Customer Reviews

The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

More than just an underdog-achieves-greatness story, this book is a revealing look at the elements that went into that incredible victory in Lake Placid. Little is glossed over, and both Herb Brooks and several players are examined in detail. Brooks is not portrayed as a saint, but his genius in creating a team and a system to win gold shines through.

The Russians are not treated as a bunch of villains, but instead are shown to be just as human as the American boys. The political climate of the time obviously made the victory that much sweeter, and Coffey does an excellent job of setting the victory against that backdrop.

As a hockey fan, it's difficult to think of a greater moment than watching the players and crowd go crazy as those final seconds ticked away - for many of us, it still gives us chills 25 years later. This book does a wonderful job of honoring one of the great moments in American sports history.

I was 18, almost 19, years old that night in February 1980. I was a freshman in college, only a handful of years younger than the talented young men who donned the sweaters of the USA to play in the Lake Placid Olympics. It would be hard to imagine a time when morale was lower, and people felt more negatively about being an American--it was the Carter administration, interest rates were 21%, the Iranian hostage crisis was in full disaster mode, and the Soviets had just invaded Afghanistan. I grew up 65 miles from Three Mile Island, and the accident there had occurred two days after my 18th birthday in March 1979, and nobody knew whether the accident there would have long-term negative effects. Relations with the Soviets were at their nadir, the Cold War was at its height, and I remembered that things in this country were at about their lowest point possible.

And then a miracle occurred.

Herb Brooks and his team of unknown college kids beat the greatest hockey team in the world, perhaps in history. I will never forget--as long as I live--hearing Al Michaels cry out, "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" as time ran out, and seeing the bedlam when the U.S. boys realized what they had accomplished. At that moment, it was okay to be an American again. I think that the resurgence of the Reagan years actually began that night in Lake Placid. It certainly marked the height of amateur hockey in the Olympics--the whole concept of "Dream Teams" was not even yet on the drawing board.

Wayne Coffey has written the definitive book on the Miracle game. It covers the action on the ice in minute detail while also telling us just who these unknown college kids--and their sphinx-like coach--were. Coffey tells us what has happened to these 20 men since their miracle, and discusses the travails and accomplishments, ranging from Mark Wells, who has faced nothing but adversity and illness, to men like Mark Pavelich, a great player who remains as enigmatic today as he was then.

For those who remember that night, or those who want to know more about it, there are two things I can recommend--the 2003 movie Miracle, where Kurt Russell BECAME Herbie Brooks--and this book. It's a quick, easy read by a master of sportswriting craft, and I can't imagine anything ever topping this book. The tragedy, of course, is that Herb Brooks died in a car accident in the summer of 2003, and never got to see either Russell's wonderful portrayal of him, or the reunion of his boys at Salt Lake City--now older, fatter, and grayer--when they lit the Olympic flame and re-captured the joy of their miracle moment.

Buy it. Read it. Cherish the memories. And remember the greatest moment in the history of sports when a bunch of unknown college kids beat the best team on earth.

Curiously, though the event has rated an HBO documentary, a made-for-TV movie, and a full-blown theatrical retelling, the complete story of the "Miracle on Ice" has never been put between covers in a real, live book (as opposed to a tome of the "instant paperback" variety). Unfortunately, it still hasn't. Coffey does a good enough job of telling the only story that people seem to care about anymore - the February 22, 1980, shocker that the U.S. hockey team pulled off against the unbeatable Soviets - but he reproduces each and every hockey movement of the game to such an excruciating degree that it's all the harder to forgive him for paying scant attention to the rest of the games that the Americans played to cop the gold. The interstitital mini-biographies of the various players and Coach Herb Brooks (whose 2003 funeral following a fatal car crash serves as the book's curtain-raiser) break the game narrative up to the point that the book is a bit confusing to read. It's an OK effort, but "Do You Believe in Miracles?" (the HBO documentary) and "Miracle" (the Disney feature flick) remain the best reminiscences of this epochal moment in sports history.

Given that I was born in June of 1980 - some 4 months after the greatest sports moment of the last 25 years - I have had to rely 100 percent on documentaries, articles and movies to truly understand how important this event really was. My father, who has everything from DVDs to framed artwork commemorating the game, still talks about the event today as if it just happened.

But, even the movie Miracle, which came out last year and is No. 1 on my all-time sports movie list, didn't do for me what this book does.

What history has told us again and again over the last 25 years is how special this victory was because of the fact that it was a bunch of college players who were virtually unheard of taking down a Soviet powerhouse made up of solid veterans. However, what nobody has attempted to do was tell us the story of who these 20 young men really were. Until now.

Wayne Coffey takes us through - not only the game minute-by-minute, period-by-period, but also he tells the story of the players. Who they were. Where they came from. Where they are now. He does a marvelous job of breaking down the book and weaving in and out between past and present. With such in depth analysis, you would think it would be hard to follow, but Coffey's gift for story telling makes it easy to get through. There are some books that once you finish you feel kind of dissapointed - not because you didn't enjoy the book, but because you enjoyed it so much you are going to miss it. This is true of this one.

After you're done, you feel as if you know the team personally, as if you were the 21st member in Lake Placid, along side Pavelich, O'Callahan, Harrington, Suter, Craig, Eruzione, McClanahan, Johnson and even the legendary late coach himself, Herb Brooks.

This one is a real page-turner from start to finish. The book brings those like my father right back to a time in history that will never again be revisited and for people my age, it brings us to a time that we wish we could have experienced first hand. Obviously, we will never be able to go back. But this is the next best thing.

Wayne Coffey is a wonderful sportswriter for the NY Daily News, so seeing his name on this book gave me every reason to believe I would like it. I was right.

A huge amount has been written and done about this team. There was a full-length movie, an outstanding HBO documentary and a made-for-TV movie (Karl Malden as Herb Brooks).

This book fills a lot of the gaps and gives a lot of insight into the individuals. I especially appreciated that Coffey interviewed many of the Russians, his sections on Tarasov and Tikhinov are fascinating.

Unlike Mr. Barat, I was able to follow the narrative of the book, it did not bounce around too much for me.

And while I would have preferred more coverage on the other games the team played, before and during the Olympics, that is a mild quibble.

The biggest gotcha in the book is when it talks about the game that the US played against the USSR two weeks before the Olympics. That game was won by the USSR 10-3 and it wasn't that close. Other sources said that both teams were trying 100%. Coffey believes that Brooks held back the US team a lot, not wanting to show his hand to them.

I rarely give 5 stars to a book, this one deserves them.

On the fateful night of 22 February 1980, I was 12 yrs old and witnessed the best event on tv or otherwise that I had *ever* seen or have seen since. The game against the Russians and ensuing victory forever changed my life. I have been both a hockey fan since and I most assuredly *do* believe in miracles. I was too young to appreciate the world events that kept the mood in the country downtrodden but I will always remember that game if only for the tremendously motivating story that it is. It's not possible to capture an intangible like hope, however Coffey's book certainly accomplishes precisely that. If you never read another sports based book, this one will be all that you'll ever need. Now if I can just find a VHS copy of the 13th Winter Olypic Games that features the game in question so I can burn the game to DVD to have forever more.

I remember the day well back in 1980. My Pee Wee hockey team traveled to Toronto from Detroit that Friday for a tournament that weekend. When we arrived, all the parents that made the trip and us kids all watched the game in the hotel bar. After all the excitement from seeing USA beating Russian, the parents went crazy and some cried and hugged each other. Me and my hockey teammates were just kids and really didn't understand the significance of the game, but definitely wanted USA to win. From the time I was a Mite to my last year in Juniors, hockey was my life as it was for a lot of kids that grew up playing hockey.

That following summer in 1980, I attended West Suburban Hockey Camp in Michigan which was owned and operated by the now infamous Bob Goodenow. Mark Wells, who played on the 1980 Olympic Hockey Team, was one of the instructors at the camp. It was awesome having the chance to be coached and taught hockey skills by Mark Wells. He was a very good instructor and some the fake and deke techniques he taught me helped me out as much as anything I ever learned from any hockey coach or instructor. Myself and other players at the camp were in awe of Mark Wells because he was just so powerful, fast and talented on the ice and a super nice guy as well.

When I read the part about Mark Wells in the book, I became a little emotional. I was sorry to hear about the struggles he has had over the years. After the movie "Miracle" came out, it got me thinking of what happened to Mark and to find out that he has had some difficulties in life were a surprise to me. I am happy to hear that Mark is doing well, moving forward and enjoying life now.

Hockey is unlike any other sport. The amount of time and money that the parents of young amateur hockey players put into their kids is huge, far beyond other major sports. All the traveling including many weekends of overnight travel, late night games and practices, buying new skates and equipment every year because kids are constantly growing out of them, the cost of ice time and giving much if not all of their own time just to let their kids to play hockey...and these parents wouldn't have it any other way.

You don't have to be an ex hockey player or even a real hockey fan to enjoy this book. Wayne Coffee does a great job telling the reader just what the players on the 1980 USA team gave up and then gained as hockey players and as people in achieving the unimaginable for their country.

I reommend The Boys of Winter for you to read. It is a great story of the 1980 hockey team.The goalie on the team, Jim Craig, tells the story. It is from his perspective. So he also tells you what it was like behind the mask.
There are a lot of flashblacks in the book. Herb Brooks died in 2003, so his funeral is also included . It also goes into the lockerroom to see what life was like in there. It is a great story and I definitely recommend it for you to read.

Mr. Coffey invested two years of his life into this book, and the result is a lovingly crafted account of this now legendary hockey team and their enigmatic coach.

A great book for sports fans of any persuasion, Mr. Coffey's play-by-play retelling of the instantly famous game is expertly woven with the stories of the players themselves. What continues to fascinate and inspire is how the the exceptional, daresay miraculous, seemingly exploded from such ordinariness and anonymity. (I suppose there is hope for me yet!)

To those considering the very worthwhile purchase of this book, and to those who may already have enjoyed it, I would also recommend "Home Ice" by Jack Falla. Mr. Falla's book dovetails nicely with the recurrent themes of love, family, and integrity found in "The Boys of Winter." And for those fortunate enough to live in colder climates, there is even a bonus chapter complete with instructions for building your own backdoor rink.

Finally, a comment for anyone who may have wondered just how much poetic license may have been taken in the production of Disney's film "Miracle." Based on a comparison to Mr. Coffey's extensively researched account, the answer is very little. How encouraging that such an extraordinary and uplifitng event was perfectly scripted the moment it unfolded before our eyes, without need of exaggeration or mythologizing. Enjoy the movie, guilt-free!

Wayne Coffey has been writing great stories about sports for years with the New York Daily News. But his work is not just sports writing. He uses sports as a portal into the things that matter for everyone -- family, work, faith, struggle, overcoming. And that's why this us such a great book. If this was just another sports book, I wouldn't be interested. I'm not much of a hockey fan (I was not very disturbed when thge NHL canceled its season a year ago). Coffey looks at not only how the team won -- how trhe maniac Herb Brooks manipulated and drove his players -- but a larger story about what happens to people when something huge happens to them. Like Roger Kahn's The Boys of Summer, this book probes deep into the lives and passions, the triumphs and losses, of one of the most improbable teams in American sports history.