The Hockey Compendium: NHL Facts, Stats, and Stories (Paperback)

~ Jeff Klein (Author), Carl-Eric Reif (Author), Dave Bidini (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In an NHL crowded with expansion teams and hundreds of new players, fans have begun to demand more thorough and reliable statistics – and the league has accommodated them. But how do hockey fans make sense of this wealth of raw tabulation, and how do they compare today’s achievements with the legendary performances of the past?

In this ground-breaking book, Jeff Z. Klein and Karl-Eric Reif introduce fans to dozens of new statistical categories,
providing readers with fascinating context and commentary, and intelligent, irreverent analysis. From the dawn of the pro game to the present, The Hockey Compendium deconstructs the sport’s numbers, puts them on an even scale, and re-assembles them to help answer hundreds of debates:

• Was Gretzky really the greatest?
• How do the Red Wings of the 1990s compare to
the Canadiens of the 1950s?
• Which players and teams has history overrated, and which have not been given their due?

Nothing available anywhere today analyzes performances in as many categories, nor discusses them with as much wit and accessiblity. Based on the cult classic The Klein and Reif Hockey Compendium (M&S, 1986), but completely revised and rewritten, The Hockey Compendium accomplishes the rare feat of being a stats book that is also a highly entertaining read.

About the Author

Jeff Z. Klein is a staff editor at the New York Times and was sports editor at The Village Voice, and has written about sports for these and other publications for a decade and a half. He lives in New York City.

Karl-Eric Reif has worked for 15 years as a sportswriter, columnist, and cartoonist for The Village Voice, The Hockey News, and other publications. He lives in western New York.

Klein and Reif have co-written several hockey books and were major contributors to Total Hockey.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: McClelland & Stewart (November 13, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0771095759
• ISBN-13: 978-0771095757
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,096,286 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kudos for fresh analysis, February 9, 2003

By	Brian Maitland (Vancouver, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Maybe not as good as the original Hockey Compendium that came out in the '80s, I believe, but it more than makes up with the fuller more detailed "goalie perseverance" (read the book and you'll see...basically save pct. rules over goals against average) stats. It's just nice to see that Klein and Reif are still alive and giving us stat freaks a witty and fun look at the game we all love.