Best of the Bruins by Jonathan Weeks *REVIEW* *GIVEAWAY*

Today, Notes From a Romantic’s Heart is changing gears and welcoming Sports Author, Jonathan Weeks, to the blog. You can find all the stops for this tour at Goddess Fish Promotions. Don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter draw for a $25 gift card. The entry form is at the end of this post.

GENRE:   Sports-History-Hockey

 

About the Book

Among the “original six” NHL clubs to survive the Great Depression, the Boston Bruins have a vibrant history. Entering the 2020-’21 campaign, the team ranked fourth all-time with six Stanley Cup championships. Some of the most gifted players in NHL history have skated for the Bruins over the years. Best of the Bruins: Boston’s All-Time Great Players and Coaches tells the individual stories of the players and coaches who have helped make the Bruins perennial contenders for close to a century. Profiles of current players are included in this sweeping survey.

 

Read an Excerpt

BRAD MARCHAND

In spite of the team’s efforts to protect him, Marchand has repeatedly engaged in outrageous behavior on the ice. His most reprehensible acts include a low-bridge hit on Sami Salo of the Canucks that left the Vancouver defenseman with a concussion and a spearing penalty incurred for deliberately hitting Tampa Bay blue-liner Jake Dotchin in the crotch with his stick. Entering the 2019-‘20 campaign, Marchand had half a dozen suspensions to his credit in addition to multiple fines.

In spite of his incorrigible antics, Marchand has been an indispensable member of the Bruins top scoring line, which also features David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron. The trio, which has been dubbed “The Perfection Line” by sportswriters, averaged well over 200 points per year between 2016-’17 and 2019-’20. Marchand was the team’s top point producer in three of those seasons. Not only does he score goals in bunches, but he scores them in timely fashion. In November of 2019, he set a franchise record with his 26th short-handed goal. And by January of 2020, he had attained a rank of #6 among the Bruins all-time leaders in game-winning goals. His efforts earned him a pair of Seventh Player Awards in 2011 and 2016. But outside of Boston, he is largely viewed as a criminal. 

Asked about his tarnished professional image, Marchand told a reporter: “It’s tough. I’ve tried for a while now to get away from that role and I just can’t seem to escape it. I think obviously if you look back on the last few years, I’ve turned into a decent player and it’s tough to be branded with that name consistently. Obviously, it’s from my own doing but it’s tough to escape it. Devil’s advocate there, it’s what I had to do to get into the league so I’ll never say that I wouldn’t go back and play the same way.”

 My Review

4-Stars

As a native Detroiter and dyed-in-wool, Wing Nut, I was happy to say, I still enjoyed this book very much. And, unfortunately for me, am old enough to have witnessed a good portion of this history firsthand.

The author does a wonderful job of presenting both well-known and little-known facts in a fun way without overloading each section with boring stats. Some of lesser-known facts will be of the most interest to other fans of the sport. As someone who rarely gets the opportunity to read non-fiction, I was especially appreciative of the fact that the single passages/facts were succinct as well as entertaining.

Despite being a Wing Nut, who had the audacity to marry a Hab’s supporter, we did spawn a life-long Bruin’s fan. My eldest son also read the book and, like me, was highly impressed by Mr. Weeks’ knowledge and the way it was presented. So, another 4-stars from him too! As well, he’s shared the purchase link for the book with all his hockey-loving, fellow military men (and women). We both wish you luck with sales!

Meet the Author

A lifelong sports fan, Weeks has published several non-fiction books on the topic of baseball. Additionally, he has two novels to his credit--one of them a posthumous collaboration with his father. His latest project: Best of the Bruins: Boston's All Time Great Players and Coaches, is out now.

Catch up with Jonathan Weeks on Goodreads

Get the book on Amazon

 

Enter the Giveaway

Jonathan Weeks will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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It’s been my pleasure to host Jonathan Weeks today. Please come back all week long for more authors, books, and giveaways.

Nancy