Take Your Eye Off the Puck: How to Watch Hockey By Knowing Where to Look

I am brand-new to the sport of hockey. I went to my first game in 02/2018, so barely 6 months ago. And afterward, I told my parents this is it, this is the sport of my people. It's skilled and fast and I feel like every goal is earned. And I'm equally horrified and fascinated by the fights and vicious body checks. I attended as many of the local AHL games as I could, followed my team through to the very last game of the Calder Cup, and even started keeping tabs on the NHL and the Stanley Cup despite not knowing any of the team (I rooted for the Capitals!).And I knew nothing about the game. I started this adventure without even knowing how many players played at one time, how the games and periods were structured, anything. I fortunately sat next to a few really nice guys who helped explain the roles, penalties, and rules but there was a lot left I still didn't get. So I went searching for a book and found this one. Greg Wyshynski was hilarious, insightful, and did exactly what he said: he gave me a better understanding of the game and how to watch it. I'm far from an expert, I will absolutely read this again when the 18-19 season starts up & it will probably make even more sense then, but for now, so many things I had seen were suddenly put into perspective. I understand the plays that were made, the decisions made, and even background information on how teams are formed, the drafts, the rules, recent changes to the system and player safety, and even some tidbits of how it used to be played. There's a wealth of knowledge here that he delivered in a very fun, relatable way even for baby beginners like me. Highly recommended & definitely loaning this out to the friends and family I'm going to drag into this sport with me.

Not a super technical X's and O's type of book but a general fan type book. Good stuff, anyone familiar with the Marek vs Wyshynski podcast or Puck Daddy blog will be familiar with Greg Wyshynski and his sense of humor, writing style and knowledge of the game. Recommended for all the hockey fans out there who read or don't. If you are a hockey lifer there aren't going to be any dramatic revelations that you will find here but it is worth the read for the anecdotes and humor.

Have been waiting for my Kindle version, it's here! As his fans already know, Wysh knows hockey to a depth of detail which for even committed fans can be difficult to clearly perceive. He clearly explains "systems," special teams, etc. in ways I finally get. Nice, *simple* diagrams and plenty of funny explanations. Subtract a star if you just don't like his sense of humor--de gustibus non est disputandem--add a sixth star if you do, & if you listen to Marek vs. Wyshinski you know already. -- (And Jeremy Freaking Roenick had *nothing* to do with the book other than the oddly generic intro someone forced him to write, wherein the author's name does not appear. They might as well have asked Pierre McGuire and Don Cherry to collaborate on an intro. Amazon should fix this.)

This book fills the void between "what's icing?" type books and coach's manuals. It's not too technical, yet not too basic. I've been watching hockey for 10+ years now, and this book was still a great read, and informational. Also, Wyshynski's writing style is perfect for this style of book, his humor keeping it from ever getting boring. I would recommend this book for hockey fans, or people that have an interest in hockey. If this book and watching a game or two in person doesn't make you fall in love with the sport, then nothing will.

Illuminates central baseline info, like the basic neutral zone trap.

Guess I was expecting a little more. I have been an avid hockey fan most of my life and was expecting better insights into the plays on the ice away from the typical TV camera view. While the book does an excellent job in noting basic strategies and what teams are trying to do to score and prevent scoring, I think the book is for the novice ice hockey enthusiast. Didn't really find much I did not already know.

While some of the plays could benefit from better explanation (the diagrams help, but it's tough to follow along), the book overall is terrific. Highly recommended for people who have been following hockey for years, but want to gain a deeper understanding of the fundamentals. Jokes abound, throwbacks to players you may have forgotten about, and overall a confident, detailed look at the game.

This book has made watching even more fun as I learn to see the plays develop. It is written in a light-hearted, sometimes irreverent style that keeps my interest through what otherwise might get tedious. Illustrations are helpful.

Ein sehr gutes Buch, Überblick über das Eishockey-Spiel zu erhalten! Bravo! A very good book for getting a overlook over hockey-game!

This book is most definitely not "only for a dummy". Though, dummies would learn the most from it. Or maybe not.

This is an excellent text on what is really happening in an ice hockey game. I have watched British hockey for years and I've read a few books about hockey. They talked about the systems, the drills, etc. but I felt I still wanted a book that explained what was actually going on. This one does it!

Not exactly what expected from other reviews.

A very good, but often very basic, primer on hockey and the NHL. I bought the book more as a fan of Wyshynski's writing on his Puck Daddy blog so it was more for the delivery than the substance. As always he is witty, irreverent and since he is of similar vintage to myself, his hockey experiences and touchstones are similar. I have already lent it to a non-hockey fan friend and they are enjoying it a great deal. For my part, I would have liked a bit more X's and O's discussions on the ebb and flow of gameplay as they had the most to offer in terms of learning something new. For the uninitiated however, this is as good an intro as can be had.