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The Rebel League: The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey Association
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| Part No: | 077108949X |
| Manufacturer: | McClelland & Stewart |
| MFG Part: | |
| Customer Rating: | 4.5 / 5.0 |
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The wildest seven years in the history of hockey
The Rebel League celebrates the good, the bad, and the ugly of the fabled WHA. It is filled with hilarious anecdotes, behind the scenes dealing, and simply great hockey. It tells the story of Bobby Hull’s astonishing million-dollar signing, which helped launch the league, and how he lost his toupee in an on-ice scrap.It explains how a team of naked Birmingham Bulls ended up in an arena concourse spoiling for a brawl. How the Oilers had to smuggle fugitive forward Frankie “Seldom” Beaton out of their dressing room in an equipment bag. And how Mark Howe sometimes forgot not to yell “Dad!” when he called for his teammate father, Gordie, to pass. There’s the making of
Slap Shot, that classic of modern cinema, and the making of the virtuoso line of Hull, Anders Hedberg, and Ulf Nilsson.
It began as the moneymaking scheme of two California lawyers. They didn’t know much about hockey, but they sure knew how to shake things up. The upstart WHA introduced to the world 27 new hockey franchises, a trail of bounced cheques, fractious lawsuits, and folded teams. It introduced the crackpots, goons, and crazies that are so well remembered as the league’s bizarre legacy.
But the hit-and-miss league was much more than a travelling circus of the weird and wonderful. It was the vanguard that drove hockey into the modern age. It ended the NHL’s monopoly, freed players from the reserve clause, ushered in the 18-year-old draft, moved the game into the Sun Belt, and put European players on the ice in numbers previously unimagined.
The rebel league of the WHA gave shining stars their big-league debut and others their swan song, and provided high-octane fuel for some spectacular flameouts. By the end of its seven years, there were just six teams left standing, four of which – the Winnipeg Jets, Quebec Nordiques, Edmonton Oilers, and Hartford Whalers – would wind up in the expanded NHL.
From the Hardcover edition.
| WHAt a great book! | 2010-07-29 | 5 / 5 |
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| Fantastic read... funny and informative, the second I finished it I picked it up and began reading it for a 2nd time. It certainly makes me want to go out and pick up his book on the ABA. |
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| Really a great book on the 7 year history of the World Hockey Association. Written as a verbal history with tons of first hand stories, this book is a quick read. Fun stories both good and bad, but always interesting. got the recommendations right when they paired this up with Loose Balls and Going Long. I have read both of those books and they are right in line with this one. The only reason this one doesn't get five stars from me is the lack of stats. I would have loved to have info in the back of the book on the yearly standings and stats leaders. It would only add a few more pages. The only stat included is a yearly listing of each time in the league from start to finish. That minor quibble aside, it was a great book. |
| Roaring Fun in the WHA | 2010-05-18 | 4 / 5 |
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I started following hockey in the early to mid-1970s but never paid much attention to the WHA. This book was a fascinating look back at how the league started, the wild characters that comprised it and the development of future NHL stars. Along the way we learn about players who "got too much too soon" and never fulfilled their promise as professional hockey players. Mixed in is a healthy dose of insight as to how the league inspired the movie Slap Shot. If you're a hockey fan, sports fan or a Slap Shot fan - give it a read.
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| Great book that sheds light on a forgotten league. | 2010-05-06 | 5 / 5 |
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This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I found it thoroughly entertaining and informative. The WHA was before my time and I am sad I missed it after reading this book. I didn't know Gretzky, Messier, Bobby Hull, and Gordie Howe played in the league.
The stories about all the crazy antics of the players and owners are awesome. The movie Slap Shot was based off of people noted in the book. I coudn't put this book down. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about the World Hockey Association and its impact on the NHL and hockey in general. |
| Good book! | 2010-01-12 | 4 / 5 |
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| It was interesting to read the behind the scenes stories and how the WHA changed the NHL. I lived during those years and never knew half of what I learned from this book. |
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