Great book for any hockey fan and a must purchase for diehard Chicago Blackhawks fans.

Most sports fans will follow a team or teams beginning in their childhood. That was the case for author Kevin Cunningham as he began to follow the Chicago Blackhawks when he was eight years old. His subsequent obsession with the team is chronicled in this entertaining memoir about his love for the team and the game.

The humor that is plentiful throughout the pages is what sets this memoir apart from most sports memoirs. No matter what stage of life Cunningham is writing about and no matter how well or poorly the Blackhawks are playing, he never fails to drop in something humorous, even if the actual events are melancholy. A good example is the chapter on when he went to a Blackhawks game against Winnipeg on a first date with a woman who later became a girlfriend. The way he talks about the ticket stub he kept from that game for many years made me laugh several times. That is just one of the many passages that will leave a reader laughing.

Hockey fans, even those who are not Blackhawk fans, will enjoy all of Cunningham’s recollection of important games and rivalries from the 1980’s to the Stanley Cup championships of the current decade. Being a fan of the Minnesota North Stars before the team relocated to Dallas, I was especially enjoying the writing about the great rivalry between the North Stars and Blackhawks – even if Cunningham had a strong dislike for Dino Ciccarelli. While I may have been on the “wrong” side of that rivalry according to him, his memes about it brought back some great memories.

Fellow Blackhawk fans will especially enjoy this explanation of an obsession with a hockey team since that is their team. But for fans of the game, this book is recommended for them as well as it just may provide a little insight into the loyalty and passion any fan has for his or her team.

I wish to University of Iowa Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Chelsea Dagger was playing through my head the whole time I was reading this. I am a consummate Blackhawks fan and reading this makes me want to see #19, #88, and #2 at the UC even more!

GO HAWKS!