Customer Reviews

The Complete Historical and Statistical Reference to the World Hockey Association, 1972-1979

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I was a fan of the New York Raiders and the WHA in the early 1970's. When the Raiders moved I lost track of the team and the league. I wanted to find a reference book that would not only give me stats, but some history of the league as well. I found what I was looking for in this book by Scott Surgent. The book provides complete stats on every team and player, as well as every game in the regular season and playoffs. Each team and season has a historical review as well as complete statistical information. The only problem I experienced with this book was that it wasn't bound very well. Some of the pages began to loosen while I was reading, however I found this book to be an outstanding source of information for anyone interested in the WHA.

I'm trying to assemble a personal hockey library for myself and to pass down to my kids one day and this is a must have. I wasn't even alive during the 70's but the WHA is a very important part of todays hockey world this book helped me get an A on two english papers one in high school one in college

This book is a must for the hockey fan's library. The WHA reflected the 70's in which it played: anti-establishment, fast and funky. This book is tremendous as a statistical resource both for the players and teams. The brief league and team histories are interesting as well. However, if you want more of a flavor of what the league was like beyond the statistics (much like "Loose Balls", the book about the ABA), you may be a little disappointed. The other drawback is that there are no "action" photos. However, the exhaustive statistical history and amount of interesting trivia make up for the lack of historical depth.

I own both the second and sixth editions of this book. It was clear upon purchase of the second edition that the book is a one of its kind classic. I bought the sixth printing for two reasons:
1) because I had thumbed my original so well that the binding did suffer (a problem that appears to have been cured with this sixth edition); and
2) because the content has been enhanced.

The second edition contained enough "basic" player, team and league data and narrative history to keep a fan enthralled, particularly a fan not cognizant with WHA hockey; and let's face it how many of us non-Canadians under 40 are?

The addition by the time of the sixth edition of pictures, enhancement of narrative and statistical team histories, additional feature articles, summaries of significant games and further exhaustive research (such as trades affecting each team on a year by year basis, a comprehensive skater and goaltender register, biographical information, WHA players in the NHL in 1979-80) makes an excellent book better. The reduced size is also convenient.

The section on research methodology and bibliography covers an impressive 3+ pages of small type. It is gratifying to see the level of effort the author invested in ensuring the accuracy of statistics by cross referencing various sources and performing diligent investigation to find the correct answer. I wish that large publishing houses with significant resources would exercise such care.

The book is so good that it puts various NHL record books to shame. I have not been able to find a reference work on NHL hockey that lists statistics by team by year played (a new book idea Mr. Surgent?). The author is to be congratulated in turning his effort into an obvious labour of love that all hockey fans can treasure and own. I for one am grateful.

One quibble with the headshots of the players, coaches and executives - some need to be scanned at a higher resolution for future editions.

This book is a must for the hockey fan's library. The WHA reflected the 70's in which it played: anti-establishment, fast and funky. This book is tremendous as a statistical resource both for the players and teams. The brief league and team histories are interesting as well. However, if you want more of a flavor of what the league was like beyond the statistics (much like "Loose Balls", the book about the ABA), you may be a little disappointed. The other drawback is that there are no "action" photos. However, the exhaustive statistical history and amount of interesting trivia make up for the lack of historical depth.

The first and most complete account of the old World Hockey Association of the 1970s. The author has included every stat on the league with a few interesting stories along the way. If you are looking for the most complete statistical account and encyclopedia on the WHA, this is it!

Scott Surgent's book is more than simply a guide to the highest points in each of Arizona's 15 counties. It is a tour guide, history lesson, geography guide, and educational tool. He takes us to snow-capped peaks and desert flatlands. From the relatively flat areas that serve as the highest points in Greenlee, Gila, and Pinal counties to the dramatic peaks of Santa Cruz, Coconino, and Yuma counties, this book is an excellent resource for the hiker or even the casual tourist.

The book is effectively broken into three parts. The first section introduces the counties and the idea of highpointing as a hobby, the development of Arizona's counties over time, and the notion of the prominence of a peak. The middle section is the majority of the book and the focus of its subject with a chapter for each of the 15 counties. The last section covers other peaks of interest, the low points of each county, and other interesting historical and geographical facts about Arizona.

Each of the chapters on the counties covers statistical information, a history of the county and its development, access to the region around the highest point, a detailed description for reaching the highest point, and additional resources and contacts to aid the visitor. The book expressly does not include maps of the approaches or trails for hiking. Rather, Surgent points the reader to detailed resources describing which maps to use and how to obtain information from the National Forest Service. This is very advisable and builds into the book a margin of safety for those who would venture out. In this respect, his experience in Search and Rescue serves him - and us - well.

This book is a wonderful mix of history and geography. The pictures and route descriptions are enough to tempt us to head out and explore, even if we never set foot on the trail. Yet the richness of the descriptions here will also want Arizonans and out-of-staters to explore the higher reaches of Arizona, too. Whether you are an extreme hiker, occasional wanderer, or an armchair explorer, this book is highly recommended.

Finally, we have a book that accurately chronicles the late, great, World Hockey Association. This book is a complete statistical record of the renegade league's seven year history. And the narrative/commentary is factual, unlike some other books written about the WHA that are less than accurate due to faded memories of those being interviewed.

Of special note is "The Teams of the World Hockey Association" chapter that details each teams's history.

This book is a "must have" for not only fans who are old enough to remember the WHA, but also for younger fans who need to know how much the current NHL is still influenced by the trends/direction that the WHA set into motion.