Book Review: Flyers Lives

A couple of months ago I was combing through Amazon in search for a hockey book. Amazon recommended "Flyers Lives" by Jakki Clarke and I picked it up. Of course the first thing I noticed was the name of the author, and sure enough it is written by Bobby Clarke's daughter. While this would definitely allow for some special "access", I was also somewhat worried about what this relationship between the author and one of the high ranking officials in the organization could imply.

But let's put first things first: The book is a collection of mini-biographies/interviews with twenty-one players throughout the history of the Philadelphia Flyers, reaching from the Broad Street Bullies to modern day. Each chapter focuses on one particular player, discussing his career, their relationship with the organization, as well as some personal anecdotes. Interestingly, the book also asks each player to weigh in on the current state of player development and advice they would give to parents.

The players showcased are in order: Bernie Parent, Bobby Clarke, Bob Kelly, Bill Barber, Dave Schultz, Paul Holmgren, Brian Propp, Tim Kerr, Brad Marsh, Mark Howe, Dave Poulin, Rick Tocchet, Ron Hextall, Chris Therien, Keith Jones, Keith Primeau, Danny Briere, Claude Giroux, Scott Hartnell, Chris Pronger and James van Riemsdyk. This list covers a lot of ground and most of the big names that have suited up for the Orange and Black. It also includes some people I would not have expected in such a book, namely Bob Kelly and Brad Marsh, and reading it also provides a nice sense of continuity and passing the torch. But it also has some omissions that seem odd, leaving a glaring hole in the 90s with none of Eric Lindros, John LeClair or Eric Desjardins getting their own section. It should also be noted that many of the retired players still have very close ties with the organization, as members of the front office, ambassadors, or broadcasters, and thus seem to be somewhat chosen due to availability.

The book in general seems a bit whitewashed. Eric Lindros is hardly mentioned, and Pelle Lindbergh's death isn't talked about at all despite having such a large impact on many of the players that are subject to this book. Given this, I am surprised that the tragic death of Tim Kerr's wife, Kathy, shortly after childbirth was brought up at all. However, the book surrounds it in Kerr's history of injuries, and the quote of Kerr following it seems to be in response to a question solely about his injuries.

While the whitewashed nature of the book could have been expected given the author's relation to the organization, the most peculiar part of the book are the last two chapters revolving around Chris Pronger and James van Riemsdyk. Both are no longer players of the organization through different circumstances. Pronger is in injury-related quasi-retirement, and van Riemsdyk was traded, a fact that the book acknowledges. As a fan of the organization this leaves a somewhat bitter taste behind when reading it, particularly as the end of the book. An additional chapter, with a general overview and a look forward into the future would have been nice.

The book as a whole seems somewhat rushed in order to capitalize on a recent fascination with the history of the franchise in the wake of the 2012 Winter Classic, an HBO documentary about the Broad Street Bullies, and the announcement of the plans for a feature film directed by Rob Zombie dealing with the same subject matter. The last two chapters seem to have survived and been included over more interesting and less bitter options due to deadline pressure.

The writing is technically competent, but one thing that bothered me throughout the book is the overuse of a framing device. Each time the book jumps forward a couple of years in the life of a player to the next important formative experience, the book puts it into the context of the current events of the day, e.g. what there were Olympics, political uprisings, or a certain significant event in pop culture. This leads occasionally to repetition, and also becomes a disruption to the flow of the reader when some pages are almost entirely a footnote, explaining who Brian Boitano or Bill Buckner were.

Overall, the book is a decent time-waster and at least a nice glimpse into the lives of several Flyers heroes of the past. However, it falls woefully short of the potential that lies within the concept, largely in part of executive meddling and/or in the interest of self-censorship. I would also have a hard time figuring out any reason to be interested in this book if I wasn't already a fan of the Flyers.