Between the Lines: Not-So-Tall Tales From Ray "Scampy" Scapinello's Four Decades in the NHL [Paperback]

Ray Scapinello (Author), Rob Simpson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 16, 2007

An insider's look at life on the lines

To hockey fans, Ray Scapinello's name and face are as recognizable as any star player or coach in the NHL. Scampy, as he is affectionately known has had a long and storied career as a linesman in the NHL. His 5-foot-7 frame and 163 pounds belie his ability and endurance on the ice. When Ray retired in 2004 after 33 years in the NHL, he had officiated in 2,500 regular season matches (never missing a game), 426 playoff games, and an astounding twenty Stanley Cup final series. His untouchable statistics make him a lock to enter the Hockey Hall of Fame as an official, but even they do not do justice to the respect he has earned from officials, players, coaches, and fans alike. On and off the ice, Scampy is considered one of hockey's great personalities, a consummate professional, a chronic practical joker, and a true ambassador of the sport.

Between the Lines gives a rare glimpse inside the world of hockey from an unusual perspective — through the eyes of one of the game's greatest and best-loved officials. Scampy shares his tales of life both on and off the ice as an official, an inside look at what those players and coaches are really like, what they really say and do, and what the game looks like between the lines. Full of fun stories, perspective on how the game has changed and evolved, and stories and interviews about Scampy from players, coaches, and other officials, Between the Lines is a captivating memoir of a truly unique life in hockey.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“It was a pleasure to be included as part of this book about Scampy and his friends and life behind the scenes as an official. I had no idea about some of the different things he was up to off the ice, and it offers a fresh perspective on a few of the NHL’s most talked about games and incidents. It’s also a testament to one of the more remarkable individuals ever to be involved in hockey.”
—From the Foreword by Scotty Bowman

“Throughout his career Ray conducted himself with the utmost professionalism and class. His calm demeanor, combined with an ability to react appropriately to any situation are the reasons Scampy leaves the game with great respect and admiration from players and coaches throughout the NHL. He is a great man and a class act.”
—From the Foreword by Steve Yzerman --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Inside Flap

To hockey fans everywhere, Ray Scapinello’s name and face (and bald head) are as recognizable as any star player or coach in the NHL. Scampy, as he is affectionately known, has had a long and storied career as a linesman in the NHL, officiating in four different decades at the highest level of hockey.

His 5-foot-7 frame and 163 pounds belie his ability and endurance on the ice. Even in the heyday of bench brawls and the Broad Street Bullies, Ray was always in the middle of the action, but never missed a single game for injury, illness, or any other reason.

When Ray retired in 2004 after 33 years in the NHL, he had officiated in 2,500 regular season matches, 426 playoff games, and an astounding twenty Stanley Cup final series. But even his untouchable statistics do not do justice to the respect Scapinello has earned from officials, players, coaches, and fans alike. On and off the ice, Scampy is considered one of hockey’s great personalities, a consummate professional, a chronic practical joker, and a true ambassador of the sport.

Between the Lines gives a rare glimpse inside the world of hockey from an unusual perspective—through the eyes of one of the game’s greatest and best-loved officials. With hockey journalist and broadcaster Rob Simpson, Scampy shares his tales of life as an official, both on and off the ice, revealing an inside look at what the players and coaches are really like, what they really say and do, and what the game looks like between the lines.

Full of fun stories, personal perspectives on how the game has changed and evolved, and stories and interviews about Scampy from players, coaches, and other officials, Between the Lines is a captivating memoir of a truly unique life in hockey. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (October 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470153016
• ISBN-13: 978-0470153017
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #821,017 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great airplane book, January 26, 2008

By 

Cornelius Hardenbergh "Nerd" (Allston Rock City, MA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Between the Lines: Not-So-Tall Tales From Ray "Scampy" Scapinello's Four Decades in the NHL (Paperback)

I (asked for and) received this book for Christmas (Thanks, Mom!) and read it on the plane ride to Minnesota. It was a fun, entertaining read. For a post-lockout new fan, as I am, I found the mentions of the mechanics of the game interesting and for a short while I considered trying to be a referee or linesman in the NHL, until I realized I couldn't skate forwards that well, let alone backwards, sideways, or while holding myself up on the boards. The non-mechanics parts of the book were also fun - It has a lot of stories of "Scampy's" personal experiences working in the league for over 20 years. If you're looking for a light*, fun read about hockey, this is certainly the book for you.

*"Light" meaning quick and mostly painless, and we're comparing it to the wide range of literature rather than other hockey books.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining for hockey fans, but could have been so much more..., November 15, 2007

By 

Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Between the Lines: Not-So-Tall Tales From Ray "Scampy" Scapinello's Four Decades in the NHL (Paperback)

As a hockey fan with an appreciation for the history of the game, I jumped at the chance to read and review Between the Lines: Not-So-Tall Tales From Ray "Scampy" Scapinello's Four Decades in the NHL by Ray Scapinello and Rob Simpson. From the perspective of a fan, it was fun to read. But from a critical perspective, it could (and should) have been much, much more...

Contents:

The Essential Scampy; Big Games, Colossal Pressure; Fighters and Brawlers; Young "Gus" Grows; Gaining Experience; A Brotherhood of Pranksters; All in the Family; NHL Evolutions; Privet (Hello) Russia; What's Left Behind and Lies Ahead; Index

Ray Scapinello, aka "Scampy", was a linesman in the National Hockey League (NHL), and has a career of respect and longevity that will never again be matched by an official. Due to excellent conditioning and more than a little luck, he never missed a game and was on the ice until his late 50's. During that time, he skated with many of the legends of the game. And at only 5' 7", he was almost always outmatched in the size and bulk department when breaking up fights. But again, his commitment to the game and fearless attitude had him diving into scrums with some of the league's most notorious brawlers. Throughout the book, there are a number of stories related to the games he worked, personalities he met, and other officials he saw come and go during that time. From a pure hockey appreciation standpoint, the book provides an insight to the life of a "zebra", quite often the most thankless job in sports.

So where did things go wrong with the book?

Primarily, a lack of focus. I wouldn't expect fellow officials to be left out of stories, but far too often the stories were more about them than Scampy. It also wasn't unusual for the author to head off on a tangent related to some aspect of the game. Again, interesting from a hockey standpoint, but not seemingly relevant to Scampy's story. The stories don't always follow a chronological order in his life, so you jump from his last game to his childhood to the strike season back to his son, etc. It made the organization of the book seem very disjointed, and detracted from what could have been both an entertaining read *and* a solid book.

I'll pass this along to my son, who is also a linesman and referee at the junior level. I have no doubt he'll enjoy the book and relate to many of the on-ice incidents. But I have a feeling that even he will be less than impressed at the overall layout. Too bad, as Scampy is a part of the game that's often overlooked and should have more attention. There *are* real people under those striped sweaters...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a GREAT Book, January 15, 2010

By 

Steven From Eugene OR (Eugene, OR) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Between the Lines: Not-So-Tall Tales From Ray "Scampy" Scapinello's Four Decades in the NHL (Kindle Edition)

I really don't write reviews that much. I am only doing this because I truly loved the book and finished it in a few days. I just love hockey stories and this book fit the bill for me.