Jonesy: Put Your Head Down and Skate: The Improbable Career of Keith Jones

This is the book you want to have with you on a winter afternoon by the fire or on a summer day at the beach. As a first time author John Buccigross does a fabulous job telling the story of Keith Jones and how he became the man he is today. It is a must read for young and old that leaves you with a smile.

For a Philly Hockey fan and fan of the overall game, Jonesy is an amazing read. Great stories with insight into the game that most of us never get to see. I laughed outloud more than a dozen times. I literally couldn't put it down. That is the best compliment you can give any book.

First, this was a great read. I enjoyed it a lot despite thinking back to the Caps postseason woes under Terry Murray and Schoenfeld when Keith was there. Let me say he was one of the most clutch Caps ever, one of my favorites and I was ticked they dealt him for Chris Simon and Curtis Leschysin (spelling?), who was in town a minute and a half. I was never really a Chris Simon fan when he was here. Three of Keith's stories I loved: I'll try not to tell too much as I don't want to spoil them. The grueling skating regimen after Caps practice during the '92 playoffs, with Keith getting ticked that the Caps were beating the Pens and that meant more skating. High fiving Steve Konowalchuk when the Caps were losing so the skating would end. Handling his own contract negotiations with GM David Poile and bringing the empty briefcase to the meetings. I kept thinking of the Animal House scene where one of the Delta's points to his briefcase and smiles before the student body hearing. The Anson Carter stick story. I also liked the John Poor story at the end. Great job. Sure there was an error ir two in there but I got the gist of what Keith was trying to tell us. Excellent read!

As a WMU alum (class of '94) and hockey fan, I had the good fortune to have great seats for pretty much every home game for Jones during his junior & senior years in college. He impressed me as a player then. Given that connection, and hearing through John Buccigross' column that the proceeds for this book would go to charity, I pre-ordered this and read it immediately upon receiving it. The life and career of Jones are told through his unique voice throughout. This makes for very easy reading - if it seems aimed at a slightly younger-than-adult audience - and the 200 or so pages, much like Keith's career, go by far too quickly. Passages are both hilarious and touching. Highly recommended!

I have anxiously awaited the release of this book since it was first mentioned in John Buccigross's column on ESPN.com, and it absolutely did not disappoint. As an avid fan of the Avalanche and Flyers as well as Jonesy and Bucci, it comes as no surprise that I'm giving the book an enthusiastic five-star rating. Both the stories themselves and the way they are presented made this book a fascinating, entertaining, and quick read--I devoured it from cover to cover the night I received it. It was great to get personal insights and "insider information" about the NHL through the years, the brotherhood of the team atmosphere, the highlights and lowlights of rivalries, and the hockey life in general from a gritty, hardworking player who truly loves the game. Interestingly, Keith Jones may end up being more known for his hockey commentary than his on-ice skill (sorry, Jonesy! I especially enjoyed the fact that this book had some depth to it; although there were plenty of humorous and hockey-specific anecdotes that kept me engaged (tales about former teammates like Steve Konowalchuk, Joe Sakic, Eric Lindros, and other interesting characters are liberally sprinkled throughout), there were also excerpts fraught with compassion that really showed Jonesy as a considerate, loyal, good human being. Whether you're a casual sports fan or a die-hard hockey fanatic, I think you can't help but be charmed by this book. I highly recommend it! P.S. As another reviewer has noted, there are many typos in this book, and they are a bit distracting; however, I just chalked up my awareness of them to the fact that I'm an editor. A friend of mine who borrowed this book noted that he didn't remember seeing any problematic items, so I think most people will be more caught up in the content than the grammar and spelling...