Book Reviews: The Game by Ken Dryden, and The Rebel League by Ed Willes - Page 2

Still, the more timeless areas of the book are an admirable insider's view of play at the professional level. It covers the history of the game, Dryden's past, other past and then-current players and coaches, as well as the development of hockey styles and strategy. Dryden's analysis of the differences between Canadian hockey and the then-burgeoning Soviet program are insightful. Several of his recommendations on how North American hockey could remain competitive were prescient.

Dryden urged speed and emphasis on a transition game, saying, among other things, that "the league must deliver a message, clear and uncompromising: hooking, holding, and highsticking will be penalized, so that the quick and skilled are not, so that open ice created will not be taken away." Those concepts are a large part of what has created the "new NHL" this season, reflecting the caliber of Dryden's analysis.

At the same time Dryden was playing for a longstanding NHL empire, others were trying to shake up professional hockey. Taking cues from the American Football League and the American Basketball Association, the World Hockey Association was formed. The Rebel League, by Ed Willes, makes a worthy but not always successful effort to document the history of the WHA.

Although in existence only from October 1972 through March 1979, the impact of the WHA on professional hockey in North American is unquestionable. As a renegade league of sorts, the founders and owners knew the only chance of success was to have top-name players. As a result, they lured superstar Bobby Hull with a million dollar bonus at a time when most NHL stars were lucky to make six figures.

Large contracts and bonuses allowed the WHA to land other quality NHL players and top quality draft picks. The WHA's actions not only increased player salaries in the NHL, they cracked the reserve clause in the NHL. Whether that ultimately has been good or bad for hockey is a matter of opinion.

Yet the WHA also got Gordie Howe to come out of retirement and play — quite effectively — with his sons. It delved heavily into European players, opening the door much wider for those players in the NHL. It also was the starting ground for many future NHL superstars, such as Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier.

Article Author: Tim Gebhart

Tim Gebhart lives in Sioux Falls, SD, where he practices law in order to provide shelter for his family, his dogs, and his books. He is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and his blog de guerre is A Progressive on the Prairie.

Visit Tim Gebhart's author page — Tim Gebhart's Blog