I only became a fan of hockey in 1997 by which point McFarlane was no longer part of the incredible institution that is Hockey Night in Canada. But I became aware of him through his books about the history of the sport so I was curious to learn more about him personally as well as hearing more of his wonderful tales of the players from the golden age of hockey. While I may support one of those dreaded expansion teams, I’m married to a Leafs fan so I have plenty of time for further tales from the Gondola.

It’s a fascinating listen with tales of some of the great personalties on & off the ice and a few of the cretins too! McFarlane’s life has meandered through some very interesting moments and I found the stories of his hockey museum and the Scotiabank Hockey College fascinating. I also didn’t know his Dad wrote The Hardy Boys Books. So many interesting gems within A Helluva Life in Hockey.

It certainly kept this Ducks fan from Scotland entertained!

As a huge hockey fan I was excited for this book. I'm American and have never watched hockey night in Canada and even if I had Brian would have been before my time but he provided some interesting stores. At some point the book was a little hard to follow because he would be talking about one story and then would all of the sudden switch to another story without me realizing. The bones of this book are overall good. There were a couple parts that I think needed a little more editing but overall an interesting read. Thank you to NetGally and ECW Press Audio for an audio arc of this book.

This book is all about nostalgia, filled with Brian McFarlane's stories from his long career with hockey. It's how I would imagine sitting on a stoop listening to your grandfather tell stories about his life (especially since the author is reading it to you); it's conversational and easy to follow but you have no idea sometimes he's referring to. Still, there was some humor, and some interesting tidbits about players, the culture, and the game as a whole. Recommended for die hard fans.