Hockey Tonk: The Amazing Story of the Nashville Predators

Since becoming an official franchise of the National Hockey League in May 1998, The Nashville Predators have gained an incredible amount of regional and national attention. In Hockey Tonk, owner Craig Leipold and Richard Oliver take readers on a fascinating journey from the birth of the Nashville Predators to the planning and execution of the team's inaugural season. From their first game in October 1998 before a sell out crowd of more than 17,000 to games being played today, the Nashville Predators have drawn a total of more than a million fans to their games. This book goes behind the scenes to describe not only how the Predators got and kept so many fans so fast, but also how they became one of the NHL's most successful expansion teams in just one season. Fans and business people alike will be interested in this amazing story.

The book, in my opinion, is let down in the way that the material is presented. There seems to be no logic in the way the story is told, both on a macro and micro level. On the larger scale the story seems to vaguely follow a kind of chronology, but there are regular jumps both backward and forward in time. On a smaller scale, I also found the paragraphs hard to follow, as they too would randomly criss-cross the chronological flow of the text.

In addition to the above criticism, I found the writing to be very dry, and without direction. Many chapters had no clear focus, and others had no climax when it was clear there should have been. One example of that was in a chapter where (if memory serves me correctly) the authors were setting the scene for a big game against Dallas, and the tension was clearly building towards game time where we were going to see if the Preds could defeat the Stars. As the tension was rising, the authors flippantly give away the final score line -in parenthesises no less- making one wonder where the chapter was really going in the first place.

These criticisms aside, the book is still a good read, and is engaging enough that in the end I felt an emotional attachment to the Predators, and I know that I'll think of them differently next time I watch them play (on TV of course!), and in some way consider myself a fan.


Not Just Hockey   December 19, 2000
 2 out of 3 found this review helpful

Making hockey successful in the middle of the bible belt was no easy task, and this is a remarkable story of management excellence. Predators owner Craig Leipold and renowned management author Richard W. Oliver combine to tell an unforgettable story. It is a must for fans of good management as well as hockey.


A Must Read   November 14, 2000
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

For anybody thinking about getting into sports management or becoming a professional athlete, this is a must read! It provides an insightful view of what is expected of professional athletes and how to successfully manage a pro organization. Being a successful athlete in this day and age goes well beyond just raw talent. Highly recommend this book for high school and college athletes.