Want to learn more about the history of hockey?
Or be inspired by the stories of great players?
Or discover techniques to improve your game?
Check out my list of the best hockey books for you to read and do just that.
This article may contain affiliate Links (info on the Disclosure page). If you purchase using my link, I get a commission at no extra cost to you.
Best Hockey Books - Summary
This page contains a lot of suggestions about wonderful books to read about ice hockey.
However, if you want a summary with my top picks in each category, here it is:
category | Book | Cover |
|---|---|---|
Best Hockey Trivia book |   | |
Best Hockey Stories |   | |
Best Hockey Player Biography |   | |
Best Hockey Team book |   | |
Best Hockey Techniques book |   |
Best ice hockey overview books - great gift ideas
Let's start with some of the best overview books about hockey to offer as a gift to hockey players or hockey fans alike.
They cover:
- The best moments of the sport
- Interesting facts and stories
- All the best players of several generations
- Hockey trivia
- ...
But if you are looking for more inspiration books, head to the next section.
100 Years, 100 Moments: A Centennial of NHL Hockey
by Scott Morrison
Veteran hockey journalist gathers in this book many pictures and info about a century of NHL hockey teams and games: the most important moments!
The Great Book of Ice Hockey: Interesting Facts and Sports Stories
by Bill O'Neill and Ryan Black
Collection of interesting facts and stories about the game of ice hockey, including stories before the NHL...
Random facts about how the game started, the players, the coaches, the rules...
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Hooked on Hockey
by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Laura Robinson
Lots of inspiring stories about NHL players, hockey personalities, coaches but also fans and everyday players. Why are they hooked on hockey? Deep dives into their lives.
Sports Illustrated Hockey's Greatest
by The Editors of Sports Illustrated
Find out the greatest of all times in hockey: greatest goalie, greatest center... Experts have been polled to compile these 15 lists of top 10.
Hockey Puzzlers: Offbeat Trivia for the Fan and the Fanatic
by Bob Moll
Be unbeatable during hockey parties or trivia nights
100 hockey trivia questions covering seven categories including game history and strange rules.
Fabric of the Game: The Stories Behind the NHL's Names, Logos, and Uniforms
by Chris Creamer, Todd Radom and Lanny McDonald
Looking for something different? Check out this book that covers the origins of the NHL team names as well as their logos and uniforms.
You love wearing the logo of your favorite team? Now, you will know why.
Books about Hockey History & Team/Game stories
In this section, I am listing the best books to learn about the hockey history and its greatest moments, especially "the Miracle on ice" during the 1980 Olympics but also many other lesser known but still fascinating stories.
The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team
by Wayne Coffey
The true story of the 1980's US Hockey Olympic team and what Sports Illustrated called 'the greatest moment in sports history'. All you should know about the fairy-tale like story called "The Miracle on Ice", when amateurs took on the Russian team.
Miracle in Lake Placid: The Greatest Hockey Story Ever Told
by John Gilbert
The impact of that same story of "The miracle on ice" and how it impacted the sport.
99: Stories of the Game
by Wayne Gretzky and Kristie McLellan Day
Stories about "The Great one" from his own perspective, from his eyes: the people who inspired him, the famous moments in hockey history, his teammates...
The Original Six
by Lew Freedman
The NHL started in 1917 with the 6 "original teams": the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Detroit Red Wings. This is the story of how the NHL started and evolved.
Everyday Hockey Heroes: Inspiring Stories On and Off the Ice
by Bob McKenzie
The stories that make the greatest game in Canada: the NHL players, the everyday fans and coaches, the fans... Stories from on and off the ice.
Beauties: Hockey's Greatest Untold Stories
by James Duthie
57 stories... those that players tell each other: beautiful, crazy, funny... the tales of stars, coaches, referees, broadcasters, moms and dads
Hockey Strong: Stories of Sacrifice from Inside the NHL
by Todd Smith
Hockey is not an easy game. This is a collection of stories (with pictures) relating the dedication of hockey players and how they overcome injuries and difficulties to plan the game they love.
Behind the Bench: Inside the Minds of Hockey's Greatest Coaches
by Craig Custance
Learn from the coaches. Interviews with some of the top hockey coaches to collect and confront their thoughts on leadership, game plans, critical moments...
Black Ice: The Lost History of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes, 1895-1925
by George and Darril Fosty
The story of the complex sport organization that was the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes in Canada. Comprised of the sons and grandsons of runaway American slaves, they redefined the sport of hockey and participated in changing it into the fast game it is today.
On the Edge: Women Making Hockey History
by Elizabeth Etue and Megan Williams
The story of how women entered the sport, and despite popularity, still face intolerance.
Portraits of the great women making history.
Kooks and Degenerates on Ice: Bobby Orr, the Big Bad Bruins, and the Stanley Cup Championship That Transformed Hockey
by Thomas J. Whalen
All the memorable moments from the 1969-70 championship season when the Bruins became the talk of the sports because of how they intimidated their opponents and took the NHL by surprise.
Chill Factor: How a Minor-League Hockey Team Changed a City Forever
by David Paitson and Craig Merz
How a minor-league hockey team, the Columbus chill, became the talk of the city and allowed Columbus to get its own NHL franchise.
Hockey Players' Biographies (and coaches, personalities)
There is nothing more inspiring than a biography.
Dive deep into the lives of some of the greatest hockey players in the history of the games.
How did they reach their goals?
How did they live the stress, the successes and the hardship?
How was it for the first black NHL hockey players?
Orr: My Story
by Bobby Orr
Autobiography of Bobby Orr - considered one of the greatest defensemen in hockey history.
Cujo: The Untold Story of My Life On and Off the Ice
by Kristie McLellan Day and Curtis Joseph
Autobiography of Curtis Joseph. How he started late and still had a great 18-season career.
Most Valuable: How Sidney Crosby Became the Best Player in Hockey's Greatest Era and Changed the Game Forever
by Gary Joyce
How Sidney Crosby changed the game of hockey and how the league was re-made in his image.
Game Change: The Life and Death of Steve Montador, and the Future of Hockey
by Ken Dryden
About hockey head injuries and the death of Steve Montador, diagnosed with CTE.
Willie: The Game-Changing Story of the NHL's First Black Player
by Willie O'Ree and Michael McKinley
A memoir about the life of Willie O'Ree and his career, first in the minors and then in the NHL, the first black player in the league's history (Canada)
Black Ice: The Val James Story
by Valmor James and John Gallagher
We saw above, the first black player in NHL history. Valmor James was the first American black player in the league. This is his story.
J.R.: My Life as the Most Outspoken, Fearless, and Hard-Hitting Man in Hockey
by Jeremy Roenick and Kevin Allen
Autobiography of Jeremy Roenick. HIs youth and how he started in the Chicago Blackhawks, and later for 4 more franchises. He has racked up 513 goals in his career.
My Last Fight: The True Story of a Hockey Rock Star
by Darren McCarty
Autobiography of Darren McCarty. His time on the ice as a Detroit Red Wings player and his difficulties off the ice with addiction, finance and women.
Scotty: A Hockey Life Like No Other
by Ken Dryden
Biography of Scotty Bowman, considered one of the greatest coaches in hockey history and in all the sports. He won more games and more Stanley Cups than anyone else.
Burke's Law: A Life in Hockey
by Brian Burke and Stephen Brunt
Burke has lived and breathed hockey his whole life as a player, an agent, a league executive, a scout, an Olympic GM and a media analyst. These are his views on the sport.
Eddie Olczyk: Beating the Odds in Hockey and in Life
by Eddie Olczyk and Perry Lefko
Autobiography. The story of his 16-year career in hockey and how he got there.
Off Mike: How a Kid from Basketball-Crazy Indiana Became America's NHL Voice
by Mike Emrick and Kevin Allen
A memoir by broadcast legend Mike Emrick, known as the voice of hockey in America.
Undrafted: Hockey, Family, and What It Takes to Be a Pro
by Nick Kypreos and Perry Lefko
Autobiography. About his youth, his life, his hockey career and how he transitioned to being a hockey analyst after his concussion.
Books for fans of Hockey Teams
Now, hockey stories in general are great.
But you may want to learn more about your favorite hockey team.
So many things to learn... Here are some of the great collections to become even more a fan!
Collection - The Big 50
The best 50 stories about your favorite hockey teams.
The Detroit Red Wings book
Buy it / Read reviews
The New York Rangers book
Buy it / Read reviews
The Chicago Blackhawks book
Buy it / Read reviews
Collection - The Tales from the Locker Room
Even more stories about your favorite teams.
The New York Rangers book
Buy it / Read reviews
The Chicago Blackhawks book
Buy it / Read reviews
The Boston Bruins book
Buy it / Read reviews
The Montreal Canadiens Book
Buy it / Read reviews
Collection - If these walls could talk
Even more stories about your favorite teams.
Some of the teams covered are listed below - find out more teams on this page (after the other sports)
The Boston Bruins stories
Buy it / Read reviews
The San Jose Sharks stories
Buy it / Read reviews
The Calgary Flames stories
Buy it / Read reviews
The Philadelphia Flyers stories
Buy it / Read reviews
Collection - 100 things fans should know
Even more stories about your favorite teams.
Some of the teams covered are listed below - find out more teams on this page
The Maple Leafs trivia
Buy it / Read reviews
The Vancouver Canucks book
Buy it / Read reviews
The Pittsburgh Penguins book
Buy it / Read reviews
The Saint Louis Blues book
Buy it / Read reviews
Toronto and the Maple Leafs: A City and Its Team
by Lance Hornby
The relationship between the city of Toronto, its inhabitants and its most beloved sports team.
The Montreal Canadiens: 100 Years of Glory
Books about Hockey's Rules, practice and techniques
All the best hockey player and goalie books that help you work on your:
- technical skills
- mental strength
- physical strength
Hockey Plays and Strategies
by Mike Johnston and Ryan Walter
Introduction to a variety of tactics to improve your game.
The Hockey Drill Book
by Dave Chambers
500 drills for all aspects of the game
Hockey Anatomy
by Michael Terry and Paul Goodman
All you need to know about increasing muscular strength and optimizing efficiency of every movement in order to improve your on-ice performance.
Hockey Tough
by Saul L. Miller
The best hockey players are mentally tough; This is a book to help you strengthen your mental: control your emotions, stay focus, play aggressively but not uncontrollably...
Physical Preparation for Ice Hockey
by Anthony Donskov
Explanations and exercises to develop your physical strength especially for hockey playing.
Hockey Goaltending
by Eli Wilson and Brian van Vliet
The guide with techniques, practice exercises, physical conditioning to stopping more pucks.
The Power Within: Discovering the Path to Elite Goaltending
by Mike Valley and Justin Goldman
The mental game for goaltenders.
Take Your Eye Off the Puck: How to Watch Hockey By Knowing Where to Look
by Greg Wyshynshi
For fans to better understand the games they are watching.
Hockey novels
Beartown: A Novel
by Fredrik Backman
The story or a town and the game. After an intense game, a violent act eruptq and a young girl is traumatized.
And many many many hockey romance novels... but it is not really the objective of this page!
Best hockey books for kids
My complete list of the best hockey books for kids can be found in this other article.
But here are already a few ideas, which can be great hockey gifts for kids.
For toddlers
Let's Play Hockey (Chunky Lift-a-flap Book)
by Ginger Swift and Cottage Door Press
A great introduction to Hockey for babies and toddlers: practice words from the world of hockey, count the number of players, watch the fan cheering. This lift-a-flap book is a great first hockey book.
For 3 - 7 years old
The day my fart followed me to hockey
by Ben Jackson and Sam Lawrence
This book is part of the series of Timmy and his best friend the Fart. In this story, they play hockey together, when Timmy attends the hockey tryouts.
For 6 - 9 years old
There are no figure eights in hockey
by Chris Kreie
Josh is a champion figure skater who is looking for a new challenge. He decides to try hockey since he is already a good skater. But he soon discovers that there is more than skating to playing hockey. No more figure eights.
For 8 - 12 years old
Hockey Meltdown
byJake Maddox
Dylan and his team head into the Midwinter Meltdown Tournament ready to win, but a pre-season injury takes him out of the game. Can he still be part of the team when stuck on the bench?
With girl heroin
Ice rink rookie
by Jake Maddox
Pilar was born without part of her right foot. But she does not let it stop her from enjoying ice-skating. And she joins the hockey team. Can Pilar prove to herself and her teammates that she belongs?
Breaking the Ice: The True Story of the First Woman to Play in the National Hockey League
by Angie Bullaro
The inspiring true story of Manon Rhéaume, the first and only woman to play a game in the NHL.
Hockey coloring books
Want to have fun and mediate while thinking about hockey.
Check out the following coloring books.
For adults
For kids
Hockey notebooks and journals
And now it is time for you to do some writing of your own.
Below are some classic notebooks with great hockey covers to personalize as well as training journals to write down your season's stories.
Notebooks to personalize
See my complete collection of hockey notebooks to personalize.
Hockey training journals
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