Home Ice: Reflections On Backyard Rinks And Frozen Ponds by Jack Falla, Bobby Orr (Foreword by)

From the Publisher

Nothing brings us home to the true roots of hockey as do the memories we have of the backyard rinks and the frozen ponds of our youth. In this collection of heart-warming and humorous essays, veteran sports journalist Jack Falla writes about how his own backyard rink has served as a bridge to family and friends, to the past, and to the game he loves.

Here are stories of all-night floodings and new ice, toddlers learning how to stand on a first pair of blades, romance on the rink, the joy of a brilliant winter's day, and the sweet sadness of the last ice of the year. Falla also describes his visits with other builders of home rinks (including Walter Gretzky); laments the passing of the venerable Boston Garden, the inspiration for his own backyard ice palace; and lets us in on his secrets for building a home rink.

Home Ice is more than a hockey book. It is a book for readers as interested in the relationships and memories that bind us together, as they are in last night's scores.

Library Journal

There is no shortage of books that describe how participating in a particular sporting activity strengthens bonds between people. Falla's book accomplishes this feat through a collection of essays on backyard skating rinks and frozen ponds and how these local skating venues allow their participants to get in touch with the game of hockey in addition to building relationships with family and friends. The author, a sportswriter and author of Sports Illustrated Hockey, is the architect and CEO of his full-scale backyard rink, the Bacon Street Omni, around which neighborhood life seems to revolve during the long, cold months. Each essay is short and provides for excellent recreational reading for people interested in skating in general and hockey in particular. Throughout, the author's love for winter sports is clear, especially as a link between his New England childhood and his current life, but readers who have never put on a pair of skates may have trouble connecting with this well written book. Recommended for public libraries already stocked with a strong collection of winter-oriented sports books.--Patrick Mahoney, Off-Campus Lib. Svcs., Central Michigan Univ. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

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