________________ CM . . . . Volume XVII Number 38 . . . . June 3, 2011

cover

Stanley Cup. (Sporting Championships).

Blaine Wiseman.
Calgary, AB: Weigl (Distributed by Saunders Book Co.), 2011.
32 pp., hardcover, $18.20.
ISBN 978-1-61690-127-1

Grades 4-6 / Ages 9-11.

Review by Clancy Pryde.

***˝ /4

   

excerpt:

The Stanley Cup is the only trophy in team sports that displays the names of every winner. Each year, the Stanley Cup winning team is allowed to have the names of 52 members added to the rings of the cup. These can include players, coaches, management and staff. Due to this tradition, the cup has grown over the years, with pieces being added so that more names could be engraved.

Stanley Cup is a new addition to Weigl Publishers’ “Sporting Championships” series which includes titles devoted to a variety of elite sporting finals, like the World Cup and the Tour de France. It is a fact-filled journey through the history of the most coveted of hockey trophies with enough information to almost prepare readers for a future in colour-commentating on Hockey Night in Canada.

      One of the numerous strong points of this title is that, unlike many books about sports, it doesn’t take for granted that the reader has any background knowledge about hockey. In double page chapters, author Blaine Wiseman so clearly explains what the Stanley Cup is, how hockey is played and how the NHL season unfolds from exhibition games to the regular season, on to the playoffs and the ultimate moment of hoisting the Cup for the victory laps, that even readers new to the sport will quickly become experts.

      Stanley Cup is not just for novices, though. The most seasoned of young hockey fans are also sure to find this book engaging. It is filled with loads of excellent up-to-date photos of today’s hockey greats, like Sidney Crosby and Nicklas Lidstrom, and includes internet links to extend chapters. Not to be missed as well are the abundant text boxes filled with fun trivia like how to tell the difference between a linesman and a referee (linesmen call off-sides and icing and break up fights, refs wear orange arm bands and stop the play whenever a rule is broken) and how superstition can lead NHL players and fans to forgo shaving during the playoffs.

      Rounding out Stanley Cup are chapters which explain the evolution of the importance of the trophy from the original silver bowl purchased by Lord Stanley in London and first awarded in 1893, long before the advent of the NHL, to the almost one meter tall prize it is today. There are further chapters on legendary teams, stars of the past, and the increasing importance of women’s hockey. The information is presented in a variety of formats, including tables, charts, maps, time lines and graphics which will appeal to young readers. And the many vintage black-and-white photos place the Stanley Cup in its historical context. Finally, Stanley Cup includes a short quiz about the content, tips for where to find more information, a brief glossary and an index.

Stanley Cup is a winning addition to any library and is guaranteed to please young sports fans.

Highly Recommended.

Clancy Pryde is a teacher in Toronto, ON.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364
Hosted by the University of Manitoba.
 

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