Hockey For Dummies

by John Davidson, John Steinbreder

"Gives die-hard fans and newcomers to the sport the inside edge!"
— Scotty Bowman , NHL's winningest coach and  former coach of the Detroit Red Wings "Nothing gets by John Davidson. If the first edition didn’t already make you a fan, then this edition will!"
— Mark Messier , NHL All-Star "My dog, Blue, and I ran out to get Hockey For Dummies, 2 nd Edition . We give it two paws up!"
— Don Cherry , former NHL coach and “Coaches Corner” commentator for Hockey Night in Canada "...a must read for all hockey fans!"
— John Vanbiesbrouck , former goaltender, New York Islanders " ... the most comprehensive, easily understood source of hockey history and instruction I've ever come across. Not only was 'JD' a superb player in the NHL, he is also an extremely skilled commentator sharing his knowledge of the game with fans all over North America. From hat tricks to power plays, Hockey For Dummies provides the reader with the wisdom of an expert. —From the Foreword by Wayne Gretzky This updated edition of the bestselling guide to all things hockey is packed with illustrations and play-by-play descriptions, diagrams, and photos of the NHL’s greatest players. It tells you how to: Former New York Ranger, John Davidson offers you plays only the pros know and tips for playing hockey at any level. And he fills you in on: From youth leagues to the secrets of the NHL greats, Hockey For Dummies , is your total guide to this cool sport.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Hockey, Reference

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

John Davidson is a distinguished National Hockey League goaltender. Davidson retired in 1983. He is also a long-time hockey broadcaster. He was honored by the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009.

Librarian's note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Nancy G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good reference for a hockey newbie. I learned a lot about the game and having read the book makes watching hockey less onerous for me.

[Katriena Knights · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books are advertised as being a great way for somebody with no knowledge of the subject to get the low-down in a quick and easy form. Weirdly, I never get much out of them unless I already have some fairly significant prior knowledge.

This book's not great for beginners, anyway, though, because it apparently hasn't been updated since 2001. That was, of course, before the lockout, after which several rule changes were implemented. So a real hockey noob who reads this book is going to be wondering why the refs aren't calling offsides on a two-line pass, or why there's a shootout when the book says there aren't shootouts in the NHL. Also, obviously the "best players" lists are woefully out of date.

With that said, there's still a good amount of useful information here, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never been interested in sports before, but this year I got surprisingly obsessed with the San Jose Sharks. So, I did what any manly sports fan would do: I went to my local library to learn more! Seriously, though, this is a good book for people like me who are new to the game and want a clear explanation of the rules and strategy (I finally know what "the forecheck" is). There were also a lot of chapters I skipped since they didn't apply to me (how to stretch before playing hockey, etc), so this is definitely one to get from the library.

[Rebamom7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a lot of the basics, now to move forward! Go Sharks!

[Stuart Davenport · Rating 5 out of 5]

It gives you the inside to the world's fastest game.

[Pushon Bhattacharya · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid guide to my new obsession that explains everything you need to know about ice hockey. However, I knew most of this stuff already.

[k hennessy · Rating 2 out of 5]

badly written

[Lee Tyner · Rating 2 out of 5]

It needed more on the actual game play such as strategies, formations, etc. it had some, but needed more. Instead it had umpteen Top Ten Lists and was a little sophomoric at times.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never really started watching hockey until the Colorado Avalanche started their playoff run this year so this was extremely helpful. Davidson does a fantastic job describing the history of hockey in general and the NHL and provides excellent sections on the rules of the game, some of the major players, the vocabulary and even sections for those coaching or playing hockey. It's obviously not meant for those who are already familiar with the game and would likely be boring for them. However, for total newbies like me it made watching the games so much easier and more interesting and it's very easy to just pick the sections you're interested in and skip any you're not interested in. All in all a very good beginner's guide to the game!

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I was not at the time familiar with the sport at all, but had recently been watching a lot on TV and really started enjoying it, so I picked up this book at the library. The "Dummies" series has some gems and some bombs, but this was a very well written and informative title.

[Jo * Smut-Dickted * · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall very helpful. I read pieces of it as time permits since I need to absorb the information. Great glossary. Helpful explanations. Sometimes I still find myself confused a bit but then I watch games and usually I can figure it out. Recommended!

[Joyce]

Dated but valuable introduction to ice hockey at all levels. I got it for the glossary, the penalty gestures (with little cartoon refs!), and explanations of technicalities like "the umbrella" and "the dump and chase".

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hilariously out of date. I hardly know anything about hockey still, but even I was able to notice some of the facts that are no longer true. Still, much of the other information in here is useful and I learned a lot.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I got hooked on hockey, I found the easiest book I could find so that I knew the rules. Great help.

[Matthew]

Because I just like to play. But, not necessarily by the rules.

[Tiah Keever · Rating 3 out of 5]

oh man, yes, i really did read this...

[Richard Mulholland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book

[SA · Rating 3 out of 5]

A handy book to keep around if only for its good diagrams on icing and offsides. Way out of date though; definitely needs an update, particularly for the electronic version.

[planetkiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's out-of-date, but still a very good book for learning the basics of hockey. It's great for helping teach non-fans the ins and outs.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview, if a tad outdated, of NHL hockey.

[Kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book didn't give me much more information than what I've figured out from going to games.