Customer Reviews

Gilles Villemure's Tales from the Ranger Locker Room

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
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If you were a young man growing up in New York and you were a hockey fan, The NY Rangers of that era were easily the best team never to win a Stanley Cup. At any given time those teams were fortified with four or five future hall of famers, including, Rod Gilbert, Jean Ratelle, Harry Howell, Brad Park and fast Eddie Giacomin in goal. Ranger back-up goalie Gilles Villemure has written an excellent look back at a team and a time, that will bring back many memories for Ranger fans. The entire cast of Ranger characters like Vic Hadfield, Emil Francis, Pete Stemkowski, Dale Rolfe, Rod seiling, Jim Neilson, Billy Fairbairn, Walter Tkaczuk, and Ted Irvine just to name a few are brought back to life with many tales and behind the scenes stories from the locker room. The book features an introduction from quite possibly the most popular Ranger in history Eddie Giacomin. Both Giacomin and Villemure won the vezina trophy in 1970-71 and they were considered by many in the hockey world as the best goaltending combination in the NHL. Even though they never won a Stanley Cup, this group of New York Rangers were without a doubt one of the best teams in their long 75 year history. If you are an oldtime fan like myself, I highly recommend this book.

Attention all hockey fans! Yoa are going to love all the stories from the Ranger Teams of the early 70s as told by one of they're own Gilles Villemure.

I concur with all the previously stated reviews. I was 13 years old in 1970, living on Long Island, and Gilles Villemure and Eddie Giacomin were my idols!! Imagine my suprise when my book arrived with Mr. Villemure's signature inside the front flap! I must also add that Villemure's mask, on the cover of the book, was the coolest goaltender's mask in hockey!! Thanks to Gilles and Mike Shalin for bringing back so many great memories.

THIS IS A SHORT BUT VERY ENTERTAINING READ FROM GILES VILLEMURE, FORMER GOALIE FOR THE NEW YORK RANGERS IN THE 1970'S. HE GIVES HIS OPINION OF VARIOUS TEAMATES, COACHES AND SEASONS. THE BOOK MOSTLY COVERS 1971-72 SEASON IN WHICH THE RANGERS REACHED THE STANLEY CUP FINALS. I FOUND THIS BOOK TO BE A GOOD READ AND ENJOYED THE VARIOUS INTERVIEWS WITH ROD GILBERT, ED GIACOMIN, BRAD PARK AND OTHERS. MR VILLEMURE DOES A GREAT JOB WITH THIS BOOK AND I RECOMMEND IT FOR ALL HOCKEY FANS.

I received this book as a gift, and as a long-time NY Ranger fan, it was disappointing. Perhaps too much time has passed for such a retrospective. It lacks the necessary feel of the time - no sense of the excitement that existed with the Ranger teams of the early 70s. There are no new insights into either the players or the team as a whole. Seems that everyone was a "Great Guy" and a Great Teammate. I recall those years as the most exciting in Ranger history, but this book manages to make it all seem very uninteresting.