Gabby: Confessions of a Hockey Lifer

One of the pleasant results of the recent economic downturn has been a greater appreciation of free public amenities in the community. When Bruce Boudreau and Tim Leone's long-awaited Gabby: Confessions of a Hockey Lifer was finally released a few weeks ago, rather than immediately purchase it I put in a request with my local library for their copy.

Last week it was finally my turn, and I excitedly picked up my copy and devoured it in the better part of two days. I thoroughly enjoyed it...Bruce Boudreau has more than a few book's worth of stories to tell and Tim Leone did a great job organizing a compelling story while preserving Boudreau's voice.

Personally I found Gabby amusing, engaging, and a great insight into a man whom, granted, I have slightly more insight than your average fan.

(As an unrelated aside, I have Sportscenter on in the background as I type this and ESPN just showed a clip of Bill Belichick's press conference today. After spending two years covering Boudreau, and to a lesser extend ex-DCU bench boss Tom Soehn, I cannot imagine having to repeatedly sit in press conferences with such an absolute moribund personality as Belichick.)

However, I do have a complaint about the book that, depending on the audience, could be minor or major. Originally my intention was to let my girlfriend read Gabby after I finished with it.

She is a huge Caps fan, but knows practically nothing about the NHL outside of Washington, D.C. She knows most of the Caps, if there's a player on the ice she doesn't recognize she knows they're probably a Hershey call-up, and can match most NHL team names with the appropriate city. She doesn't follow the team outside of watching games on TV and possibly reading front-page articles at washingtonpost.com.

For readers plugged in to the hockey world, not just the present but the past as well, Gabby is a rewarding journey through the life of a true hockey personality. For casual hockey fans or readers new to hockey, Gabby amounts to short snippets of Boudreau's humor and philosophy amidst large swathes of meaningless name-dropping.

All the minor-league cities, all the players and coaches of the 70s, 80s, and early 90s...for me they conjure up a lively world of hockey glory. For my girlfriend...absolutely nothing. The same, I'm sure, for my dad, for whom I was considering buying Gabby as a gift.

This isn't to say it's a bad book. I figure I'm the target audience, and I really enjoyed it. And Gabby could very well be a great holiday gift for the hockey fan in your life. All I'm suggesting is to consider what type of fan the intended recipient may be, to make sure they're the type of person for whom Boudreau's great memories truly resonate.