal kapcsolatban. Némelyikük teljesen ártalmatlan, de néhányuk téves benyomást kelthet az emberekben a sportfogadásról. Azok számára, akiket érdekel, hogy megbízható magyarországi fogadóirodákat találjanak online, ajánljuk ezt a linket, ahol útmutatónk segít ebben a feladatban!
A sportfogadás a szerencséről szól
Sportfogadásból lehetetlen nyerni
A sportfogadásokon könnyű nyerni
A lista második és harmadik tévhite egyértelműen ellentmond egymásnak. Nyilván mindkettőnek nem lehet igaza, és egyiknek sincs igaza, de kezdjük az előbbivel, ha a sportfogadásban rejlő szerencséről van szó.
A sportfogadás a szerencsejáték egy formája, és minden szerencsejátékhoz legalább bizonyos fokú szerencsére van szükség. Egyesek több szerencsét igényelnek, mint mások. Vegyük például a kaszinó játékgépeket. Nem igényelnek szakértelmet. Csak kifizeti a pénzét, és reméli, hogy a tárcsák nyerő kombinációt pörögnek. A szerencse az egyetlen tényező, amely meghatározza, hogy nyersz vagy veszítesz. Valójában ugyanez mondható el a legtöbb kaszinójátékról, bár némelyiküknek van valamilyen készségeleme.
A lottó a szerencséről szól, akárcsak a bingó. A sportfogadás azonban más. Ez a szerencsejáték egy olyan formája, ahol NEM a szerencse a hajtóerő. Noha van egy kis szerencse is, a sportesemények kimenetele természetesen nem teljesen véletlenszerű. Lehetőség van a tudás, a készség és a stratégia kombinációjával megjósolni, hogy mi fog történni. A sikeres sportfogadók ezt nagyon jól meg tudják csinálni, és ezért nyernek folyamatosan. Nem azért, mert mindenkinél boldogabbak.
Már maga a tény, hogy létezik sikeres sportfogadás, egyértelművé teszi, hogy a győzelem nem lehetetlen. Az emberek ma veszítenek, igen, de többféle ok miatt. Persze nem azért, mert lehetetlen a győzelem. Elméletileg bárki pénzt kereshet a sportfogadásokból a megfelelő megközelítéssel. És higgyen nekünk, rengeteg ember van, aki megteszi.
Az az elképzelés azonban, hogy nyerni könnyű, távol áll az igazságtól. Sok újonc a sportfogadásban tévesen azt hiszi, hogy a pénz kereséséhez mindössze annyit kell tennie, hogy pontosan megjósolja a sportesemények (például egy Premier League-mérkőzés - lásd itt) kimenetelét. Feltételezik, hogy képesek lesznek ezekre a pontos előrejelzésekre, ha eleget ismernek a sportágról. Sajnos teljesen tévednek.
A sportfogadások egyik fő célja a pontos előrejelzés. Ez nyilvánvaló. És ha valaki következetesen pontosan meg tudná jósolni a sportfogadások kimenetelét, akkor sok pénzt keresne. Ez azonban egyszerűen nem lehetséges. Még az enciklopédikus sportismeretek mellett is túlságosan kiszámíthatatlan a sport.
A sikeres sportfogadók nemcsak pontos előrejelzéseket tudnak készíteni, hanem azt is meg tudják határozni, hogy az esélyek mikor vannak kedvező helyen a fogadás megtételére. Ezen túlmenően ezek a fogadóirodák tudják, hogyan kell megfelelően kezelni bankrolljaikat, és hatékonyan végezni minden szükséges kutatást és elemzést. Röviden: a sikeres sportfogadás követelményei túlmutatnak az alapos sporttudáson.
A sportfogadás bevezetőjének harmadik részében található cikkek segítenek megérteni ezeket a követelményeket. Még jobb, hogy segítenek a sikerhez szükséges készségek fejlesztésében. Kezdőknek szólnak, így az információk és tanácsok meglehetősen alapvetőek. Nagyon könnyen érthetőnek kell lennie.
Valóban fejleszteni szeretné fogadási készségeit? Akkor legalább szánjon időt a következő két cikk elolvasására. Tele vannak nagyon egyszerű tippekkel, amelyek segítenek a kezdetektől fogva jó fogadási szokások kialakításában, és megakadályozzák, hogy túl sok költséges hibát kövessen el.
Sok általános tévhit létezik a sportfogadásokkal kapcsolatban. Némelyikük teljesen ártalmatlan, de néhányuk téves benyomást kelthet az emberekben a sportfogadásról. Azok számára, akiket érdekel, hogy megbízható magyarországi fogadóirodákat találjanak online, ajánljuk ezt a linket, ahol útmutatónk segít ebben a feladatban!
A sportfogadás a szerencséről szól
Sportfogadásból lehetetlen nyerni
A sportfogadásokon könnyű nyerni
A lista második és harmadik tévhite egyértelműen ellentmond egymásnak. Nyilván mindkettőnek nem lehet igaza, és egyiknek sincs igaza, de kezdjük az előbbivel, ha a sportfogadásban rejlő szerencséről van szó.
A sportfogadás a szerencsejáték egy formája, és minden szerencsejátékhoz legalább bizonyos fokú szerencsére van szükség. Egyesek több szerencsét igényelnek, mint mások. Vegyük például a kaszinó játékgépeket. Nem igényelnek szakértelmet. Csak kifizeti a pénzét, és reméli, hogy a tárcsák nyerő kombinációt pörögnek. A szerencse az egyetlen tényező, amely meghatározza, hogy nyersz vagy veszítesz. Valójában ugyanez mondható el a legtöbb kaszinójátékról, bár némelyiküknek van valamilyen készségeleme.
A lottó a szerencséről szól, akárcsak a bingó. A sportfogadás azonban más. Ez a szerencsejáték egy olyan formája, ahol NEM a szerencse a hajtóerő. Noha van egy kis szerencse is, a sportesemények kimenetele természetesen nem teljesen véletlenszerű. Lehetőség van a tudás, a készség és a stratégia kombinációjával megjósolni, hogy mi fog történni. A sikeres sportfogadók ezt nagyon jól meg tudják csinálni, és ezért nyernek folyamatosan. Nem azért, mert mindenkinél boldogabbak.
Már maga a tény, hogy létezik sikeres sportfogadás, egyértelművé teszi, hogy a győzelem nem lehetetlen. Az emberek ma veszítenek, igen, de többféle ok miatt. Persze nem azért, mert lehetetlen a győzelem. Elméletileg bárki pénzt kereshet a sportfogadásokból a megfelelő megközelítéssel. És higgyen nekünk, rengeteg ember van, aki megteszi.
Az az elképzelés azonban, hogy nyerni könnyű, távol áll az igazságtól. Sok újonc a sportfogadásban tévesen azt hiszi, hogy a pénz kereséséhez mindössze annyit kell tennie, hogy pontosan megjósolja a sportesemények (például egy Premier League-mérkőzés - lásd itt) kimenetelét. Feltételezik, hogy képesek lesznek ezekre a pontos előrejelzésekre, ha eleget ismernek a sportágról. Sajnos teljesen tévednek.
A sportfogadások egyik fő célja a pontos előrejelzés. Ez nyilvánvaló. És ha valaki következetesen pontosan meg tudná jósolni a sportfogadások kimenetelét, akkor sok pénzt keresne. Ez azonban egyszerűen nem lehetséges. Még az enciklopédikus sportismeretek mellett is túlságosan kiszámíthatatlan a sport.
A sikeres sportfogadók nemcsak pontos előrejelzéseket tudnak készíteni, hanem azt is meg tudják határozni, hogy az esélyek mikor vannak kedvező helyen a fogadás megtételére. Ezen túlmenően ezek a fogadóirodák tudják, hogyan kell megfelelően kezelni bankrolljaikat, és hatékonyan végezni minden szükséges kutatást és elemzést. Röviden: a sikeres sportfogadás követelményei túlmutatnak az alapos sporttudáson.
A sportfogadás bevezetőjének harmadik részében található cikkek segítenek megérteni ezeket a követelményeket. Még jobb, hogy segítenek a sikerhez szükséges készségek fejlesztésében. Kezdőknek szólnak, így az információk és tanácsok meglehetősen alapvetőek. Nagyon könnyen érthetőnek kell lennie.
Valóban fejleszteni szeretné fogadási készségeit? Akkor legalább szánjon időt a következő két cikk elolvasására. Tele vannak nagyon egyszerű tippekkel, amelyek segítenek a kezdetektől fogva jó fogadási szokások kialakításában, és megakadályozzák, hogy túl sok költséges hibát kövessen el.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2026
The Fastest Game in the World. Hockey and the Globalization of Sports
By Bruce Berglund
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this book about the history of ice hockey, but I was pleasantly surprised and learned quite a bit. Having grown up with hockey in Michigan, I knew that Canada was King and the USA has grown to be a powerhouse, but it really took the USA Development program to get the USA in the running. (I write this 2 weeks after the USA beat Canada for the Gold in men, women’s, and para-olympic hockey).
What I didn’t know was that Europe was playing a form of hockey at the same time it developed in Canada. They called it “bandy”, using a ball. In the 1890’s, hockey was being played in Edmonton, London, Berlin, and Vienna.
In Canada, hockey was mostly for the wealthier folks who attended elite schools. Over the years it became more of a working class sport. As we know now, it is once again, a sport for the wealthy. The average parent spends about $7,000 per year in 2017 compared to all other sports who paid about $2,000/year. Needless to say, hockey requires money.
The author looks at many factors across the world that helped sports grow, not just hockey. He looks at how the NFL has grown and made money, and how clubs in Canada is where the feeder system grew future NHL players and how college hockey grew future NHL players in the states.
He also looks at how girls/women were kept out of hockey for years and gave them figure skates for their winter pleasure. Eddie Shorey from the Boston Bruins helped launch the Ice Capades in 1940 for women. Title IX was a critical factor in developing womens sports, in particularly women’s hockey. The college teams were better equipped than the European teams by far.
The authors view of hockey from the global perspective was fascinating helping me understand how Europe and Russia developed their players and their own leagues like the KHL.
A few facts that were surprising to me;
More Canadiens watched the Super Bowl than the Stanley Cup Finals
Game 7 of Stanley Cup in 2019 between Boston and St. Louis drew 8.7 million viewers in the US, one of the largest audiences in years….yet 11..8 million Americans watched the World Cup in 2018 which was between France and Croatia!
More Americans watched the 2010 olympic men’s hockey than the deciding game of the world series, the NCAA basketball championship, or the NBA finals
It is interesting to note that the olympics is where the nations really get behind their teams, not the NHL.
For anyone interested in hockey or sports in general, this was a great book.
By Bruce Berglund
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this book about the history of ice hockey, but I was pleasantly surprised and learned quite a bit. Having grown up with hockey in Michigan, I knew that Canada was King and the USA has grown to be a powerhouse, but it really took the USA Development program to get the USA in the running. (I write this 2 weeks after the USA beat Canada for the Gold in men, women’s, and para-olympic hockey).
What I didn’t know was that Europe was playing a form of hockey at the same time it developed in Canada. They called it “bandy”, using a ball. In the 1890’s, hockey was being played in Edmonton, London, Berlin, and Vienna.
In Canada, hockey was mostly for the wealthier folks who attended elite schools. Over the years it became more of a working class sport. As we know now, it is once again, a sport for the wealthy. The average parent spends about $7,000 per year in 2017 compared to all other sports who paid about $2,000/year. Needless to say, hockey requires money.
The author looks at many factors across the world that helped sports grow, not just hockey. He looks at how the NFL has grown and made money, and how clubs in Canada is where the feeder system grew future NHL players and how college hockey grew future NHL players in the states.
He also looks at how girls/women were kept out of hockey for years and gave them figure skates for their winter pleasure. Eddie Shorey from the Boston Bruins helped launch the Ice Capades in 1940 for women. Title IX was a critical factor in developing womens sports, in particularly women’s hockey. The college teams were better equipped than the European teams by far.
The authors view of hockey from the global perspective was fascinating helping me understand how Europe and Russia developed their players and their own leagues like the KHL.
A few facts that were surprising to me;
More Canadiens watched the Super Bowl than the Stanley Cup Finals
Game 7 of Stanley Cup in 2019 between Boston and St. Louis drew 8.7 million viewers in the US, one of the largest audiences in years….yet 11..8 million Americans watched the World Cup in 2018 which was between France and Croatia!
More Americans watched the 2010 olympic men’s hockey than the deciding game of the world series, the NCAA basketball championship, or the NBA finals
It is interesting to note that the olympics is where the nations really get behind their teams, not the NHL.
For anyone interested in hockey or sports in general, this was a great book.
January 22, 2022
Much like the title says, this is a look at how hockey became a global sport, something beyond that played in Canada. Berglund gives due focus to the development of the sport in the US, Western Europe, and Russia, showing that while hockey may have first been codified in Canada, it grew in parallel in all these regions as well. In particular it is good to have a focus on regions like Germany, Scandinavia, and Czechoslovakia here, as they are often only quickly mentioned in other histories of the game. Berglund also shows how the different regions interacted with each other, borrowing ideas and further refining their own aspects to make hockey the sport that it is today, in both good and bad terms.
If there is one thing to critique, it is that the book is quite short (about 250 pages of text), while it's clear that Berglund could easily write much more, and not have it become bloated or dragging on.
While an academic book (with copious citations in multiple languages), it is easily accessible, and something that would appeal to both those looking for a scholarly work on the subject, and people looking for a solid history of hockey.
If there is one thing to critique, it is that the book is quite short (about 250 pages of text), while it's clear that Berglund could easily write much more, and not have it become bloated or dragging on.
While an academic book (with copious citations in multiple languages), it is easily accessible, and something that would appeal to both those looking for a scholarly work on the subject, and people looking for a solid history of hockey.
September 14, 2021
As the author's wife may have said best, "it's a hockey book, but it's not about hockey." Berglund has constructed a superb cultural history tracing the flow of people, money, and thought back and forth between nations. He shows how a simple idea -- "Hey! Let's run around on ice and hit stuff with sticks!" -- is systematized, elaborated upon, shared, and ultimately monetized. And he does so in a way that (unlike the previous sentence) is charming and accessible.
By showing hockey's true evolution, Berglund sets it in context and shows it both influenced and was influenced by national and world events. There's lots of "big" history here, but what I really appreciated was coming away with a better understanding of why the new hockey arena and next year's world championships are so important to my adopted hometown of Tampere -- and that's just based on a few passing paragraphs in a book filled with insights.
By showing hockey's true evolution, Berglund sets it in context and shows it both influenced and was influenced by national and world events. There's lots of "big" history here, but what I really appreciated was coming away with a better understanding of why the new hockey arena and next year's world championships are so important to my adopted hometown of Tampere -- and that's just based on a few passing paragraphs in a book filled with insights.
February 1, 2023
Easily the best hockey book this hockey fan has ever come across. And it's not just about hockey. Berglund's prodigious research allows him to roam across culture, economics, history, tradition, geo-politics -- and, oh yeah, the gradual development of the game we know. His knowledge of European culture as it applies to hockey is especially impressive, considering that so much writing about the game traditionally starts and ends with Canada. As an academic, Berglund is predisposed to write as an observer rather than as a cheerleader. The only complaint with this book is that it's not long enough. One suspects Berglund has much more fascinating information that he could impart if allowed a few more chapters.
November 11, 2021
I am not a hockey fan. Bruce Berglund does weave a historical and geopolitical story about life and how hockey has affected all of us. Because he talks in broad strokes about how the game developed and why, in addition to the inside scoop about hockey events, countries, and personalities this is a fascinating, entertaining and educational read. This is a five-star recommendation to buy and read.
The Fastest Game in the World: Hockey and the Globalization of Sports (Volume 6)
The Fastest Game in the World: Hockey and the Globalization of Sports (Volume 6)
January 5, 2023
If you read only four pages in this book, check out Berglund's description of mid-century Minnesota youth hockey as "a tale of two cities": Eveleth, with its scrappy community teams, and the booming Minneapolis suburb of Edina.
"Unlike the sons of immigrant miners who had brought the state title back to Eveleth each winter," writes Berglund, "Edina's hockey players were the sons of executives."
I reviewed The Fastest Game in the World for the Duluth News Tribune.
"Unlike the sons of immigrant miners who had brought the state title back to Eveleth each winter," writes Berglund, "Edina's hockey players were the sons of executives."
I reviewed The Fastest Game in the World for the Duluth News Tribune.
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March 5, 2022I really really enjoyed this book. Berglund uses hockey as a lens to look at the globalization of sports in an engaging way. While this doesn't feel as complete as David Goldblatt's The Ball Is Round: A Global History of Soccer, Berglund is more critical here, providing important insights into hockey, its development, and specifically one of the best treatments and critiques of youth sports I've read.
February 5, 2021
Berglund does a nice job of tracing the evolution of hockey from bandy to a hockey puck. Fits in the international story of hockey and its role in politics. Also inserts growth of women's hockey and how youth hockey has evolved.
January 3, 2021
A history book, with hockey as a backdrop. Easy read. Very informative.
June 15, 2021
Comprehensive, detailed history of this great sport. Incredible details of the international aspects of the game. Learned a lot.
September 18, 2021
Recommended for all hockey fans.
July 17, 2022
Overall enjoyed this book -- it's an interesting look at putting sport in general and hockey specifically in a more global context. I did appreciate that it touched on women's hockey as well!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews