The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team

The “Boys of Winter” is a detailed and comprehensive account of the Miracle on Ice. The book has an emphatic structure to it that was conceived by design. And contains information that you will find nowhere else. The game against Russia in the semi-finals (before the gold medal game) is described in detail with a sprinkling of the lives of every player before and after the game as they come into play. This was a stroke of genius. Wayne Coffey admits this was not his idea but came from a colleague. The very criticism that Coffey’s book gets is the very reason why the book is so captivating and its greatest strength. I wanted to know more about that game. How it enfolded. And I wanted to know more about the players. Before and after Lake Placid. This book supplied both. I have everything there is to own on Miracle. Both movies, documentaries, and numerous books. Including the authorized book on Herb’s life. My father and Herb Brooks were friends. I met Patti Brooks, and have recently conversed with her on FB. Dismiss any criticism in the ensuing comment section. This is the best book of all. These people do not recognize the organization and structure of the book. Probably never played hockey. I did. The journalistic praises heeped upon Wayne Coffey are true and deserved. Buy the book. You will be glad you did.

This is the first book that I've read that was written by Wayne Coffey. His writing is original, crisp and full of interesting details about the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team. He juxaposes the life stories (then, since then and now) of the U.S. players into three periods of the semifinal win over the Soviet Union. I give him credit for bravely deciding that this kind of format could work. For the most part, he pulls it off. But his narration of the game, and his tale, seemed to slow down in some places, especially in the second period. Still, I skated on. I did so because my curiosity was fed: What was it like for those players as individuals in 1980 and what became of their lives here in the first decade of the 21st century? Coffey satisfied my appetite and I believe any bloke who follows hockey with soft, mild or rabid interest would find this work worthy. The 4-3 over the Soviets was not so much a miracle as it was a carefully planned ambush, brilliantly executed by coach Herb Brooks and 20 focused players who were in the best shape of their lives. The 1980 Olympic Winter Games were seminal for U.S. hockey players; those Olympics were a door-opener for hundreds of future U.S. players who played in the National Hockey League. Coffey, like all good writers, spices up his tale with curious and charming details. There is opinion and recollection by some members of that 1980 Soviet team, too. That added to the depth of the book. Mr. Coffey worked hard to find and visit members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team. He matches his diligent footwork with fine writing. This book is worth your money and reading attention.

This book reads like a companion piece to the movie "Miracle". As it happens, I had just seen Miracle a couple of times before I bought this book. Miracle is a great 'feel good' movie and you don't have to be a hockey fan to love it. But I think only hockey fans would enjoy this book. I love hockey, so I gave the book 4 stars. I would have given it 2 stars if it was about a different sport. I enjoyed Mr. Coffey's writing style but I think his organization skills need work. The first part of the book was composed of 1 or 2 paragraph factoids about the game and the players. The great majority of the book was organized like a hockey game: period 1, intermission, period 2, intermission, period 3. This sounds like a clever idea, but it really wasn't. A large part of the period sections was merely a recitation of the plays. In other words, it was like listening to a broadcast of the game. Mr. Coffey wove human interest stories about the players' lives into the play by play, but still... So a lot of the book wasn't actual writing, it was transcribing a broadcast. As I said, I enjoyed the book but I don't recommend it to anyone except hockey fans.

This book is written in a manner that simply draws you into its grasp and never lets you go. From the beginning to the end, you get to know the players and the coaches, as well as the supporting staff. I've had the great honor to meet Ken Morrow in person and visit with him a little while. The storied perspective he shares at the close of this book echoes his comments when I had the immense honor of meeting him...this only to attempt to lend some credibility to my point of view on this book. A consummate gentleman and humble individual to be certain! I rate this book among my favorites and highly recommend it to all hockey fans and historians alike. Very well done, Mr. Coffey, very well done indeed.

Wayne Coffey is a wonderful sportswriter for the NY Daily News, so seeing his name on this book gave me every reason to believe I would like it. I was right. A huge amount has been written and done about this team. There was a full-length movie, an outstanding HBO documentary and a made-for-TV movie (Karl Malden as Herb Brooks). This book fills a lot of the gaps and gives a lot of insight into the individuals. I especially appreciated that Coffey interviewed many of the Russians, his sections on Tarasov and Tikhinov are fascinating. Unlike Mr. Barat, I was able to follow the narrative of the book, it did not bounce around too much for me. And while I would have preferred more coverage on the other games the team played, before and during the Olympics, that is a mild quibble. The biggest gotcha in the book is when it talks about the game that the US played against the USSR two weeks before the Olympics. That game was won by the USSR 10-3 and it wasn't that close. Other sources said that both teams were trying 100%. Coffey believes that Brooks held back the US team a lot, not wanting to show his hand to them. I rarely give 5 stars to a book, this one deserves them.

Great book & an creates an even greater Sense of pride.

This book is beautifully written. You can't pass this one up. It's heavy on the Minnesota side, but what do you expect? There were lots of Minnesotan's on the team. An absolutely iconic event- surely you couldn't make it more memorable than the games itself, right? Wrong! Wayne Coffey has captured my heart with this book. Coffey has conveyed the epitome of Minnesota with no better way imaginable. This book has become a beloved favorite of mine, top five, no doubt. With details of the game weaving in and out with stories of each American teammate, Coffey has managed to crack open the elusive mind of Brooks, and shown well-deserved lime light on each forward, defense man, and goaltender. As if the event itself couldn't make this small town Minnesotan choke up a little, Wayne Coffey goes far and beyond. From the tragic, heart breaking death of Ricky Holger, to feel good memories of Neal Broten and his father, funny moments like Herb Brooks "talking Hockey" to a door if he had to, to the more iconic moments like "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" and Broten's induction into the Hall of Fame, this book doesn't disappoint. (Not even close!) Wayne Coffey gives us all another huge, well written, pride invoking reason to yell "It's a great day for Hockey!" and continue on experiencing the best sport in the world.

An unusual format -- akin to watching the actual 1980 Russian/USA hockey semi-final game, but instead, reading graphic descriptive play-by-plays, interspersed with a brief biography concerning each player. At times, a tad disjointed. Although, a controversial authority figure, Coach Herb Brooks possessed an unerring innate ability to cement unique disparate characters and meld them into an effective cohesive winning team. Further, his exhausting extreme physical training, ultimately reflected, in his players' unusual endurance against the indefatigable Russians. As succinctly summarized: "This was a team that had to overcome doubts and fears and defeats, along with a deep distaste for a coach who seemed impossibly hard at times" (p. 269). Subsequent to the remarkable victory over the Russians, USA unexpectedly beat the Finns, and hence, achieved the Gold. Like a fairy tale with a happy ending.

After watching the movie countless times! I came across this book. It offers a more in depth look at both teams in the build up to the game and the players lives afterwards. Enjoyable read and still brings out the goosebumps at all the right times!

Un libro molto interessante per coloro che amano l'hockey. È un libro molto dettagliato e contiene tante informazioni. I liked it.

...look forward to read this fabulous story about the 1980's miracle at lake placid! Wayne Coffey is a trustfully writer.

Great book for a speedway addict

A very well researched book about the USA olympic ice hockey team and its triumph against the odds over the mighty Russian red machine.