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No One Wins Alone
The legendary Hall of Fame hockey player and six-time Stanley Cup champion tells his inspiring story for the first time, sharing the lessons about leadership and teamwork that defined his career.
Mark Messier is one of the most accomplished athletes in the history of professional sports. He was a fierce competitor with a well-earned reputation as a winner. But few people know his real story, not only of the astonishing journey he took to making NHL history, but of the deep understanding of leadership and respect for the power of teamwork he gained.
Messier tells of his early years with his tight-knit family, learning especially from his father, Doug – a hockey player, coach, and teacher. He describes what it was like entering the NHL as an eighteen-year-old with a wild side, and growing close with teammates Wayne Gretzky, Kevin Lowe, Paul Coffey, Glenn Anderson and others during their high-flying dynasty years with the Edmonton Oilers. He chronicles summers spent looking for inspiration and renewed energy on trips to exotic destinations around the world. And he recounts the highs, lows, and hard work that brought the New York Rangers to the ultimate moment for a hockey club: lifting the Stanley Cup.
Throughout, Messier shares insights about success, winning cultures, and how leaders can help teams overcome challenges. Told with heart and sincerity, No One Wins Alone is about more than hockey—it’s about the deep love and gratitude that comes from a life shared with others.
Mark Messier is one of the most accomplished athletes in the history of professional sports. He was a fierce competitor with a well-earned reputation as a winner. But few people know his real story, not only of the astonishing journey he took to making NHL history, but of the deep understanding of leadership and respect for the power of teamwork he gained.
Messier tells of his early years with his tight-knit family, learning especially from his father, Doug – a hockey player, coach, and teacher. He describes what it was like entering the NHL as an eighteen-year-old with a wild side, and growing close with teammates Wayne Gretzky, Kevin Lowe, Paul Coffey, Glenn Anderson and others during their high-flying dynasty years with the Edmonton Oilers. He chronicles summers spent looking for inspiration and renewed energy on trips to exotic destinations around the world. And he recounts the highs, lows, and hard work that brought the New York Rangers to the ultimate moment for a hockey club: lifting the Stanley Cup.
Throughout, Messier shares insights about success, winning cultures, and how leaders can help teams overcome challenges. Told with heart and sincerity, No One Wins Alone is about more than hockey—it’s about the deep love and gratitude that comes from a life shared with others.
368 pages, Hardcover
Published October 26, 2021
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4114 people want to read
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September 27, 2021
No One Wins Alone is the memoir of superstar NHL player, Mark Messier.
I received an advanced copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
A few years ago, I told myself I would stop reading player memoirs and shift solely to books written about hockey by either journalists or sports writers. I made this decision after having read a handful of extremely dull books co-written by superstar players who either an image to maintain or had led an uninteresting career off the ice.
I am not sure why, but when I saw that Mark Messier had a book due out in the fall celebrating his nearly 25 year career, I decided to go back on my word – just this one time. This was a mistake. Not only has Mark led a nearly squeaky-clean life, but this book also doubles as a leadership manifesto on how to inspire others to do their best in life and their career. I should have expected this given the book’s title and Messier having a yearly NHL award given to the player who best exemplifies on-ice leadership.
Look, I’m not faulting Mark for leading a life and career without controversy. I myself am about as dangerous as a warm blanket out of the dryer, but I wouldn’t read a book about my life either. That said, there are a few interesting parts in the book that mostly detail the rise and subsequent dynasty of the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s. One of the moments that will stick with me involved the aftermath of the Oilers’ loss to the New York Islanders, a team that had just won their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup in 1983. Messier walked past their dressing room, expecting to hear celebrating but saw the team of grizzled veterans sitting in relative silence drinking beer and icing their injuries. Messier noted that being as successful as the Islanders were for as long as they had been came with a price.
The book also looks at his trade to the New York Rangers in the early 90s, his ill-fated run with the Canucks a few years later and his return to the Rangers before his retirement at age forty-three. I honestly didn’t get a whole lot out of the latter half of the book.
It goes without saying that Messier is a class act and is beloved by the hockey world (unless you’re a Canucks fan), but this book failed to captivate me and felt more like a chore near the end.
I received an advanced copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
A few years ago, I told myself I would stop reading player memoirs and shift solely to books written about hockey by either journalists or sports writers. I made this decision after having read a handful of extremely dull books co-written by superstar players who either an image to maintain or had led an uninteresting career off the ice.
I am not sure why, but when I saw that Mark Messier had a book due out in the fall celebrating his nearly 25 year career, I decided to go back on my word – just this one time. This was a mistake. Not only has Mark led a nearly squeaky-clean life, but this book also doubles as a leadership manifesto on how to inspire others to do their best in life and their career. I should have expected this given the book’s title and Messier having a yearly NHL award given to the player who best exemplifies on-ice leadership.
Look, I’m not faulting Mark for leading a life and career without controversy. I myself am about as dangerous as a warm blanket out of the dryer, but I wouldn’t read a book about my life either. That said, there are a few interesting parts in the book that mostly detail the rise and subsequent dynasty of the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s. One of the moments that will stick with me involved the aftermath of the Oilers’ loss to the New York Islanders, a team that had just won their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup in 1983. Messier walked past their dressing room, expecting to hear celebrating but saw the team of grizzled veterans sitting in relative silence drinking beer and icing their injuries. Messier noted that being as successful as the Islanders were for as long as they had been came with a price.
The book also looks at his trade to the New York Rangers in the early 90s, his ill-fated run with the Canucks a few years later and his return to the Rangers before his retirement at age forty-three. I honestly didn’t get a whole lot out of the latter half of the book.
It goes without saying that Messier is a class act and is beloved by the hockey world (unless you’re a Canucks fan), but this book failed to captivate me and felt more like a chore near the end.
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November 25, 2025Happy indigenous day.
I had no where else to put my comment but if no one wills alone….
I guess I’m finishing my book 📕 today
You know media is entertainment it’s inked narratives for propaganda that are triumphant in media. So often people think it’s an individual family that has to pay for reparations to the entirety of the indigenous community it’s not said but it’s often implied in the 60’s scoop.
By conservative pundits, I was caught off guard and ask this simple question on lack of sleep 💤 one day and someone politely asked what I was smoking 🚬.
News says it’s an individual job as a passive citizen living check by check and a pun of society is implied that they’ll pay for it when usually it’s the rich are scared and capital gains tax or a land tax would pay for it.
It’s the largest transfer of wealth from people of poverty millennials and generation X to transfer wealth to the rich. Millennials and genx have 27% of the nations wealth at 40 and at the same age baby boomers had 40% of the wealth.
UBI’s and capital gains tax or land tax is told as Stalin and hilter policies when really they are Eisenhower and Roosevelt policies. A UBI would lift everyone below an income up, and a land tax would give more people a chance for a house 🏠 keeping people from being passive citizens living check by check.
The only way not to be a passive citizen is owning a house or becoming an entrepreneur
We need to democratize property not democratize people…
Makes a person see something that often isn’t said but made them think that often we individualize things and think it should be champions for equity not equality. Like even for abortion in women’s rights or LGBTQ 🏳️🌈 rights we or single mother rights, it’s often time we individually take responsibility when it’s not an individual responsibility but a community job.
Sure senior poverty is at an all time low but child poverty is at an all time high…..
We take news and make it so it’s our individual job on how media makes it the pun of society fault or a passive citizen living check by check jobs when indeed it’s nothing like that but a community as a whole, and usually not even that it’s looks at the province job when it’s feberal the only structure that can print money 💰 and hand it out and they can’t hand it out fast enough, just to corporations that get subsidies and people that are living check by check as passive citizen or pun of society are told to be a burden on society when they are economically security just like corporations subsidies are economic securities
It’s hard to see how people can’t hear things when it’s made to sound like an individual having to when it’s implied when a lie of inked nativities say it’s the individual when really it’s a community that living subsidizing the rich for so long for economic securities, and they refused to let that become an individual. Even in affirmative action plans.
It’s the rich making the rich get richer not the bottom getting a chance to become part of the 10%.
Not for millennials or gen x sure there are outliners but it’s the Roman circus 🎪 saying it and not for the baby boomers it’s beyond beyond beyond wealth of the beyond beyond beyond wealth of that is the problems that is the real pandemic of destitution
Federally it’s an epidemic problem in Canada, but in Alberta, it’s a provincial pandemic of destitution
I had no where else to put my comment but if no one wills alone….
I guess I’m finishing my book 📕 today
You know media is entertainment it’s inked narratives for propaganda that are triumphant in media. So often people think it’s an individual family that has to pay for reparations to the entirety of the indigenous community it’s not said but it’s often implied in the 60’s scoop.
By conservative pundits, I was caught off guard and ask this simple question on lack of sleep 💤 one day and someone politely asked what I was smoking 🚬.
News says it’s an individual job as a passive citizen living check by check and a pun of society is implied that they’ll pay for it when usually it’s the rich are scared and capital gains tax or a land tax would pay for it.
It’s the largest transfer of wealth from people of poverty millennials and generation X to transfer wealth to the rich. Millennials and genx have 27% of the nations wealth at 40 and at the same age baby boomers had 40% of the wealth.
UBI’s and capital gains tax or land tax is told as Stalin and hilter policies when really they are Eisenhower and Roosevelt policies. A UBI would lift everyone below an income up, and a land tax would give more people a chance for a house 🏠 keeping people from being passive citizens living check by check.
The only way not to be a passive citizen is owning a house or becoming an entrepreneur
We need to democratize property not democratize people…
Makes a person see something that often isn’t said but made them think that often we individualize things and think it should be champions for equity not equality. Like even for abortion in women’s rights or LGBTQ 🏳️🌈 rights we or single mother rights, it’s often time we individually take responsibility when it’s not an individual responsibility but a community job.
Sure senior poverty is at an all time low but child poverty is at an all time high…..
We take news and make it so it’s our individual job on how media makes it the pun of society fault or a passive citizen living check by check jobs when indeed it’s nothing like that but a community as a whole, and usually not even that it’s looks at the province job when it’s feberal the only structure that can print money 💰 and hand it out and they can’t hand it out fast enough, just to corporations that get subsidies and people that are living check by check as passive citizen or pun of society are told to be a burden on society when they are economically security just like corporations subsidies are economic securities
It’s hard to see how people can’t hear things when it’s made to sound like an individual having to when it’s implied when a lie of inked nativities say it’s the individual when really it’s a community that living subsidizing the rich for so long for economic securities, and they refused to let that become an individual. Even in affirmative action plans.
It’s the rich making the rich get richer not the bottom getting a chance to become part of the 10%.
Not for millennials or gen x sure there are outliners but it’s the Roman circus 🎪 saying it and not for the baby boomers it’s beyond beyond beyond wealth of the beyond beyond beyond wealth of that is the problems that is the real pandemic of destitution
Federally it’s an epidemic problem in Canada, but in Alberta, it’s a provincial pandemic of destitution
December 28, 2021
A brilliant hockey man and character. However this does not make a man a great author ,as Mark has proved with this book.
A rather tedious look at a mans hockey life but with a glaring omission ….
his personal life.( P.S. I have a great wife and kids but not going to tell you anything about them. )
This is more a book on the concept of the importance of team rather than an individual ( unless you wear 99) ,which has been done many times by better writers . Read it if you are a hockey junkie ,but not if you are looking for something new or exciting.
A rather tedious look at a mans hockey life but with a glaring omission ….
his personal life.( P.S. I have a great wife and kids but not going to tell you anything about them. )
This is more a book on the concept of the importance of team rather than an individual ( unless you wear 99) ,which has been done many times by better writers . Read it if you are a hockey junkie ,but not if you are looking for something new or exciting.
August 29, 2021
I am a hockey fans and.I love sports biographies but this wasn’t just a sports memoir; this was a leadership tale, that could be useful in any business culture.
You won’t find stories about how he met girlfriends or his wife, or how his kids were born, or even juicy tales about his teammates. Messier remains a symbol of integrity throughout.
What you will find though are the teachings and values his father passed on to him from an early age and his views on leadership and how to build a winning culture and play as a team.
With this book in my hand, I had the feeling I was reading a hockey history book as It made me relive some of the greatest moments of the NHL.
Messier won 6 Stanley Cups, was a captain in all of his teams throughout a 26 years career in the league and got to play with superstars with amongst them no other than Wayne Gretzky, which became a lifelong friend.
I am so grateful I got to read this extraordinary book and I admire even more Mark Messier for his integrity, passion for the game, dedication and words of wisdom. He will forever be one of the greatest hockey players there ever was!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me a complimentary e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
You won’t find stories about how he met girlfriends or his wife, or how his kids were born, or even juicy tales about his teammates. Messier remains a symbol of integrity throughout.
What you will find though are the teachings and values his father passed on to him from an early age and his views on leadership and how to build a winning culture and play as a team.
With this book in my hand, I had the feeling I was reading a hockey history book as It made me relive some of the greatest moments of the NHL.
Messier won 6 Stanley Cups, was a captain in all of his teams throughout a 26 years career in the league and got to play with superstars with amongst them no other than Wayne Gretzky, which became a lifelong friend.
I am so grateful I got to read this extraordinary book and I admire even more Mark Messier for his integrity, passion for the game, dedication and words of wisdom. He will forever be one of the greatest hockey players there ever was!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me a complimentary e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
November 13, 2022
As someone who started following the NHL around 1997, Mark Messier's legend will always be a little lost on me. I completely missed his glory years, so when my dad would point at the TV and tell me "Son, that man is the greatest leader in hockey history", I'd say: "The Lays Potato Chip guy?"
25 years later, I found myself reading "No One Wins Alone" in an attempt learn more about the man behind the potato chip. Messier's commercial savvy remains unchanged, as "No One Wins Alone" seems to have been written for the express purpose of booking corporate speaking gigs. The publishers are definitely leaning into that now, as the new cover on the paperback edition would look right at home shelved in a bookstore's business section.
It's a great idea really--Get paid a huge appearance fee, lay out a few simple principles of leadership like "The Team Comes First", tell some Gretzky stories, and then sign 500 copies of your book that the CEO bought for all their employees. For the following month, every manager at the company will speak in sports metaphors, before they all move on to "Radical Candor" or some shit like that.
Much to my amusement, every now and again Messier would attempt a half-assed Phil Jackson impression, expounding upon Eastern Spirituality and "Human Energy" before quickly reverting back to Messier mode. Those parts always felt very shoehorned in. I wish instead he had dug into his god-awful stay in Vancouver, or dished a bit more on his party days! However, it probably would have been a little trashy on his part, so I'll give him a pass. The man has kids now.
ANYWAY, the content in here isn't bad as long as you don't have high expectations. I learned one or two things about team concepts from his stories, and I personally enjoyed reading about his time in Edmonton and New York. I consider that a win! "No One Wins Alone" may not be a life-changing treatise on leadership, or a harrowing hockey tell-all, but it works well as a middle of the road hockey/business book. Much like Messier's teams in the 80's and early 90's, this book accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do.
2.5 stars, rounded up.
25 years later, I found myself reading "No One Wins Alone" in an attempt learn more about the man behind the potato chip. Messier's commercial savvy remains unchanged, as "No One Wins Alone" seems to have been written for the express purpose of booking corporate speaking gigs. The publishers are definitely leaning into that now, as the new cover on the paperback edition would look right at home shelved in a bookstore's business section.
It's a great idea really--Get paid a huge appearance fee, lay out a few simple principles of leadership like "The Team Comes First", tell some Gretzky stories, and then sign 500 copies of your book that the CEO bought for all their employees. For the following month, every manager at the company will speak in sports metaphors, before they all move on to "Radical Candor" or some shit like that.
Much to my amusement, every now and again Messier would attempt a half-assed Phil Jackson impression, expounding upon Eastern Spirituality and "Human Energy" before quickly reverting back to Messier mode. Those parts always felt very shoehorned in. I wish instead he had dug into his god-awful stay in Vancouver, or dished a bit more on his party days! However, it probably would have been a little trashy on his part, so I'll give him a pass. The man has kids now.
ANYWAY, the content in here isn't bad as long as you don't have high expectations. I learned one or two things about team concepts from his stories, and I personally enjoyed reading about his time in Edmonton and New York. I consider that a win! "No One Wins Alone" may not be a life-changing treatise on leadership, or a harrowing hockey tell-all, but it works well as a middle of the road hockey/business book. Much like Messier's teams in the 80's and early 90's, this book accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do.
2.5 stars, rounded up.
May 17, 2023
An enjoyable time to read about the Oilers (actually) winning (rip) and shocking to hear the way hockey used to be (no helmets? bruh). I also enjoyed learning about the NHL slurping up the WHA (who knew? not I). I did tire a bit of Mark’s constant “turning everything into a lesson”. Can this guy do no wrong? Ever get demoralized? Perhaps not.
Overall a great read though that paints a fun picture of the NHL through the years and provides insight into what it’s like as a player when trades occur. Would recommend to hockey fans (especially Oilers fans, hankering for the cup. I feel hopeful after this read??)
Overall a great read though that paints a fun picture of the NHL through the years and provides insight into what it’s like as a player when trades occur. Would recommend to hockey fans (especially Oilers fans, hankering for the cup. I feel hopeful after this read??)
December 2, 2025
This book, without knowing it, has become very special to me. As many of you know, my Dad passed away in August and he was an avid hockey lover & a forever Oilers fan! He started to read/listen to this book a few months before he passed but never got to finish it. I wanted to finish it for him so that is what I did.
The Oilers (and especially the 80s Oilers) have held a very special place in my heart my entire life. Some of my best memories involve them and Mark Messier. Taking drives with my Dad to go pick up my mom from work, listening to the game being broadcast over the radio. Always having to crawl under my Dad's legs to get to the other side of the couch so we didn't walk in front of the TV to interrupt the coveted game watching. Hockey is just a part of everything I am and it was for my Dad too. He played throughout his entire childhood and even into adulthood when we were small kids. Going to watch him play was always so awesome. The smell of his hockey bag after....not so awesome. ☺️
I loved Mark's book for so many reasons but listening to it, knowing my Dad has listened to the same thing, will stick to me for an endless amount of time.
I am biased and have a weird love for the 80s Oilers. It was a time like no other, even as a small kid. This definitely was my favorite part of the book and the immense love Mark had and still has for that time in his life, just shines through in every word. All the way to the end, there was so much life knowledge that went outside the rink and advice I will hold until I am old and grey.
Mark's always been more of a subject in our house than any other Oiler because my Mom and her family lived next door to them in St.Albert so that piece of coolness just floated around our household like it was all the rage. Add my Dad's love of the game and the Oilers to that & we were just swimming in a sea of hockey love.
@therealmarkmessier thank you for this wonderful book. I will be forever grateful for everything you have brought to our family's lives throughout the years. And to the @edmontonoilers you bring happiness in so many ways! Thank you!
💙🧡
The Oilers (and especially the 80s Oilers) have held a very special place in my heart my entire life. Some of my best memories involve them and Mark Messier. Taking drives with my Dad to go pick up my mom from work, listening to the game being broadcast over the radio. Always having to crawl under my Dad's legs to get to the other side of the couch so we didn't walk in front of the TV to interrupt the coveted game watching. Hockey is just a part of everything I am and it was for my Dad too. He played throughout his entire childhood and even into adulthood when we were small kids. Going to watch him play was always so awesome. The smell of his hockey bag after....not so awesome. ☺️
I loved Mark's book for so many reasons but listening to it, knowing my Dad has listened to the same thing, will stick to me for an endless amount of time.
I am biased and have a weird love for the 80s Oilers. It was a time like no other, even as a small kid. This definitely was my favorite part of the book and the immense love Mark had and still has for that time in his life, just shines through in every word. All the way to the end, there was so much life knowledge that went outside the rink and advice I will hold until I am old and grey.
Mark's always been more of a subject in our house than any other Oiler because my Mom and her family lived next door to them in St.Albert so that piece of coolness just floated around our household like it was all the rage. Add my Dad's love of the game and the Oilers to that & we were just swimming in a sea of hockey love.
@therealmarkmessier thank you for this wonderful book. I will be forever grateful for everything you have brought to our family's lives throughout the years. And to the @edmontonoilers you bring happiness in so many ways! Thank you!
💙🧡
October 27, 2021
I have read many sport autobiographies as I am a professional swim coach. I have coached swimmers to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. I love this book for many reasons. Mark is very honest and modest when it comes to his road to success. I also spent a lot of time on the mental side of my sport and appreciate when other coaches/players are able to think outside the box on the psychology of sport. This is absolutely the key to so many great figures, including Mark.
I highly recommend this book to anyone. You don't have to be a coach, athlete, or hockey player to take something positive away from this read.
I highly recommend this book to anyone. You don't have to be a coach, athlete, or hockey player to take something positive away from this read.
December 20, 2022
Unfortunately I just did not find this book captivating or interesting at all for the most part. I was intrigued during the section about his tenure with the Vancouver Canucks, as that was probably the most controversial part of Messier's career but it was only one chapter. I honestly wouldn't recommend this. Sorry, Moose.
December 28, 2021
I had two hockey posters on my wall growing up. One was Pavel Bure, the Russian Rocket who mesmerized fans with his explosive speed while playing with the Vancouver Canucks. The other one was Mark Messier, the Moose, the ultimate warrior, throw-back player, in his New York Rangers uniform. Mark would have been my favourite player growing up in the years that he played with the Oilers. Bure was my favourite player once I left home. Both players made it up on my wall due to the 1994 Stanley Cup finals between Vancouver and New York.
So I was excited to get Mark's memoir for Christmas and it was fun going back through his career from his perspective.
The book is a memoir, but it is ultimately about his recollection of hockey games played and lessons that he learned about leadership through those experiences. I appreciated hearing what comes across as his more sensitive side, as well as his obvious interest in spirituality over the years. I also particularly liked how he would name players that had short careers and had come up from the minors and tell a little of their story. His reflection on 9/11 was beautifully written.
The book left me longing for a bit more peeling back of some of the stories. For instance, we know that he was considered a great leader, but how specifically did he develop that reputation, beyond the "show up, work hard, and lead by example" explanations? There were lots of bits of wisdom placed throughout the book, but how did these tidbits play out in action? In another instance, there was very little personal information (which can be respected, of course). There was no mention of when his first child was born, where he met his wife, etc. He often alluded to his partying ways, or different adventures, or disagreements with players and managers, but didn't delve into it much. It sometimes left a sense that these things didn't matter that much, or that maybe he may have been dismissive of these occasions. For instance, why would Roger Nielson think that Mark wasn't leading the team well? What was it that he didn't see eye to eye over with Neil Smith? Could he give an example of how a team like the Canucks were divided and what that looked like (without having to mention names).
Regardless, it was a fun read, took my down memory lane, and reminded me again how special of a game hockey is.
So I was excited to get Mark's memoir for Christmas and it was fun going back through his career from his perspective.
The book is a memoir, but it is ultimately about his recollection of hockey games played and lessons that he learned about leadership through those experiences. I appreciated hearing what comes across as his more sensitive side, as well as his obvious interest in spirituality over the years. I also particularly liked how he would name players that had short careers and had come up from the minors and tell a little of their story. His reflection on 9/11 was beautifully written.
The book left me longing for a bit more peeling back of some of the stories. For instance, we know that he was considered a great leader, but how specifically did he develop that reputation, beyond the "show up, work hard, and lead by example" explanations? There were lots of bits of wisdom placed throughout the book, but how did these tidbits play out in action? In another instance, there was very little personal information (which can be respected, of course). There was no mention of when his first child was born, where he met his wife, etc. He often alluded to his partying ways, or different adventures, or disagreements with players and managers, but didn't delve into it much. It sometimes left a sense that these things didn't matter that much, or that maybe he may have been dismissive of these occasions. For instance, why would Roger Nielson think that Mark wasn't leading the team well? What was it that he didn't see eye to eye over with Neil Smith? Could he give an example of how a team like the Canucks were divided and what that looked like (without having to mention names).
Regardless, it was a fun read, took my down memory lane, and reminded me again how special of a game hockey is.
May 27, 2022
Ultimately this book calls to hockey fans, fans of the New York Rangers or Edmonton Oilers in particular. As a NYR fan that's what made me pick it up. But now that I've read the entire book, I'd say this is a good memoir/autobiography for anyone. Yes, it helps to know a bit about hockey, but Messier does a great job of talking about life and mindset and how even though he dedicated most of his life to hockey, it's not just about playing the game. It's about attitude, physical and mental preparedness, dedication and understanding. I like when he talks about his off season travels and his commitment to family (both his by blood, and his teammates). The final chapter which touches on September 11th was particularly emotional. Overall, great read, he writes how he speaks, and I would recommend this to any sports fan and/or biography fan.
December 14, 2021
someone else reviewing this book said that just because a guy was an amazing hockey player doesn't mean he had an interesting life. i can agree with that and to a certain extent, but i still think that this book was good. there were times were this book was just straight up a play by play of key games throughout messier's career which isn't bad, but i can see why non-hockey fans wouldn't enjoy this. unfortunately, i'm an insane hockey fan and will consume any content, ESPECIALLY when it involved the new york rangers.
also, there was this insane tonal shift when he was discussing 9/11, which is probably a given but. still.
also, there was this insane tonal shift when he was discussing 9/11, which is probably a given but. still.
December 22, 2022
I began this book not knowing much about Messier. I learned a lot about his career, his perspectives and his determined mindset. I was very impressed with his humbleness, relationships, and work ethic. It was a very factual read that focused on the 1980s playoff runs, the hockey culture of the time and related events.
Read
October 24, 2021Hockey autobiographies have a bit of a mixed track record. Just because a player was dynamic and entertaining on the ice does not mean their life story is all that interesting.
Mark Messier was one of the best hockey players to play the game and has become a legend in two different cities, so I was interested to see what stories he would share about his career. In writing about his life, Messier focuses on the one aspect most people remember him for; leadership. He takes the reader throughout his life and hockey career while highlighting where he saw both strong and poor leadership and how the team subsequently reacted to it.
Messier starts with the leadership he witnessed from his dad during his own minor hockey league career and continues with examples until his retirement in 2006. He also shares his thoughts on why teams succeed and fail in their quest for success.
If you are a hockey fan, you will enjoy this book, with most of the stories likely feeling familiar. If you have any interest in learning more about leadership, coaching, and teamwork this book will be a must-read.
February 24, 2024
By about the second chapter, I said to myself that this felt an awful lot like one of those corporate leadership speaking engagements. Sure enough, a quick Google search showed that for the low, low price of 100k, Mark Messier will come speak to your management team to impart the skills necessary to lead your employees to win Lord Stanley's Cup...I mean, increase quarterly earnings?!
Grew up watching #11 and enjoyed the stories of the Oilers glory years. Enjoyable read.
Grew up watching #11 and enjoyed the stories of the Oilers glory years. Enjoyable read.
January 15, 2025
5/5 New York strong
November 4, 2021
This was an easy book to read. Straightforward and lacking any ego. I would’ve liked him to address certain topics more in depth. However in some ways it illustrates his unwillingness to write a “tell all” book and throw former teammates under the bus. This would be a great gift for Christmas for anyone who grew up watching and admiring the career of a Hall Of Fame NHLer.
July 31, 2022
Mark Messier is one of the greats of ice hockey, having won the Stanley Cup six times and captained two different teams to the cup as well. There’s a danger with sports biographies in that they just repeat the facts that you already know, and for the first part of this book this is what you get. The Edmonton Oiler years are very much that, but that changes when Mark goes to New York and you get more of an insight into that cup.
My proper rating would be 3.5 stars, but I feel there was a lot more we could have learned that was kept back.
My proper rating would be 3.5 stars, but I feel there was a lot more we could have learned that was kept back.
May 25, 2023
Great read.
January 15, 2022
Surprisingly enjoyed more than expected, easy enjoyable read.
July 20, 2022
I became a hockey fan when the Oilers joined the NHL in 1979, and while I enjoyed this book by one of the true greats of the game, I felt it kind of glossed over a few things that I would have liked to know more about, while in other respects it was a bit repetitive in terms of some of the things it focused on. Still, it was a good summer read that left me looking forward to another season of exciting hockey action!
May 14, 2025
If you know the responsibilities it takes to be a leader or what it's like to contribute to a team, this book is for you. No one wins alone, a memoir by Mark Messier, a former six-time Stanley cup winning NHL player who has countless years of experience in the pro hockey world, writes about his life experiences through hardship, lessons and balancing everything that is important to him. This memoir kept hooking me for more as it continued to give lessons and inspire self change, through Messiers deep call to action upon the reader through being self aware and always pushing to be your best. The reason this memoir is so good is because of its deep description on the life of Mark and the meaningful moments that call for change in others, teach you to focus on your importance, adn to look in the mirror to see if you're impactful.
In No one Wins alone, the author Mark Messier uses thoughtful and easily connected ideas to reveal an unique underlying theme of family, pride and lessons. In the first sentence of chapter 1, Messier writes, “To understand me, you have to know that hockey is not the most important thing in my life—family is.” This first sentence quickly reveals a major theme of family that continues on through this entire book. Messier admits that even though hockey is a very substantial part of his life, family is the most important to him. Messier than states; “In a family, like any team, there are always going to be different personality types. Not everyone looks at a piece of art and has the same response. Not everyone hears the same message in a speech. Each person is a unique combination of their genetic wiring and life experiences. As a leader, you learn to accept and appreciate that each of your teammates might react differently to the same situation. With that knowledge, you can resolve any conflicts that arise from a place of understanding.”. Messier not only understands the different types of people in his family but also outside of his house in a team environment. Messier harps on two major things revealed by these two moments from this memoir. Messier looks to connect with the reader through revealing an early theme of; although you might have important things in your life you can still find time to prioritize your family and also that you can use many of the lessons you learn in your early or childhood life to make you a better person everyday. The mix between storytelling and lesson learning is the most effective yet fun part of this memoir. I believe this memoir is very easy to connect with and will teach you a lesson you never even thought about; this is why you should give it a read.
In No one wins alone, written by Mark Messier uses simple life experiences, to enhance reflection in the reader. Messier asks himself later in the book, “ It made me think about my own actions and how they’re perceived. How can I be more sensitive to others? What kind of energy am I emitting?”. These are questions we can all ask ourselves, as we go through our everyday life. Messier asks himself these questions, but wants the reader to ask themselves these questions as well. Messier earlier in the book asked himself, “Was I going to return to Portland in the fall and play a full season of major junior? Or was I going to stay with the Mets in tier-two hockey, which would preserve my amateur status, and give me a path to playing in college, like Paul was doing?”. Messier wasn’t sure about what his future holds, just like many of us. You as the reader might be wondering what your life is gonna look like 5, 10 years from now and that’s okay; because it is okay to ask questions about your future and be curious about it. Messier looks to these simple questions to enhance reflection in himself and also others reading. I would absolutely recommend this book due to the intricate focus on improving yourself and ways to learn how to work with others.
In No one Wins alone, Mark Messier illustrates the main themes of lessons learned and pushing through adversity to highlight his main goal of pushing growth and innovation on his readers. Early in this memoir Messier speaks about the time growing up when he had to play up an age group on his older brother’s hockey team and how it was difficult but he learned. Messier states, “In my second season as a pewee, I was still playing up and learning how to shoot and skate, but I was also learning, just as much, on how to be a part of a team, and how to win”(p.31). Messier states that even though it was difficult to play with older kids because he was still working on developing his skills; Messier seeks to focus on that hardship he ran into and forced him to take a bigger lesson from this challenge which was learning how to be a part of a team. Messier used this lesson for the rest of his lifes, as he was named captain of many teams after this and showed this was his first step in developing his teamwork and leadership skills. Another example of growth revealed in Messier's life was when he finally won the stanley cup for the first time, the biggest trophy you can win in all of hockey. Messier said “I don’t want to say the days after were depressing, but what I quickly realized was that the soul experience was the journey”(p.97). Messier revealed that through achievement the reward seems different on the other side; Messier talks about how he learned his favorite memories were the process and not the actual reward. Many readers can take much away from these two quotes and connect it to their own life in order to grow and become a better person. This memoir, No one wins Alone, written by Mark Messier not only deeply reflects on experiences but seeks to learn lessons that you use to attack challenges in your everyday life. Because of these highly effective everyday lessons, I highly recommend this book to readers who are looking to improve themselves.
In the memoir, No one Wins Alone, the author Mark Messier uses keywords to reveal an underlying theme of connection to people and fine focus of everyday jobs. Messier language throughout is very calm, but also uses many literary devices to take you through his crazy life of an NHL hockey player. “At the professional level, however, just about everything you do on the ice is meticulously organized—the routines for practice, the way guys work together. Of course, mistakes are made, but it’s much more structured.”(p.43). Messier states how “Meticulously” organized everything is in Pro Hockey, revealing how focused everyone is through their everyday job. THis also reveals how hard you have to work top down, from the owner to the players to people who work for the team, everyone has to do their job and do what they're paid to do at a high level, or nothing is successful. Messier later in the book states, “Back then, there was no fraternization between players from different organizations. If your coach caught you talking to a guy on the other team during warm-ups, it was looked at as a betrayal. ”(p.102). Messier in this passage uses the word Fraternization, to reveal the bond between him in his teammates. This reveals that Messier made sure his team’s were not just a team but a family or close knit circle of guys all pushing for each other. This prioritization of each other made it easy to support each other no matter what they did or how they played on the ice, this is what the best teams are made of. Because of the language used throughout this book, Messier hooks the reader
through keywords and never ending stories to reveal life long lessons.
If you're having doubts about this book that's completely fine, I’ll leave you with one last quote from Messier to reveal how special of a person Messier truly is. ““EVERY TEAM I PLAYED ON was special to me. The personal relationships, the sense of adventure and the unknown, even the disappointments—together, they added up to something bigger. It was all about the human connection through the game. Professional sport is defined by winning and losing, but you’re missing out if you’re only concentrating on the end result instead of the journey. And the irony is that if you’re paying attention to the quality and depth of the experience, it will lead you right back to the thing you were seeking in the first place: success. I played twenty-six years, but won the Cup only six times. Does that mean that the other twenty seasons should be considered a loss? Absolutely not. I felt I was able to take something positive away from every losing season, that each one could be harnessed, and learned from, to create a winning culture in the future.
My hope is I’ve been able to convey how powerful it is to be part of something bigger than myself, and how much gratitude I’ve found in the collective experiences with my family and my teams, which is the most important lesson of all”. Messier understands the true meaning of what it takes to be a kind person, and at the end of the day that is the most powerful thing in our lives.
In No one Wins alone, the author Mark Messier uses thoughtful and easily connected ideas to reveal an unique underlying theme of family, pride and lessons. In the first sentence of chapter 1, Messier writes, “To understand me, you have to know that hockey is not the most important thing in my life—family is.” This first sentence quickly reveals a major theme of family that continues on through this entire book. Messier admits that even though hockey is a very substantial part of his life, family is the most important to him. Messier than states; “In a family, like any team, there are always going to be different personality types. Not everyone looks at a piece of art and has the same response. Not everyone hears the same message in a speech. Each person is a unique combination of their genetic wiring and life experiences. As a leader, you learn to accept and appreciate that each of your teammates might react differently to the same situation. With that knowledge, you can resolve any conflicts that arise from a place of understanding.”. Messier not only understands the different types of people in his family but also outside of his house in a team environment. Messier harps on two major things revealed by these two moments from this memoir. Messier looks to connect with the reader through revealing an early theme of; although you might have important things in your life you can still find time to prioritize your family and also that you can use many of the lessons you learn in your early or childhood life to make you a better person everyday. The mix between storytelling and lesson learning is the most effective yet fun part of this memoir. I believe this memoir is very easy to connect with and will teach you a lesson you never even thought about; this is why you should give it a read.
In No one wins alone, written by Mark Messier uses simple life experiences, to enhance reflection in the reader. Messier asks himself later in the book, “ It made me think about my own actions and how they’re perceived. How can I be more sensitive to others? What kind of energy am I emitting?”. These are questions we can all ask ourselves, as we go through our everyday life. Messier asks himself these questions, but wants the reader to ask themselves these questions as well. Messier earlier in the book asked himself, “Was I going to return to Portland in the fall and play a full season of major junior? Or was I going to stay with the Mets in tier-two hockey, which would preserve my amateur status, and give me a path to playing in college, like Paul was doing?”. Messier wasn’t sure about what his future holds, just like many of us. You as the reader might be wondering what your life is gonna look like 5, 10 years from now and that’s okay; because it is okay to ask questions about your future and be curious about it. Messier looks to these simple questions to enhance reflection in himself and also others reading. I would absolutely recommend this book due to the intricate focus on improving yourself and ways to learn how to work with others.
In No one Wins alone, Mark Messier illustrates the main themes of lessons learned and pushing through adversity to highlight his main goal of pushing growth and innovation on his readers. Early in this memoir Messier speaks about the time growing up when he had to play up an age group on his older brother’s hockey team and how it was difficult but he learned. Messier states, “In my second season as a pewee, I was still playing up and learning how to shoot and skate, but I was also learning, just as much, on how to be a part of a team, and how to win”(p.31). Messier states that even though it was difficult to play with older kids because he was still working on developing his skills; Messier seeks to focus on that hardship he ran into and forced him to take a bigger lesson from this challenge which was learning how to be a part of a team. Messier used this lesson for the rest of his lifes, as he was named captain of many teams after this and showed this was his first step in developing his teamwork and leadership skills. Another example of growth revealed in Messier's life was when he finally won the stanley cup for the first time, the biggest trophy you can win in all of hockey. Messier said “I don’t want to say the days after were depressing, but what I quickly realized was that the soul experience was the journey”(p.97). Messier revealed that through achievement the reward seems different on the other side; Messier talks about how he learned his favorite memories were the process and not the actual reward. Many readers can take much away from these two quotes and connect it to their own life in order to grow and become a better person. This memoir, No one wins Alone, written by Mark Messier not only deeply reflects on experiences but seeks to learn lessons that you use to attack challenges in your everyday life. Because of these highly effective everyday lessons, I highly recommend this book to readers who are looking to improve themselves.
In the memoir, No one Wins Alone, the author Mark Messier uses keywords to reveal an underlying theme of connection to people and fine focus of everyday jobs. Messier language throughout is very calm, but also uses many literary devices to take you through his crazy life of an NHL hockey player. “At the professional level, however, just about everything you do on the ice is meticulously organized—the routines for practice, the way guys work together. Of course, mistakes are made, but it’s much more structured.”(p.43). Messier states how “Meticulously” organized everything is in Pro Hockey, revealing how focused everyone is through their everyday job. THis also reveals how hard you have to work top down, from the owner to the players to people who work for the team, everyone has to do their job and do what they're paid to do at a high level, or nothing is successful. Messier later in the book states, “Back then, there was no fraternization between players from different organizations. If your coach caught you talking to a guy on the other team during warm-ups, it was looked at as a betrayal. ”(p.102). Messier in this passage uses the word Fraternization, to reveal the bond between him in his teammates. This reveals that Messier made sure his team’s were not just a team but a family or close knit circle of guys all pushing for each other. This prioritization of each other made it easy to support each other no matter what they did or how they played on the ice, this is what the best teams are made of. Because of the language used throughout this book, Messier hooks the reader
through keywords and never ending stories to reveal life long lessons.
If you're having doubts about this book that's completely fine, I’ll leave you with one last quote from Messier to reveal how special of a person Messier truly is. ““EVERY TEAM I PLAYED ON was special to me. The personal relationships, the sense of adventure and the unknown, even the disappointments—together, they added up to something bigger. It was all about the human connection through the game. Professional sport is defined by winning and losing, but you’re missing out if you’re only concentrating on the end result instead of the journey. And the irony is that if you’re paying attention to the quality and depth of the experience, it will lead you right back to the thing you were seeking in the first place: success. I played twenty-six years, but won the Cup only six times. Does that mean that the other twenty seasons should be considered a loss? Absolutely not. I felt I was able to take something positive away from every losing season, that each one could be harnessed, and learned from, to create a winning culture in the future.
My hope is I’ve been able to convey how powerful it is to be part of something bigger than myself, and how much gratitude I’ve found in the collective experiences with my family and my teams, which is the most important lesson of all”. Messier understands the true meaning of what it takes to be a kind person, and at the end of the day that is the most powerful thing in our lives.
February 25, 2022
It started so strong but kind of fizzled out at the halfway point. It was fun to relive some hockey memories and read them through Messier’s eyes. It would have been better if it was more intimate, though. The stories are too journalistic and might have flowed better in a memoir style. And it ends strange and disconnected. But, as a hockey fan, the first 5 chapters were worth the read.
July 24, 2024
Read because I heard that Messier does shrooms in one chapter. Disappointed to learn that shrooming does not factor much into the rest of the book 😐😞
Sadly, no mention of Lays Chips either 🤨😲😂
Sadly, no mention of Lays Chips either 🤨😲😂
December 31, 2021
Truth be told, I started into this gifted book ‘knowing’ that I’d hate it. Never a Messier fan, I preferred the humble Bryan Trottier and the Islanders of that era, sworn enemies of Messier’s cock-of-the-walk Oilers. In fact I lived in Edmonton ‘81-‘85, so at Oiler/Isles games, I rooted loudly against Mess and Wayner. Eventually I moved to LA, and season tix to the Kings imprinted me into Wayne’s World… but still didn’t develop an affinity towards #11. But I must say, I did like this book.
I love hockey stories and hockey books, and had actually long ago read the 2005 book, ‘Messier’, by Jeff Z. Klein….. a play by play accounting of childhood, teams, stats, etc, but lacking the personal memoir insights that are typically golden to autobiographies.
some things I didn’t like so much…Unfortunately Messier still tries to pass off ‘brash attitude’ as valuable to the team and life. I agree only if you use your brain, I.e., you don’t get carte blanche to be an asshole. (Example; cutting the wire to the microphone of the singer of the National Anthem before the Kings playoff game is still deemed to be a fun ‘wild streak’ -still hilarious to Messier… but still characteristically assholish to the rest of the world!) In my opinion, not seeing those wonderfully chronically d Oiler antics as disrespectful speaks a lot to credibility of the leadership mentoring in this ‘leadership’ book. (And that old Oiler bias shows as he conveniently left out leaving the scene of his accident after smashing 3 cars with his Porsche. Privilege is expected when Dad brought you up that way, eh… and I heard a lot more stories hidden while living in Edmonton.)
Hockey is fun and there is nothing better than camaraderie built on the ice, on the bench, and in the dressing room. Life lessons are wonderful, with selective teasing to work one’s social skills, empathy from encouraging lesser players, selflessness of passing, diligence of back checking, courageous toughness along on the boards, thinking ahead to “where the puck is going to be”, celebrating with class, and sportsmanship through sharing beers with opponents’ in the parking lot after passionate battles. But it’s not real life. Real life takes much more hard work, politics, integrating, coordinating, technical learning of skills and knowledge, caring, social intelligence, people skills, and more. Sometimes things learned from hockey are helpful and transferable…but contrary to some reviews, this is far from a book on leadership, eh.
Also, not so sure about some of these touted lessons…Messier’s dad, Doug recounted leaving his team bench to stew alone in the locker room; then punching his own teammate when the team came in… because he was so angry about the teammate not dropping mitts to support him. Sorry, I call Bullshit!… that teammate ought to have ripped Messier’s Dad another one… I doubt anyone bitched to him (let alone blindside punched him) for not scoring more. What a moron lesson to teach your kid… and even more moron to put it in your leadership, team-building book!
But what I did appreciate were a few good stories/background of lower-famed players (Jimmy Carson, Kenny Linseman, Gary Smith, and even Mark Lamb). Interesting, yes, but nothing jaw-dropping, as Messier seems intent on keeping friends rather than a soul-cleansing book like Derek Sanderson’s ‘Crossing the Line’. Am I alone in wondering: ‘Just how was Paul Stewart wild?’ A fun Messier anecdote would have been much better than just saying ‘Paul Stewart was wild’. Messier’s diluted story of staying up with him till 5 am just sounds like teenaged bragging in place of the real story (especially for a book that people paid money for). I get it, that Messier’s ‘leadership’ tone was meant to reach the broader audience, which is fine; but it’s just not as compelling to me as ‘The Devil and Bobby Hull’ or some other braver recounting of the time (e.g., both of Theo Fleury’s books, ‘Fury’ and ‘Playing with Fire’.) A little annoying too that most every story, big and small, makes Mark Messier look so selfless (like his buying a suit for Darren Langdon after treating him like crap in the book because of his clothes.)
So I obviously still don’t think much of Mark Messier’s character, but he did write a good hockey history about Mark Messier’s career.
I love hockey stories and hockey books, and had actually long ago read the 2005 book, ‘Messier’, by Jeff Z. Klein….. a play by play accounting of childhood, teams, stats, etc, but lacking the personal memoir insights that are typically golden to autobiographies.
some things I didn’t like so much…Unfortunately Messier still tries to pass off ‘brash attitude’ as valuable to the team and life. I agree only if you use your brain, I.e., you don’t get carte blanche to be an asshole. (Example; cutting the wire to the microphone of the singer of the National Anthem before the Kings playoff game is still deemed to be a fun ‘wild streak’ -still hilarious to Messier… but still characteristically assholish to the rest of the world!) In my opinion, not seeing those wonderfully chronically d Oiler antics as disrespectful speaks a lot to credibility of the leadership mentoring in this ‘leadership’ book. (And that old Oiler bias shows as he conveniently left out leaving the scene of his accident after smashing 3 cars with his Porsche. Privilege is expected when Dad brought you up that way, eh… and I heard a lot more stories hidden while living in Edmonton.)
Hockey is fun and there is nothing better than camaraderie built on the ice, on the bench, and in the dressing room. Life lessons are wonderful, with selective teasing to work one’s social skills, empathy from encouraging lesser players, selflessness of passing, diligence of back checking, courageous toughness along on the boards, thinking ahead to “where the puck is going to be”, celebrating with class, and sportsmanship through sharing beers with opponents’ in the parking lot after passionate battles. But it’s not real life. Real life takes much more hard work, politics, integrating, coordinating, technical learning of skills and knowledge, caring, social intelligence, people skills, and more. Sometimes things learned from hockey are helpful and transferable…but contrary to some reviews, this is far from a book on leadership, eh.
Also, not so sure about some of these touted lessons…Messier’s dad, Doug recounted leaving his team bench to stew alone in the locker room; then punching his own teammate when the team came in… because he was so angry about the teammate not dropping mitts to support him. Sorry, I call Bullshit!… that teammate ought to have ripped Messier’s Dad another one… I doubt anyone bitched to him (let alone blindside punched him) for not scoring more. What a moron lesson to teach your kid… and even more moron to put it in your leadership, team-building book!
But what I did appreciate were a few good stories/background of lower-famed players (Jimmy Carson, Kenny Linseman, Gary Smith, and even Mark Lamb). Interesting, yes, but nothing jaw-dropping, as Messier seems intent on keeping friends rather than a soul-cleansing book like Derek Sanderson’s ‘Crossing the Line’. Am I alone in wondering: ‘Just how was Paul Stewart wild?’ A fun Messier anecdote would have been much better than just saying ‘Paul Stewart was wild’. Messier’s diluted story of staying up with him till 5 am just sounds like teenaged bragging in place of the real story (especially for a book that people paid money for). I get it, that Messier’s ‘leadership’ tone was meant to reach the broader audience, which is fine; but it’s just not as compelling to me as ‘The Devil and Bobby Hull’ or some other braver recounting of the time (e.g., both of Theo Fleury’s books, ‘Fury’ and ‘Playing with Fire’.) A little annoying too that most every story, big and small, makes Mark Messier look so selfless (like his buying a suit for Darren Langdon after treating him like crap in the book because of his clothes.)
So I obviously still don’t think much of Mark Messier’s character, but he did write a good hockey history about Mark Messier’s career.
March 11, 2025
Title:
No One Wins Alone
Author: Mark Messier
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 3.00
Pub Date: October 26, 2021
T H R E E • W O R D S
Dry • Inspiring • Indulgent
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Mark Messier is one of the most accomplished athletes in the history of professional sports. He was a fierce competitor with a well-earned reputation as a winner. But few people know his real story, not only of the astonishing journey he took to making NHL history, but of the deep understanding of leadership and respect for the power of teamwork he gained. Throughout, Messier shares insights about success, winning cultures, and how leaders can help teams overcome challenges.
💭 T H O U G H T S
March appears to be the month of listening to all of the memoirs written by former NHLers. No One Wins Alone was one I picked out on a whim, even though I wasn't a Mark Messier fan. The majority of his playing career happened during my infant/toddler years, so I didn't have the opportunity to watch him play regularly, yet of course, I know of his legend status among the NHL.
Like many memoirs, Mark covers a lot of ground. From his early years with his tight-knit family to life with his wife and kids; from entering the NHL as an eighteen-year-old to winning the Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers; from his relationships with teammates Wayne Gretzky, Kevin Lowe, Paul Coffey, and Glenn Anderson during the Oilers dynasty years to travelling to exotic places during the off season, Mark details the highs, the lows, and the hard work.
The narration of the audiobook, performed by Will Reeve, is certainly fine. However, it reads more like a biography than a memoir, which has more to do with the writing than the narrator's voicing. The writing itself lacks the emotion necessary to really engage and compel the reader, which is surprising given Mark's extraordinary life.
Unfortunately, No One Wins Alone doesn't really offer anything new and lacks the emotional depth of a top-notch memoir. At several points, it really seemed as though I was reading a tribute to Wayne Gretzky, rather than Mark's memoir. I did appreciate the insights into what it takes to be a good leader. This certainly wouldn't be the first hockey player memoir I would recommend, yet anyone who grew up during Messier's era will surely appreciate this book.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• learning about retired NHL superstars
• the Edmonton Oilers/New York Rangers
• Wayne Gretzky
⚠️ CW: injury/injury detail, drug use
Author: Mark Messier
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 3.00
Pub Date: October 26, 2021
T H R E E • W O R D S
Dry • Inspiring • Indulgent
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Mark Messier is one of the most accomplished athletes in the history of professional sports. He was a fierce competitor with a well-earned reputation as a winner. But few people know his real story, not only of the astonishing journey he took to making NHL history, but of the deep understanding of leadership and respect for the power of teamwork he gained. Throughout, Messier shares insights about success, winning cultures, and how leaders can help teams overcome challenges.
💭 T H O U G H T S
March appears to be the month of listening to all of the memoirs written by former NHLers. No One Wins Alone was one I picked out on a whim, even though I wasn't a Mark Messier fan. The majority of his playing career happened during my infant/toddler years, so I didn't have the opportunity to watch him play regularly, yet of course, I know of his legend status among the NHL.
Like many memoirs, Mark covers a lot of ground. From his early years with his tight-knit family to life with his wife and kids; from entering the NHL as an eighteen-year-old to winning the Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers; from his relationships with teammates Wayne Gretzky, Kevin Lowe, Paul Coffey, and Glenn Anderson during the Oilers dynasty years to travelling to exotic places during the off season, Mark details the highs, the lows, and the hard work.
The narration of the audiobook, performed by Will Reeve, is certainly fine. However, it reads more like a biography than a memoir, which has more to do with the writing than the narrator's voicing. The writing itself lacks the emotion necessary to really engage and compel the reader, which is surprising given Mark's extraordinary life.
Unfortunately, No One Wins Alone doesn't really offer anything new and lacks the emotional depth of a top-notch memoir. At several points, it really seemed as though I was reading a tribute to Wayne Gretzky, rather than Mark's memoir. I did appreciate the insights into what it takes to be a good leader. This certainly wouldn't be the first hockey player memoir I would recommend, yet anyone who grew up during Messier's era will surely appreciate this book.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• learning about retired NHL superstars
• the Edmonton Oilers/New York Rangers
• Wayne Gretzky
⚠️ CW: injury/injury detail, drug use
December 14, 2022
No One Wins Alone by Mark Messier is a book that I would say is not for everyone. I do enjoy this book for myself because it centers around the idea of his leadership abilities. Most of this book he uses metaphors and similes to describe parts of his life in where his siblings and his parents shape him to be the person he is today. If you are looking for a book that has a plot twist and is filled with action, this is not the book for you.
Personally for me the book started to get boring because It had no plot but I still found ways to keep interest in the book by staying persistent with the fact that I'm looking for leadership advice. In my opinion this is more of a how-to book and not a interesting story tale book. Sometimes the book managed to confuse me with its constant use of hyperboles. Although I said many bad things about the book it's not horrible, I just feel like to read this book and actually be interested in this book you have to have a certain search for questions.
I would say that I learned a lot about this book and it's giving me some advice on some leadership qualities that I can apply to my sports career and just my overall life. Mark Messier was a professional hockey player so I would assume he knows what he is talking about when it comes to leading a team. Leadership is not the only thing, I've learned some of the adversity he had to overcome with the fans that watch him play which is something that I can relate to at this point in my life.
The author is very good at using illustration and clarifying things when he speaks except some of his hyperbole didn't make sense for me I do feel like the author tried to explain it to the best of his ability. Another thing I think the author used very well was the identification of his book I think he made it very clear what he was trying to get across, when it came to things related to the qualities it takes to become a professional athlete. Not just becoming a professional athlete but maintaining to be a professional athlete.
Overall I think this book could be a cheat sheet for some athletes. I would not recommend this book to someone who is just looking for a good book to read. This book doesn't really have any interesting plots for someone who is looking for an entertaining story. The qualities that this author has taught me through the book, I think will not only help my athletic career but can help me in my professional career. In my opinion I would rate this book four stars.
Personally for me the book started to get boring because It had no plot but I still found ways to keep interest in the book by staying persistent with the fact that I'm looking for leadership advice. In my opinion this is more of a how-to book and not a interesting story tale book. Sometimes the book managed to confuse me with its constant use of hyperboles. Although I said many bad things about the book it's not horrible, I just feel like to read this book and actually be interested in this book you have to have a certain search for questions.
I would say that I learned a lot about this book and it's giving me some advice on some leadership qualities that I can apply to my sports career and just my overall life. Mark Messier was a professional hockey player so I would assume he knows what he is talking about when it comes to leading a team. Leadership is not the only thing, I've learned some of the adversity he had to overcome with the fans that watch him play which is something that I can relate to at this point in my life.
The author is very good at using illustration and clarifying things when he speaks except some of his hyperbole didn't make sense for me I do feel like the author tried to explain it to the best of his ability. Another thing I think the author used very well was the identification of his book I think he made it very clear what he was trying to get across, when it came to things related to the qualities it takes to become a professional athlete. Not just becoming a professional athlete but maintaining to be a professional athlete.
Overall I think this book could be a cheat sheet for some athletes. I would not recommend this book to someone who is just looking for a good book to read. This book doesn't really have any interesting plots for someone who is looking for an entertaining story. The qualities that this author has taught me through the book, I think will not only help my athletic career but can help me in my professional career. In my opinion I would rate this book four stars.
January 20, 2022
The book keeps to the central theme of the importance of human relationship and understanding others, empathy and ensuring everyone is part of the team, working towards a greater purpose.
The many moments of Messier's life and career are the anecdotal supporting examples of this theme.
I did not know until this book that Mess' own father was a professional hockey player himself and also represented Mess' as his agent through some difficult negotiation periods. The family is definitely hockey crazy and is no wonder Mess' played for as long and hard as he did. He was born into it. As Mess' states himself, he was very fortunate to play for 26 years without any major injuries.
His Oilers days seemed to be a relatively linear progression towards 4 Stanley Cups, generally taking steps forward year to year. Yet, it highlights the growing pains and team lessons of playoff defeats and overcoming them the following year, adjusting to the different brand of hockey required to win in the playoffs. Then following the departure of Gretzky, Coffey, etc. The 5th Cup coming with Mess' as the Captain.
His Rangers days brought back many headline worthy news of my childhood. The rumblings of him owning the Rangers locker room and the decisions being made. The famous Game 6 Guarantee in NJ and delivering a Hat Trick. I had forgotten that the Rangers made a real push for the Cup and President's trophy winning season to miss the playoff the next year. Only to regroup and win it all the following season.
As a lifelong hockey fan, this was great first person insider view of the sport and simply entertaining. It came as no surprise, though, that the Oilers practiced intentionally and very hard. The practiced the way they played, and it was lead by Gretzky. All the best people in any field seem to have this trait of always being all in and the daily habits and routines set them apart from the field.
Some funny stories of Mess' mistakes about sleeping in and Sather giving him a plane ticket to the farm team game, getting into a car accident with his Porsche.
The one thing I learnt about Mess' as a leader is, he was likely ahead of his time in terms of the mental aspects of the sport and importance to top level performance. It is funny how his mushroom induced night in Barbados with his brother and friends introduced to him to some of this. I was laughing when he said the geckos in the room turned into Jurassic Park!
The many moments of Messier's life and career are the anecdotal supporting examples of this theme.
I did not know until this book that Mess' own father was a professional hockey player himself and also represented Mess' as his agent through some difficult negotiation periods. The family is definitely hockey crazy and is no wonder Mess' played for as long and hard as he did. He was born into it. As Mess' states himself, he was very fortunate to play for 26 years without any major injuries.
His Oilers days seemed to be a relatively linear progression towards 4 Stanley Cups, generally taking steps forward year to year. Yet, it highlights the growing pains and team lessons of playoff defeats and overcoming them the following year, adjusting to the different brand of hockey required to win in the playoffs. Then following the departure of Gretzky, Coffey, etc. The 5th Cup coming with Mess' as the Captain.
His Rangers days brought back many headline worthy news of my childhood. The rumblings of him owning the Rangers locker room and the decisions being made. The famous Game 6 Guarantee in NJ and delivering a Hat Trick. I had forgotten that the Rangers made a real push for the Cup and President's trophy winning season to miss the playoff the next year. Only to regroup and win it all the following season.
As a lifelong hockey fan, this was great first person insider view of the sport and simply entertaining. It came as no surprise, though, that the Oilers practiced intentionally and very hard. The practiced the way they played, and it was lead by Gretzky. All the best people in any field seem to have this trait of always being all in and the daily habits and routines set them apart from the field.
Some funny stories of Mess' mistakes about sleeping in and Sather giving him a plane ticket to the farm team game, getting into a car accident with his Porsche.
The one thing I learnt about Mess' as a leader is, he was likely ahead of his time in terms of the mental aspects of the sport and importance to top level performance. It is funny how his mushroom induced night in Barbados with his brother and friends introduced to him to some of this. I was laughing when he said the geckos in the room turned into Jurassic Park!
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February 2, 2022I really really was enjoying this when I started reading it, but, I am packing it in after Chapter Six (p103)… I’m giving this a game misconduct and sending it packing.
There is nothing wrong with this book!! If you are a die hard hockey fan, and especially if you want to relive the glory days of the Edmonton OIlers, or the league playoff action, in play by play detail… this is the book for you. Or if you are a young player, then there is wisdom to be gained from Messier’s early experiences (and likely also his later, but I won’t be reading those parts…)
This is not the book for me. The early promise - of the Prologue - has not been sustained. The book has settled into a pattern that just isn’t cutting it for me. Chapters start with some warm memory, then get into blow by blow descriptions of particular games/series, and finish with some conclusion about the lessons learned from that series of experiences. Repeat.
Yes, this is the era of hockey that I grew up on - the names that I remember, some of my grandmother’s favourite players… and that’s what hockey was for me, a shared experience with my grandmother who, bless her heart, was a die hard Toronto Maple Leafs fan. But I don’t care enough to feel the need to relive these moments in - what is for me - excruciating detail.
I do have one comment about something that really bugged me in the first few chapters… and that was the way in which Messier’s father is referenced… sometimes referred to as ‘Dad’, and sometimes referred to as ‘Doug.’ The first couple of times I had to re-read the paragraphs to figure out what I had missed. Who was this ‘Doug’ person? Finally I got it. But it was really jarring to keep switching between calling him ‘Dad’ and ‘Doug.’ It felt like Mark was writing where he was ‘Dad’ and Jimmy was writing where he was called ‘Doug.’ The use of ‘Doug’ in reference to his father broke the intimacy of the narrative. Why didn’t an editor catch this?
(I do give lots of credit to the fact that - while not stipulated on the front cover - credit is given to the fact that this is co-written by Jimmy Roberts. I really find it disingenuous when a title like this is credited solely to the ‘celebrity’ figure when clearly there has been ‘assistance’ with the writing).
So this is decent enough read, but it is far too niche to the fanatical hockey fan, and lacking the broad appeal I’m looking for in a sports memoir.
There is nothing wrong with this book!! If you are a die hard hockey fan, and especially if you want to relive the glory days of the Edmonton OIlers, or the league playoff action, in play by play detail… this is the book for you. Or if you are a young player, then there is wisdom to be gained from Messier’s early experiences (and likely also his later, but I won’t be reading those parts…)
This is not the book for me. The early promise - of the Prologue - has not been sustained. The book has settled into a pattern that just isn’t cutting it for me. Chapters start with some warm memory, then get into blow by blow descriptions of particular games/series, and finish with some conclusion about the lessons learned from that series of experiences. Repeat.
Yes, this is the era of hockey that I grew up on - the names that I remember, some of my grandmother’s favourite players… and that’s what hockey was for me, a shared experience with my grandmother who, bless her heart, was a die hard Toronto Maple Leafs fan. But I don’t care enough to feel the need to relive these moments in - what is for me - excruciating detail.
I do have one comment about something that really bugged me in the first few chapters… and that was the way in which Messier’s father is referenced… sometimes referred to as ‘Dad’, and sometimes referred to as ‘Doug.’ The first couple of times I had to re-read the paragraphs to figure out what I had missed. Who was this ‘Doug’ person? Finally I got it. But it was really jarring to keep switching between calling him ‘Dad’ and ‘Doug.’ It felt like Mark was writing where he was ‘Dad’ and Jimmy was writing where he was called ‘Doug.’ The use of ‘Doug’ in reference to his father broke the intimacy of the narrative. Why didn’t an editor catch this?
(I do give lots of credit to the fact that - while not stipulated on the front cover - credit is given to the fact that this is co-written by Jimmy Roberts. I really find it disingenuous when a title like this is credited solely to the ‘celebrity’ figure when clearly there has been ‘assistance’ with the writing).
So this is decent enough read, but it is far too niche to the fanatical hockey fan, and lacking the broad appeal I’m looking for in a sports memoir.
October 1, 2024
3,5 stars, which I will round down to 3 stars overall.
I will say it here, I have never been a hockey fan. I am a sports fan though. I have read many sports memoirs from other hockey legends (Gordie Howe), along with Figure Skating, Skiing, Swimming, and Gymnastics legends. That being said, this book was okay, not my favorite.
Mark had a very long, very successful career playing with a few different teams. He comes from a hockey family (father and older brother), and he knew Wayne Gretszy before he was "The Great One". Mark started hockey very young, and devoted much of his life until around 43 years old to the game. This book is a very detailed account of that. I am serious, he recounts almost every game I think he had ever played in, which is impressive in itself that his memory is that good. If you are a hockey fan (die hard or passive fan) I think this book is for you.
If you are, however, looking for "the man behind the hockey stick" you are going to be missing a lot here. Mark does talk a bit about being a young player and some adventures he went on when he started making some money but, that it really it. You are not going to get much of Mark as the person, not the hockey player. As someone else said, this is almost like par memoir, part leadership guide for young athletes. That is fine but I was looking for the memoir, not the self-help or leadership script here.
Overall, it was a good book. It was written well. I think hockey fans will get a lot out of this. I met Mark once when I was in late elementary school and I remember him being really nice, staying at school, talking with the kids, and even going skating with some of the kids at the outdoor rink nearby. I think this book showed the kind of athlete Mark is/was, and the kind of person he is. I don't think he puts on any airs or think he is one of the greatest of all time (which he is). He is just Mark. I liked that about this book. I was just looking to know him a bit better as an Icon, not just a hockey player.
I will say it here, I have never been a hockey fan. I am a sports fan though. I have read many sports memoirs from other hockey legends (Gordie Howe), along with Figure Skating, Skiing, Swimming, and Gymnastics legends. That being said, this book was okay, not my favorite.
Mark had a very long, very successful career playing with a few different teams. He comes from a hockey family (father and older brother), and he knew Wayne Gretszy before he was "The Great One". Mark started hockey very young, and devoted much of his life until around 43 years old to the game. This book is a very detailed account of that. I am serious, he recounts almost every game I think he had ever played in, which is impressive in itself that his memory is that good. If you are a hockey fan (die hard or passive fan) I think this book is for you.
If you are, however, looking for "the man behind the hockey stick" you are going to be missing a lot here. Mark does talk a bit about being a young player and some adventures he went on when he started making some money but, that it really it. You are not going to get much of Mark as the person, not the hockey player. As someone else said, this is almost like par memoir, part leadership guide for young athletes. That is fine but I was looking for the memoir, not the self-help or leadership script here.
Overall, it was a good book. It was written well. I think hockey fans will get a lot out of this. I met Mark once when I was in late elementary school and I remember him being really nice, staying at school, talking with the kids, and even going skating with some of the kids at the outdoor rink nearby. I think this book showed the kind of athlete Mark is/was, and the kind of person he is. I don't think he puts on any airs or think he is one of the greatest of all time (which he is). He is just Mark. I liked that about this book. I was just looking to know him a bit better as an Icon, not just a hockey player.
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