1000 Point Players

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

Among the many types of books available to hockey aficionados are
“hockey-zines,” short, generously illustrated magazine-sized works
organized around some hockey-related theme. Duplacey, the Hockey Hall of
Fame’s former curator, focuses on the 37 National Hockey League
players who, by the end of the 1992–93 season, had achieved enough
goals and assists to reach the 1000-point milestone.

Instead of presenting the players alphabetically or chronologically,
Duplacey utilizes a topical approach to bring two to four players
together on each pair of facing pages. For example, Potvin, Coffey, and
Bourque are grouped under the heading “Top-Scoring Defencemen,”
while Mikita and Lafleur are labeled “Legends.”  Only Howe, Hull,
Lemieux, and 2000-point scorer Gretzky merit their own double page
spreads. Minimally, each player’s 75 to 225-word text includes
position(s) played, NHL team(s), the date on which the 1000th point was
reached (and against whom), and brief comments about the player’s
career or contributions to the game. (Unfortunately, Duplacey does not
indicate the number of games it took each player to reach 1000 points,
nor his goals/assists distribution.) One or more color action photos
plus a “characterizing” quote by or about the player complete each
entry. The concluding page highlights three current players who are less
than 50 points away from the target number. An enclosed “free”
banner-poster largely replicates the book’s photos.

Middle-school hockey fans, especially reluctant readers, will
appreciate this informative but nondemanding book. Recommended.