Customer Reviews

Future Greats and Heartbreaks: A Year Undercover in the Secret World of NHL Scouts

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are a hockey fan, I HIGHLY recommend this book. It shows you what teams go through to get the best players, and what players go through to be selected.

Gare Joyce is a fantastic writer. He captures the inner workings of the hockey world like no one else, to date. I enjoyed this book from the preface through the acknowledgements.

As someone who is involved with the NHL draft each year, I found the book to be extremely enjoyable, insightful and an essential guide to how NHL scouts operate and do their jobs.

Joyce spent myriad hours crafting this intimiate look at the much-lesser known side of professional sports and his stories and anecdotes are pure gold, especially his observations into the Columbus Blue Jackets war room prior to the 2006 draft.

Although controversial at times with his characterizations of USA Hockey (and there are a few small inaccuracies, but nothing that detracts from the work overall), I also believe that if the shoe fits, wear it. Unlike Team Canada, USA Hockey seems to subordinate itself to the whims, egos and self-absorption of some of its best players and their families. The fact that Canada has owned the World U-20 Championships since USA won its first and only gold in '04 tells me that Joyce is onto something, even if the truth may hurt a bit as an American and supporter of USA Hockey.

Anyway- he also appears to have been on the right track with Phil Kessel, who was recently traded to Toronto. The book is critical of Kessel and whether you agree or disagree with the assessment, Kessel is a fascinating and polarizing figure. It certainly provides some food for thought three years later, as the Wisconsin native and hockey phenom has left the Bruins for greener (about 27 million worth over five years) pastures.

If you are an NHL draft fan, this is the one book you should not be without.

Really detailed explanation on the work done behind the scenes by scouts in the NHL. Great little detaisl about some prospects (Kessel, Brassard). Great book!

Gare Joyce's book covering the Columbus Blue Jackets scouting staff is interesting for the hard core hockey fan. The author does a good job of illustrating his experience with the scouting staff during the HNL season and entry draft. He provides some interesting details on how the team picks players and evaluates the young men playing at the amateur level. The book wouldn't be interesting for the casual fan or someone who wants to learn more about the game. A must read for fans of all sports that really enjoy the draft process.