Between the Lines

by Ray Scapinello

A fantastic look at the behind the scenes world of an NHL Linesman with 2500 consecutive game officiated. Great book for hockey fans.

Genres: Hockey, Sports, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published August 16, 2006

Reviews

[Dave Schulte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stories but I still do and always will hate anyone in a ref jersey

[Teebz Hbic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for Between the Lines can be found on Hockey Blog In Canada.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides some great history from an officials point of view. My favorite part of officiating are the stories. Some good, some bad. This book is packed with anecdotes from Scampy's long, certain Hall of Fame career. His personality on and off the ice is professional, but still fun. Many important people in hockey have contributed stories to this book. Even if you don't necessarily have a background in officiating, as long as you are a hockey fan, you will enjoy this book. The book also goes into how the NHL has evolved into the game being played today [or not played, because there may not be a season this year]. The book also sheds light on the behind-the-scenes of the inner workings of the NHL.

if you ref, this is a must read.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my experience, hockey officials always have great stories to tell about the games they've called. Having called lines at the highest level for as long as he did, Scapinello has a wealth of these stories. Like so many such memoirs, though, the author doesn't make the best use of these stories. As I said about Ron MacLean's "Cornered," I think this contents of this book could have added up to something more. It is a collection of entertaining stories that are assembled in a rambling fashion and don't add up to an outstanding cohesive work.

[David Horton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like an overly long retirement speech. It's a somewhat rambling, unfocused look back on the life and career of a very nice man who also happens to be a referee in the National Hockey League. The was easy to read but not a compelling page turner. I could have put it down for two or three months and not felt like any momentum was lost when picking it up again. Fans of sports stories might not find enough thrills between these covers to keep their interest but fans of the game - hockey - will like this because it looks at the sport from an underlooked point of view.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scampy (and maybe Kevin Collins for other reasons) is the only linesman who ever really stood out to me from game to game so when I saw this book I had to read it. Watching on TV he always seemed to be having fun and really love doing the games and reading about him confirms it. Some great anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories make this a great read for a hockey fan.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

I generally have a pretty low expectation for sports books. But this one failed to live up even to those...the stories are OK, but the writing level is really mediocre. There's no flow to the chapters or to the book as a whole, just a series of statements. Feels like a missed opportunity given the amount of NHL hockey that Scapinello witnessed.

[Roy]

Imean what can you say , its just a book about hockey . It was / is what it is and reading this book is not going to take away the fact that it is a violent ' Game " played by men but orginally for boys . It was great that Ray survived as long as he did and got to retire . Yay for him .

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty decent book about a remarkable career, and a view of a side of the NHL most people don't normally read about. It did kind of read more like a collection of memories and anecdotes than a real book.

[Otter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I really enjoyed it. The book got much better as it went on and I even went back and read some more from the beginning. 3.5* is my rating because there were some parts that made me think I should stop reading. If you're a hockey fan you should read it.

[Cornelius · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of fun hockey stories, it was perfect for a flight or any other time you want some light hockey reading.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good stories about hockey players, officials, and famous games from the Eighties and Nineties.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard work does go NOTICED!

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed Ray's reflection back on a tremendous career. It was a pleasure to have met Ray at Book Expo in Toronto a few years ago where he gave me my autographed copy of this book.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoyed Kerry Fraser's book, Scampy's book is equally informative and entertaining. A hockey fan can learn a lot about an on-ice officials life in the NHL. A must read for any hockey fan.

[Michael Westveer · Rating 3 out of 5]

First hand facts are fun

It was awesome to get to read how things work on ice level. The book is a good read for hockey fans.

[Snorstoper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lot of great stories. Very entertaining!