|
Thunder and Lightning: A No B.S. Hockey Memoir | 
 enlarge | Authors: Phil Esposito, Peter Golenbock
Publisher: Triumph Books (IL)
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
Buy New: $4.89
You Save: $21.06 (81%)
New (8) Used (31) Collectible (2) from $0.47
Avg. Customer Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 320766
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1
ISBN: 1572435399
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.962092
EAN: 9781572435391
ASIN: 1572435399
Publication Date: October 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Shipped within 24 hours of order! Very slight shelf wear and rubbing from being displayed.
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Book Description
Phil Esposito has never been reluctant to speak his mind. At the end of his third season with the Blackhawks, Espo told coach Billy Reay and GM Tommy Ivan that they had a great team, maybe even a dynasty, but that the two would screw it up. Perfectly Espo. He pulls no punches on those Chicago days, his record-setting time with the Bruins, his abrupt trade to the Rangers and all the hard work and heartache behind founding the Tampa Bay Lightning. Nobody is spared Espo's directness and recollections.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME WITH THIS BOOK March 23, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I am a big hockey fan and have read many of the best books out there. I picked this one up because the Espositos are a famous hockey family, the way Phil played was a precursor to how the game was to be played in the coming decades, and what Phil has done for the game since he stopped playing. Phil's life is a great story, but he should have gotten a better ghost writer for this one. It is not written well, it rambles and lacks any real string that guides you through the story nor leaves you with any real life lessons. It is effectively a chronological listing of select events in his life, and is written using prose, etc. seemingly targeted for high school kids.
Phil was and is one of the biggest players to have influenced the game and I was expecting a book that was of the same caliber as his play and his approach to life during the game and after the game. This book did not deliver on those expectations.
(Sorry Phil.)
 What's not to like! August 21, 2007
I read this book a little over a year ago and quite honestly, I truly enjoyed it! I had bought the book for my boyfriend and then read it after him. The book is a quick read and for a true hockey fan, I think it's a must read. I found his story absolutely fascinating, I mean how could you not respect someone that "had" to work in the off season until he was 30 just to support his family! In the current day of overpaid athletes, it's refreshing to read a story of a man that played for the genuine passion of the sport. He does seem a bit bitter about certain occurrences in his career, I guess that's why I found the book so entertaining- he's certainly not vanilla!
ESPO SCORES July 21, 2007
THIS BOOK BY FORMER NHL SUPERSTAR PHIL ESPOSITO REALLY IS A GOOD READ. PHIL TELLS US OF HIS CAREER WITH BRUINS, BLACK HAWKS AND RANGERS. ALONG THE WAY WE LEARN QUITE A BIT OF INFO ABOUT PHIL. HE TELLS US OF HIS FAILED MARRIAGES, OCCASIONAL FLINGS AND HIS SUCCESS AND FAILURES AS COACH AND GM. PHIL HAS A VERY LARGE EGO AND DOESN'T PUT UP WITH ALOT OF BS. IF HE FEELS HE HAS BEEN WRONGED HE WILL LET YOU KNOW. I REALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK AND REALLY RECOMMEND IT FOR ALL HOCKEY AND ESPECIALLY BOSTON BRUIN FANS.
Big Phil delivers the goods December 3, 2006
Great but superficial review of life in NHL in the 1960s and 1970s, and an excellent autobiography from one of the genuine stars of that era. Phil has always been a brutally honest man, which I appreciate, and his straightforwardness comes through strongly in this book. Minor date errors not withstanding, a sincere and heartfelt hockey commentary and insight from the early 1960's on in from Phil's point of view. Definitely would recommend.
 Overall, entertaining March 28, 2006
I appreciated Mr. Esposito's account of the wild and crazy days of professional hockey. I suspect many of his recollections have been embellished over the years but he doesn't pull any punches, which makes the book very readable. While we don't expect a retired hockey player, who may have taken a few too many hits to the head, to generate great prose, you would hope that his editor would have picked up on the many factually-suspect statements made. In a few instances Phil's explanation for various medical problems is embarrasingly inaccurate as is his reference to the Russians shooting down Pan Am 800. It was KAL 007 that was shot down by a Mig, TWA 800 that blew up off the coast of Long Island, and Pan Am 103 that was bombed over Lockerbie. One wonders how accurate his other accounts could be!
Admittedly, Phil Esposito peaked while I was still a young child and most of his records were quickly overshadowed by Wayne Gretzky in my world. I found the disregard Esposito demonstrated for his several wives and kids as he partied his way through an NHL career less than inspiring but I respect him for being honest about it. The last few chapters devoted to the formation of the Lightning and him being ousted smacked of an axe being ground but it was a rare look at sports management from the inside. I would guess Esposito's former cohorts would tell a different tale.
So, while it may sound like I am panning this book, the reality is it is a unique read told from the perspective of a colorful character. Taken with a hefty grain of salt, it's a fun book that deserves to be on the hocky lover's shelf - after they've read it, of course!
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
