Customer Reviews

Grapes:: A Vintage View of Hockey

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

 

 

An ok book by the "don" of Canadien hockey. He tells some wonderful stories, but not enough of them. The worst part about the book is that he skips around a lot. His thoughts seem disjointed and he tends to not tie things together at times.

grapes is both funny and sincere in this no holds barred look at his life as a hockey nomad. this book is filled with highly entertaining personal anecdotes from grapes' life and his interactions with all of his former players, including the great bobby orr.

DON CHERRY HAS BEEN AROUND HOCKEY FOR YEARS AND HE HAS MANY GOOD STORIES AND INSIGHTS TO PASS ALONG. THIS BOOK CALLED GRAPES HAS ALOT OF GOOD STUFF IN IT. IT JUMPS AROUND BUT THE READER GETS HOOKED ON THE HUMOR AND CONTENT OF THIS MUST READ BOOK. IF YOU LIKE OLD TIME HOCKEY THEN THIS IS FOR YOU. RECOMMENDED.

I haven't read the book...it was a gift but by their reaction...it must be pretty good if you're a Bruins fan!! :)

Love him or hate him, (and there's no other choice with Grapes!), Don Cherry is a part of every hockey fan's life at one point or another, whether via CBC's Coach's Corner or his playoff appearances on American networks every spring. Inevitably the question is asked: Who is this guy, and why do we have to listen to him?!? This book is the answer.

While it's no War and Peace, it's much meatier than most of the glorified pamphlets that athletes put out and call books. Written in a semi-linear stream of counsciousness style that would cause Hunter Thompson to give a knowing nod, "Grapes" gives just the right amount of dry fact, combined with juicy conjecture, to merit turning the page and find out what happens next. Priceless stories about minor league hockey abound, many of them about Eddie Shore, a name recognizable to anyone who's ever paid attention while watching the movie "Slap Shot". This book is a primer for any hockey fan who wants to understand our game from the ground up. There are of course Bobby Orr stories as well, but the post-Bruins days provide story fodder as well. I never gave a thought to the day-to-day operations of most hockey teams, let alone the late, lamented Colorado Rockies, but this book made it interesting, laughable, and ultimately pathetic.

"Grapes" was written before Mr. Cherry became an icon, when he was just a glimmer in the eye of the CDC production staff. It's nice to see that his attitude as displayed on Hockey Night in Canada is not a manufactured affectation, but that he's always been exactly who he is. Mr. Cherry comes off as opinionated, stubborn, gruff, irritating, and loveable all at once, exactly as he still does every Saturday night during hockey season.

I would recommend this book for any sports fan, let alone anyone with an interest in hockey.

I get the feeling it could have been better.

It was nice when it came out, as it was nee-

ded but an updated version is badly needed.

Didn't Red Auerbach, Celtics great write books

up into his eighties? Well, 'Grapes' is "only"

73. Come on, Grapes, write another one about

your Hockey dominated life, pls. And get Ron

MacLean's help. I wanna hear about those Ladas

in Montreal as cabs at the airport!

For a hockey read, this is pretty good. However, for a truly 5-star book, "Thin Ice - A Season in Hell with the New York Rangers" truly puts this one to shame. Although I love Don Cherry, after reading this book, I have to admit that when I was finished with it, I came to the conclusion that alot of the problems that he's incurred in his life seem to be self-inflicted. . yet he seems to want to possibly deflect them off as being always the blame of someone else. In alot of the cases that's true, but in some instances, I cant agree. I will say this though, after reading his book, I can understand Don's devotion to his past wife Rose; she truly must have been a wonderful person.

THE ONLY BOOK FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO KNOW OR REMEMBER WHEN HOCKEY WAS REAL AND THE LEAGUE LADDEN WITH SOLID TALENT. DON CHERRY IS WITHOUT A DOUBT ONE OF THE TOP 3 BEST NHL COACHES EVER AND THE INSIGHT THE BOOK GIVES ON THE INNER BATTLES WITH HARRY SINDEN NOW IN RETROSPECT GIVE A CLEAR VIEW AS TO WHY IN 1997 THE BOSTON BRUINS ARE A FRANCHISE IN THE CELLAR.

I think that Don Cherry knows everything about hockey