Behind the Bench [Paperback]

Dick Irvin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dick Irvin, long the radio voice of the Montreal Canadiens, was a member of CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcast team for more than 30 years. He covered more than 2,500 NHL games on television and radio. In 1988 he won the Foster Hewitt Award for excellence in hockey broadcasting and was inducted into the Media Section of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: McClelland & Stewart (September 3, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0771043600
• ISBN-13: 978-0771043604
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,900,910 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a collection of stories from past and present NHL coaches, August 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Behind the Bench (Hardcover)

Dick Irvin's book makes you a a priviledged listener to the stories of great and not so great NHL coaches. You read the thoughts and

philosophies of Mike Keenan, Harry Neale, Barry Melrose, Jacques Demers, and of course, the inimitable Don Cherry. Read how some of these coaches struggled with acceptance from players, fans and management; victory and, ultimately, defeat. A must read for hockey fans with a knowledge of the game and interesting to those

who are new to it.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Makes Me Yearn For An Updated Version, August 27, 2010

By 

Craig Connell (Lockport, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Behind the Bench (Paperback)

Veteran hockey broadcaster Dick Irvin is so good at these oral history books (See "In The Crease" in which goalies talk about their profession) that I wish he'd update this one to include coaches from the past 15 years.

To any hockey fan, this is fascinating reading, not just x's and o's about the game but how and how not to treat players. You get a cross-section of guys here, from the ultra-strict and series to the still-strict-but-funny, the video freaks, the players' coaches, and some interesting comments about how coaching hockey players has changed over the years. Overall, it's a fun read and you'll learn some hockey and psychology along the way.

4.0 out of 5 stars a collection of stories from NHL coaches past and present., August 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Behind the Bench (Hardcover)

Dick Irvin's book makes you a a priviledged listener of the stories of great and not so great NHL coaches. You hear the thoughts and philosophies of Mike Keenan, Harry Neale, Barry Melrose, Jacques Demers, and of course, the inimitable Don Cherry. Read how some of these coaches struggled with acceptance, victory and, ultimately, defeat. A great read for hockey fans with a knowledge of the game and interesting to those who are new to it.