Messier

I've read several Messier Books the past few years & this one I think was the most open & Honest, while mostly every book can deavle deep into the highlights of Messiers career & early childhood, Klein takes it a step further & really gets into Messiers early years such as his childhood & relationship with his parents & siblings, As well as his early playing days with the Oilers, it's a true depection of how he was just a kid growing up & did kid things, some good some stupid such as his Drunk Driving Areest in Edmonton while he was playing with the Oilers, it makes him out to be a mere man that grows into a living legend, not just the Legend itself. Klein also peels away some of the layers of that immortal Legend, in particular Messiers power struggle with Neil Smith that Led to Neil Smith letting Messier walk & sign as a free agent with the Vancover Canucks, a move that siginaled the end of both Mens ultimate sucess in the NHL, the book takes you behind the secenes into a dysfunctional Vancover Canuck Locker room to which Messier was an easy target & got all the blame for there failures, but recived little or no credit for there future sucess, somthing that many of the current & past players on the Canucks give him credit for helping turn that Franchise around. All & all an easy read, but very intresting, Well worth it.

Love him or hate him (and I love him), Mark Messier was the total hockey player. He could skate, shoot, score, play D and handle himself when the going got tough. The book does a great job of capturing the man who could almost will his team to win by his presence and his play. Klein does a great job of illustrating Messier's "lead by example." mentality. He also paints a fascinating picture of a guy who isn't just a jock, but is well-read, articulate, wears his heart on his sleeve and isn't afraid to shed some tears. I also appreciated the fact that, like anyone, he has shortcomings, and the author didn't overlook them. Any hockey fan will find this book ranks right up there with all the best hockey books.

Jeff Klein does a nice job of interviewing not only Messier's legion of supporters but also captures those who were and still are not enamored with Messier's commanding presence as the premier leader in team professional sports today. I enjoyed reading both sides of this biography that I found difficult to put down. A great read, one that all Oilers, Rangers and even Canucks fans who watched Messier over the years should take time to read.

Messier the player is one of those guys I always loved to hate, but it's so rare to find a hockey book that's actually WELL WRITTEN I had to pick this up. Klein and Reif's previous books always excelled in that way, operating on a level way above most sports authors, and Klein, solo here, does not disappoint. Impressive research gets you as close to the reclusive Moose as you'll ever get, and reveals a more complex, appealing figure than I expected. Exhaustive, but never exhausting. A smoothe, engaging, colorful read. Highly recommended.

This book is a very excellent and complete view on a hockey legend, Mark Messier. This book talks about everything that happened in his carrer, good and bad, very neutrally. This book is chock full of information, I would definitely advise any hockey fan to buy this book.Also Recomended: Thunder & Lightning: Phil Esposito