Customer Reviews

Same Game, Different Name: The History of the World Hockey Association

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Jack Lautier's history of the World Hockey Association is more than a nostalgia piece. It captures the freshness and excitement of a new professional sports league as it dares to challenge one of the monoliths of the industry in the 1970s. It also illustrates the foibles of new millionaires spending their money, sometimes without understanding the finer points of the game (as in one owner not recognizing a puck when he first saw one). "Same Name, Different Game" is filled with statistics and photographs of the very famous (like the young Wayne Gretzky and the aged Gordie Howe) and the not-so-famous who played in the WHA during its seven-year existence. With the help of WHA Statistician Frank Polnaszek, Lautier has produced a book that will make fans remember the league and its players well into the next century.

First of all, I have to say that I was disappointed by the poor quality of the printing of this book. It was more like an advance proof copy or something they'd hand out at a sports research convention. The printing was a notch above photocopy, and the glued binding was falling apart on the first opening. I think the most frustrating thing is that given the large number of rare and interesting photos, it's a shame that the printing is so cheap. That being said, I have to praise the content of the book itself. Cliches like "exhaustive", "comprehensive" and "definitive" get tossed around a lot, but they all apply here. This book is it the most thorough treatment of the subject I've read. Best of all, it's not just a compilation of stats that only Rain Man could love, nor is it just stories and anecdotes (and there are many about the WHA, believe me). It's balanced enough to have something for everyone. Maybe they'll do a better quality edition in the future. I hope so; this book definitely belongs in the library of both hockey researchers and hockey fans.

This is an extremely difficult book to find and I, in fact, got mine by writing directly to one of the co-authors (former PR man for the New England/Hartford Whalers). It is worth whatever you pay for it.

It's honestly one of the best researched and well laid out books even if the fonts look like old typeset print and the pics looked photocopied. The text is full of life about the WHA. Best thing is it's divided chronologically but not strictly. For example, when discussing the very first WHA Avco Cup champion New England Whalers, the chapter covers pretty much the entire Whalers' history. Ditto for the other Avco Cup winners--the Quebec Nordiques, Winnipeg Jets and Houston Aeros.

There are also the newspaper stories on the Finals' clinching games as well as the game summaries for those games. The stats pages are loaded with everything you'll need: team-by-team season-by-season player stats. standings, playoff results, attendance, WHA records, All-Star Games, tours vs. European teams, etc., etc.

But the best bits are the sort of mini-interview direct quote format from the players who played in the league and not just from the stars.

The book is an absolute must for any hockey fan who grew up in the '70s and remembers the WHA. Track it down!

If you are a hockey fanatic you MUST get this book. Sad thing is it is VERY difficult to find and you will now spend a lot if you do find it, but it is worth every penny.