I am a huge hockey fan, and being Canadian, a huge Wayne Gretzky fan. He holds many NHL records and most people believe that some of them will never be broken. His 50 goals in 39 games is one. This book was written by Mike Brophy, a veteran journalist who covered hockey beginning in 1977. When I began reading this book, I wasn't sure if it was just going to be a regurgitation of the facts of his scoring streak, but it was more than that. Yes, it covered this scoring machine, but it also shared the story of the whole team, The Edmonton Oilers. He highlighted how Wayne's play made the others on his team play better and have their best seasons ever. I enjoyed hearing about all the other players that I also watched along the way. It also gives the history of the previous players who held the record of 50 goals in 50 games. It had a conversational tone and held my interest, while also educating me on the teams, the players and the records. If you are a hockey fan, this is one I would recommend.

This book was published in 1996 but I just got around to reading it. The author takes you through the year of Wayne Gretsky amazing 50 goals in 39 games. At only 20 years old this really set the newspapers on fire at least the sports pages. The author takes you through the games and also new interviews with players and people who were around for those moments. I can only imagine what it was like being there for those games. Seeing Gretsky play when he was traded to the Kings much later was a sight to be seen so back then would have been really special. The author does a good job of making you feel part of that time which is difficult. I found this book to be an enjoyable read, and I think it would be for any hockey fan.

Very in depth and researched, but gets bogged down in the minutiae of accounts of each game.