Boom Boom: The Life and Times of Bernard Geoffrion

Raymond B. Blake is director of the Centre for Canadian Studies at Mount
Allison University, the author of Canadians at Last: Canada Integrates
Newfoundland as a Province, and co-editor of Social Welfare Policy in
Canada: Historical Readings.

Bernard “Boom Boom” Geoffrion was one of the best hockey players of
his time. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the top rookie in 1952,
twice captured the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer, and
received the Hart Trophy as the League’s most valuable player in
1960–61. As a coach, however, he enjoyed little success, despite
opportunities in Montreal, Atlanta, and New York (he lasted only 30
games with the Canadiens).

In this autobiography, the emphasis is on Geoffrion’s life rather
than on his “times.” He seems to be more interested in building his
legacy than in presenting an objective chronicle of events. The fact
that he comes across as selfish, arrogant, and egotistical will do
little to expedite his entry into the pantheon occupied by such Canadian
legends as Maurice Richard and Jean Béliveau.