Legends of Hockey

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.

Organized into five chronological parts covering the period 1893 to
1996, this expensive, glossy book does not add significantly to the
literature on hockey. Most of the “legends” it covers are simply
identified in the photo captions (more than half of the book is consumed
by photographs). In fact, only 11 individuals are profiled in three- to
four-page essays by hockey writers Jim Coleman, Trent Frayne, Gare
Joyce, and Jim Taylor. Of this small group, two subjects—broadcaster
Foster Hewitt and referee Red Storey— were not even players. There is
no explanation for the choice of essay subjects, so readers can only
conjecture as to why Teeder Kennedy was selected over Rocket Richard to
represent the “Original Six” period, or why Brad Park, not Bobby
Orr, was one of two individuals chosen to represent “The Modern
Era.” The book closes with a 10-page “Members’ Honour Roll,”
which provides succinct statistics pertaining to the members of the
Hockey Hall of Fame. There is a one- page foreword by Bobby Hull.