Customer Reviews

Zamboni Rodeo (Tr)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A year in the life of the Austin Ice Bats. Very gritty, realistic and fascinating. Any hockey fan will enjoy this book -it follows the games, the behind the scenes drama, the long and boring bus rides. Minor league hockey is a million miles away from the NHL, but after reading this book you might be inclined to think that these boys in this bush league might just have it right - they seem to have the time of their life, playing for low wages, and just for the sake of playing the game before they go on with the rest of their lives. Mr. Cohen brings it all to life, and obviously knows the game very well, and also had the trust of the entire Ice Bats organization. I would love to see a sequel, or another volume on minor league hockey.

Zamboni Rodeo is about Jason Cohen, the Author, who whent on the rode with the Austin Ice Bats and followed them through one whole season. There Cohen found out what Texas Hockey was all about: booze, broken buses, late games, practicing in broken down malls, and potato chips. I really enjoyed reading this book. It was full of laughs and excitment. I think Cohen is a really good writer who puts exteme amounts of detail into every scentence in the book that makes it seem like your are right there next to him. This book is great, and I would recomend it to everyone.

It's tough at times to keep up with all of the players, but for anyone interested to see what goes on behind the scenes of low level minor league hockey this is a great book. I really enjoyed it.

A nice slice of Americana, viewed in the context of a vehicle that gets (sadly) little respect in this country. As a hocley fan you can pick up the lingo and imagine what is going to happen, as a sports fan you can identify the heiarchy of the athletic food chain, as a human being you can see the pathos of striving to attain a goal or just surviving to the next day.
A good read....recommended.

Wow, what a documentary, and what a beautiful tribute to the players! He not only follows the club through a season of struggle with injuries, bus breakdowns, indoor fog, weird team names, and plenty of on- and off-ice drama: he found out where they went after that season. Yes, it *is* the next best thing to playing. Even more remarkable, I think, is that it's a "guy" book that women who love hockey can read for the joy of the game.

Zamboni Rodeo is a gritty, true-to-life look at Hockey's Minor Professional Leagues.
The author has captured the enthusiasm of the rookies, the cynicism of the veterans and the less than honest machinations of Hockey Owners and Management.
For young men thinking about a career in the Minors, this book is a must-read!!

I really enjoyed this book which followed a season of the Ice Bats, a minor league hockey team in Texas. It definitely captured what that experience is like, for good and for bad. And it was mostly good. I had three sons play youth hockey, and one played four years of college hockey, and is now trying to play hockey on a team like the Ice Bats. My interest in the world could hardly be greater. To anyone who dreams of pro hockey for themselves or someone they know - this is a must read! Those with a strong interest in hockey should enjoy this book, too. I'm not sure that someone without an interest at the start will get drawn into this book. While I feel that I know the world of minor league hockey after reading this, I don't know the individual players as well as I'd like. "Good Enough to Dream" by Roger Kahn is about one team's season in a low level of minor league baseball. Kahn is a brilliant writer, and that book would draw in even non-baseball fans, I expect. It's unfair to compare Jason Cohen to Roger Kahn. Cohen captured the big picture well, and that is a good thing.

I enjoyed it, but then I have three sons playing youth hockey.

It's another depiction of the stark truth for anyone dreaming of fame and fortune through athletics. Each of the players portrayed in this true story was outstanding as a kid, but here they are in small towns, far from their homes in the frozen North, playing in front of enthusiastic but mostly oblivious audiences, and worse yet are soon to be retired by minor league hockey's equivalent of term limits. But they're having fun with each other and getting paid. Problem is their fame is fleeting and spread narrow, and their fortune is short-lived and small.

The book is also a good introduction to life on the road for anyone willing to try it for a time, hopefully after laying a solid foundation for the future (college degree or whatever fits the particular kid). The "where are they now" appendix should be sobering for anyone who is college-bound but instead chooses minor league hockey.

There are plenty of funny anecdotes, but it's not a joke book. I couldn't keep the characters straight, maybe since I read it in bits and snatches over a period of weeks, or maybe because they aren't that well drawn, given so many players doing the same basic job in this relatively short book.

The book could also entertain someone who just likes sports in general or who is interested in this region of the country (New Mexico to Louisiana), but no character or theme is fully developed. Not that the author intended to or must do.

If you want to find out what "life in the minors" is really like, pick up this book. Sometimes the most entertaining events take place OFF the ice! Zamboni Rodeo is a good read for anyone who is a hockey fan, no matter what team you follow. Most of these guys aren't "household names" unless you follow the AA minors -- but by the time the book ends you'll feel like you know them and you'll be rooting for them like they were your team.

For anyone who loves hockey, this is a GREAT book! Especially for minor league hockey fans. You feel like you are on the bus, in the locker room, etc. I can't say enough how much I love the book. Great job Jason!