Men at Play: A Working Understanding of Professional Hockey

By Michael A. Robidoux

Players dedicate their lives to the goal of playing professional hockey and teams demand total commitment from their players, giving them complete control over almost all aspects of the players' lives. With the enormous labour turnover in the AHL and the surplus labour pool, players are extremely vulnerable: they must perform well or be replaced by the scores of other men willing to do the same job. With limited education and limited life skills, players seldom meet people who are not connected to the game and, when they do, they do so with trepidation. The constructed universe of the game consumes the players so that, in spite of any wealth they may accumulate, they often know nothing other than the game and have invested everything in an occupation where their services quickly become obsolete. Far from the sensational memoirs of those few players who make it to the top, Robidoux's Men at Play offers a bracing inside look at the dynamics of the fastest game on earth.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0773522204
• ISBN13: 9780773522206
• Release Date: February 2001
• Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A different viewpoint

This book was very insightful, especially for someone who has never been inside a locker room! I just wanted to point out to others that this is a (for the most part) sociological study of a minor-league hockey team, so the writing is somewhat academic (with lots of footnotes) which might not appeal to everyone. That is not to say this is a dry, boring textbook, because it is not, it is full of colorful anecdotes and is an enjoyable study of the many aspects of a team: initiations, coaching, team bonding, fans, etc. A different angle from most hockey books.

Interesting reading about professional hockey

I found this book very interesting reading especially as a woman and a hockey fan. Since woman usually don't have a locker room mentality it was very interesting for me to read what men talk about behind closed doors. Also interesting was background information about professional hockey such as how trades are made, etc.