Independent Publishers Group got in touch with Pensburgh to check out Rick Buker's newest book 100 Things Penguins Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. They were also kind enough to provide us with a few books giveaway. Keep a lookout for a post from Jimmy tomorrow to see how you can win a copy.
On with the review after the jump...
For serious hockey players, the sport becomes their life. They live for that moment when the blade cuts through the fresh ice, for the feel of the puck against the blade, and the rush that comes when the puck hits the net as if the net is a part of his own body. Eliminate hockey from the routine of a hockey player and it isn't much of a life.
For the fan, we thrive in the memories of those moments. How we felt when we watched Mario Lemieux take the ice for the first time since leaving retirement. How we stood before our TVs, dumbfounded, when Marc-Andre Fleury made a last second save to seal the Pittsburgh Penguins' third Stanley Cup. Those are the moments we live for, the ones that we will store in the backs of our minds for the rest of our lives to one day tell our grandchildren.
100 Things Penguins Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die takes those moments we hold dear to our hearts as Pens fans and resurrects them in its pages. The history of the Pittsburgh Penguins is truly a story and Buker does a wonderful job retelling those memories that will live forever with the team.
What I found particularly interesting about the book was the order of events listed. It's very front-heavy in terms of importance, like talking about Lemieux, "The Goal," and Sidney Crosby. Once the big ones are done, then it's skipping from the Florida Panthers' infamous goal rats to a look at Jordan Staal. There's no real flow, but instead of it bothering this English/Creative Writing degree-holder, it added to its charm. There is no real order to most of these events in our heads, they're just there. It truly feels like this book is the brain of a Pens fan, with the most important events branded the strongest to our subconscious.
For the hardcore Pens fan who has followed the team since day one, you might not learn much from this book. But one thing I've learned as a Pens fan is I never get sick of hearing the stories. For the newer Pens fan, this is a great way to get a quick history lesson about the team and even shoots ideas for places to visit if you're taking your first trip to Pittsburgh. Each chapter is short and gets to the point while maintaining a light, easy storyteller voice.
100 Things Penguins Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die lets Pens fan relive and revel in the wonderful history of this team, the good and the bad but still perfect nonetheless. Whether you're a old-time Pens fan, newly converted, or just a fan of the sport, this is a great piece that chronicles everything that was and is the Pittsburgh Penguins.
You can buy the book here.