The Hockey Handbook

Book excerpt: Originally published in 1951, and rejected at the time by one NHL coach as “the product of a three-year-old mind,” Lloyd Percival’sThe Hockey Handbookwent on to become an internationally recognized classic. Russian and European coaches seized on the book as the first authoritative, analytical treatment of hockey fundamentals and based their training regimes on the principles Percival described. The father of Russian hockey, Anatoli Tarasov, wrote to Percival: “Your wonderful book which introduced us to the mysteries of Canadian hockey, I have read like a schoolboy.” Now, nearly half a century later,The Hockey Handbookremains in a class by itself. It is the first book required by players or coaches at all levels of proficiency who are setting out to develop their own or their team’s hockey skills. Wayne Major, Larry Sadler, and Robert Thom are all experienced amateur hockey coaches who came to appreciate the practical value of Percival’s pioneering work. In revising the text, they drew upon the expertise of a variety of specialists, including, for example, Dr. Tom Sawa, who updated the chapter on training and conditioning, to giveThe Hockey Handbooka new relevance to modern hockey coaches. Now redesigned and issued in an easy-to-use format, the book will serve as an inspiration and guide to future generations of players and coaches.