Men at Play: A Working Understanding of Professional Hockey [Paperback]

Michael A. Robidoux (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2001

Players dedicate their lives to the goal of playing professional hockey and teams demand total commitment from their players, giving them complete control over almost all aspects of the players' lives. With the enormous labour turnover in the AHL and the surplus labour pool, players are extremely vulnerable: they must perform well or be replaced by the scores of other men willing to do the same job. With limited education and limited life skills, players seldom meet people who are not connected to the game and, when they do, they do so with trepidation. The constructed universe of the game consumes the players so that, in spite of any wealth they may accumulate, they often know nothing other than the game and have invested everything in an occupation where their services quickly become obsolete. Far from the sensational memoirs of those few players who make it to the top, Robidoux's "Men at Play" offers a bracing inside look at the dynamics of the fastest game on earth.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Robidoux employs an impressive array of ideas from sociology, anthropology, psychoanalysis, cultural studies, and feminist theory to interpret the homosocial, occupational culture of professional hockey players." Thomas Dunk, author of It's a Working Man's Town: Male Working-Class Culture "Men at Play is a well-researched and documented study, offering the first ethnographic study of the lives of professional hockey players. Robidoux completely explodes the myth of hockey players as spoiled and overpaid, and shows the enormous stress the players face, notably those players who are between the minors and the NHL." Jean Harvey, School of Human Kinetics, University of Ottawa

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Mcgill Queens Univ Pr (May 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0773522204
• ISBN-13: 978-0773522206
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #720,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A different viewpoint, November 5, 2002

By 

CAL (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Men at Play: A Working Understanding of Professional Hockey (Paperback)

This book was very insightful, especially for someone who has never been inside a locker room! I just wanted to point out to others that this is a (for the most part) sociological study of a minor-league hockey team, so the writing is somewhat academic (with lots of footnotes) which might not appeal to everyone. That is not to say this is a dry, boring textbook, because it is not, it is full of colorful anecdotes and is an enjoyable study of the many aspects of a team: initiations, coaching, team bonding, fans, etc. A different angle from most hockey books.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting reading about professional hockey, August 10, 2001

By 

"pucktoo" (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Men at Play: A Working Understanding of Professional Hockey (Hardcover)

I found this book very interesting reading especially as a woman and a hockey fan. Since woman usually don't have a locker room mentality it was very interesting for me to read what men talk about behind closed doors. Also interesting was background information about professional hockey such as how trades are made, etc.