As a big hockey fan, I knew who Sean Avery was and didn't have the greatest impression of him (as he was a Ranger and I am a Pens fan) but I also knew he had a pop culture life outside hockey as well. I was surprised how much I liked him after reading the book. He is very honest and mostly talks about his hockey career and lays out very clearly who he enjoyed working and playing with and who he didn't. He's very candid and pulls no punches and completely changed my opinion of him. It's also refreshing to see how much he appreciated the fans and his playing experience and didn't seem to take it all for granted.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I was an active member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association covering the New York Rangers during Sean Avery's two highly entertaining and eventful tours of duty with the Blueshirts. I got to know Sean and talk to him during that time, strictly within the bounds of reporter interviewing subject, never on a personal level. Taking a slightly different tack than most beat writers, my focus was more on the X's and O's of the game than the "tell us about..." or "how do you feel about..." or "what do you need to do..." angles that are more common.

With Sean Avery, my approach still had less to do with how he played the game so successfully than with how he motivated himself to play the way he did -- unorthodox, feisty, trashy, hateful, nasty, iconoclastic, defiant, and yet still able to generate positive hockey plays while driving opponents batty. Of course, wanting to be entertaining as well as informative in my own writing, my reporting on Sean's escapades in my monthly "Sean Avery Show" recap column traded on his various and sundry antics on and off the ice.

Ice Capades is Sean's memoir of his entire hockey career from his breakthrough with the Detroit Red Wings, his growth with the L.A. Kings, his stellar turn with the Rangers, and his year in hell in Dallas. His motivation takes center stage as he explains (including many juicy examples) how he used that relentless drive to shape the villainous on-ice character who could kill you with a surprisingly well researched bon mot, a not so subtle jab to a vulnerable body part, or a timely goal. Whether you believe Sean when he insists (numerous times) that he was only playing a carefully crafted character on the ice will depend on what you thought of him at the time. If you loved him, you'll buy his rationalizations. If you hated him, well, you probably will not read this review or consider buying his book, so it goes without saying you'll disbelieve him.

I'm in the middle. For one thing, he did tell me on at least two occasions that his shenanigans fired him up and made him play harder and better, as opposed to just trying to throw his opponents off their game. He was motivated from the start (which goes back to age 8, he tells us repeatedly) to make up for his physical shortcomings (lack of height and size) by devoting himself slavishly to working as hard as he could and finding ways to win, no matter how much collateral damage that might cause. Yet he reminds us over and over that winning was his route to achieving his personal goals. As he tells his stories, it becomes difficult to distinguish his priority -- was it winning per se, or winning as a means of elevating himself in hockey and in life? These are not mutually exclusive objectives, but with Sean it remains difficult in the end to reconcile the two.

Sean spends much of the early sections of the book on this subject. But that's not really why you're here. You want to know what he said to Marty Brodeur to make him go postal during a critical game, why he said what he did about Elisha Cuthbert to get suspended and sent to rehab, how his relationship with his second Ranger coach John Tortorella grew so toxic that Sean comes close to accusing him of homicide. You want to know what Sean thought about everyone under the sun. And you want to know what was really going on off the ice with these guys.

And he will tell you.

The partying is unexpected, to be honest. I thought we'd reached the point in professional sports where the level of competition for major league jobs is so intense, so highly crowded with elite players, that maximizing your performance with a clean off-ice life-style that protects your body is more important than it apparently is in real life. Silly me.

Most shocking is the vitriol Sean has for Tortorella. That is already getting most of the press in the hockey world in advance of the publication of this book. I liked Sean, I despised Tortorella, I quit covering the Rangers precisely because of Tortorella, so you know which side I'm on. Even so, I never imagined it could be this bad. But based on what I know from my own interactions with Tortorella, I find myself with no skepticism at all on this topic, as I do with some of Sean's other protestations and rationalizations.

I read an uncorrected proof of the book provided by NetGalley. I hope the authors and editors have since made the thousands of necessary corrections to make this book readable. What I saw was so amateurishly written that it distracted from the subject matter. The worst style crime is the mixing of tenses. Sean talks about the past in the present tense, which is fine. Except that a) since he is talking about his present day feelings about those events concurrently, it is often difficult to tell whether he's referring to now or then, and b) he often lapses back into the past tense, even within the same sentence, even multiple times within the same sentence and the same paragraph. It's tough sledding.

I don't want to come off as a prescriptivist, especially in reviewing a non-professional writer (just as I hope Sean would do in critiquing my seriously deficient hockey technique), but he has a co-writer who is a professional (Michael McKinley) and there are professional editors at Blue Rider Press and Penguin working on this book. I know they want to preserve Sean's voice, but often these rules are in place to remove precisely this kind of ambiguity, to help the reader better understand the material. Trust me, Sean's voice will not be squelched if you clean up his mixed tenses. In fact, we will get to hear his actual voice speaking these words in the audio edition, which I for one intend to listen to.

But again, you're not here for stellar wordcraft. You want dish. You will not be disappointed.

First let me say I was given a copy by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. I grew to love hockey back when The Broad Street Bullies, The Big Bad Bruins, Canadians, Rangers and others ruled the game. I saw some of the best hockey had to offer and was lucky enough to meet many of the stars of the game. Some of the greatest were the nicest, most down to earth and some of the newbies were the rudest and ego filled. The older more established players would look at the young players and shake their heads, and say they will never learn to enjoy the camaraderie. Players, trainers, broadcasters and even some referees and linesman put aside egos and differences after games and found common grounds. The great ones had egos, but most never lost the ability to relate to the fans.

Mr. Avery's story isn't a new one, nor is it the best or the worst I have ever read. I imagine his ego proceeded him wherever he went, the way it did a lot of players. He fills his story with a lot of information on the life of a player and the work they have to do to succeed. I think my major problem with the book was that no matter where he went or what he did he seemed to believe that he knew better and more than anyone else. He constantly tells you what a wonderful fashionista he was, which made me laugh. He would have been the butt of a lot jokes with his short pantsuit back in the 60's & 70's.

While his story was interesting, his I'm great attitude overpowered a story, that could have been a positive effect on young players, but instead became a primer on what not to do. The one thing that I wish he would of elaborated on was the struggle and death of a young teammate. That section was heartfelt and sincere and is something that young players should have drilled into their heads, not the cavalier attitude of drinking and drugs that is prevalent in this sport and many others.

I'm a huge fan of the Red Wings and I loved Sean Avery when he played for the Red Wings. He was one of the most effective agitators in the game. He went on to have a controversial career even having a rule named after him. He held nothing back in this book. He took the necessary blame for some of the things that he did in the past and he talked a lot about how it really is in the hockey world. He could have included a little more about his life after hockey but other than that, it was really good.

Sean Avery has been described as polarizing throughout his career. You either loved him or hated him. This review is not about my opinion of him as a player. I do remember him well and the chaos that caused headline sports news. Yes, he was frequently out of line and in some trouble, one way or another. That's why I was interested in reading Ice Capades. I wanted to know his version.

I really enjoyed the book. I was pleasantly surprised by his honesty and his assessment of the teams he played for, the strike, the coaches, his teammates and his overall perspective during his time in the NHL. He does name drop throughout the book. He also is very complimentary to his very talented, legendary teammates and coaches. Then again he takes swipes at other legends and coaches. His brutal honesty doesn't go unnoticed. He does talk about himself.....but it's his memoir, so that's absolutely acceptable.

If you've ever wondered what goes on from a player's point of view (what we don't get to see in the news) this book is worth the read. You don't have to like the guy to enjoy the book. He takes the time to explain his strategy to survive the NHL and his post career. He explains the ridiculous salaries, the strike issues, and personality flaws, both his and others . In the end, I've learned something, and that's what I was hoping for.

If you are a hockey fan, you will like this book. It definitely gives you an insider look at the sport and some of the players. The things that they were able to do on and off the ice. I feel like I have had my eyes open to some things.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

Ice Capades is so much more than expected. Not the usual retired athlete’s chest pounding and self congratulatory retelling of a career. This book truly shows what Sean Avery is made of and what was thinking at various points of his hockey life, even when it wasn’t all that pretty. It also reminds us that what you see on the ice isn’t what the real person is like. I for one spent plenty of time cursing Sean Avery and hating his guts. I now see all in a different light (although I would still yell and curse each time he took a run at any of my favorites).
Albeit the view of a single player, it is refreshing to hear to honesty of unvarnished opinion about certain aspects of the NHL and to get a peek behind the curtain.
I highly recommend this book to all. And for all the hockey players and fans—it is mandatory reading.

Review is linked below.

Sean Avery was a very polarizing figure when he was playing in the NHL. Fans would love him (especially if he was playing for their favorite team) or hate him. He had a few controversial moments. He loved living the high life, whether it was parties, women or fashion. He covers his hockey career both on and off the ice in this memoir written with Michael McKinley.

This memoir is different than the typical sports memoir for several reasons. The biggest difference is that nearly the entire book is dedicated to his professional hockey career. There is very little space devoted to his childhood or teenage years and aside from his wedding to supermodel Hilary Rhoda, there is very little post-hockey life covered as well. So, if it is hockey the reader wants, the reader will get it as Avery writes about his ups and downs with the Detroit Red Wings, his experiences on and off the ice in Los Angeles playing for the Kings, his absolutely miserable brief stint with the Dallas Stars and finally his favorite part of his career – the time he played for the New York Rangers.

Avery was known for a few controversial incidents and he talks about them with candor. He does defend himself for not only the well-publicized ones, such as the vulgar remark made in Dallas when trying to trash talk to another player, but for others not as well known, such as selling his complementary tickets to a ticket broker who in turn put them out on the market. He also talks about the “Avery Rule”, laughing about the fact how a non-superstar player like him can rattle a legendary goalie (Martin Brodeur) so much that a rule was made with his name prohibiting facing the goalie in order to screen him.

If reading about the party life that Avery had that the reader wants, he or she will be in for a treat, as there is plenty of material on that as well. He especially writes about that during his stint in Los Angeles, where he describes many of his experiences with clarity. It was there where he first mingled with the famous and even his first serious relationship was with a celebrity – actress Rachel Hunter, who was married to Rod Stewart before dating Avery. Through the book, especially in Los Angeles and New York, he does some serious name dropping of celebrities he has encountered.
Reading about a lot of these parties started to get boring, but once he got to New York, the book is a much better reading experience. While I have never been a fan of Avery or the Rangers, it is clear how much Rangers fans love Avery and in turn he loves them and the city back. He got serious about wanting to put roots down in New York and made serious plans for running a business and getting into the fashion industry once he was through with hockey. This is something many professional athletes neglect and wind up struggling with finances. Avery instead made sure this would not happen and at the same time, he settled down with a woman who he truly loved and loved him. It isn’t right to say that he matured as the book progressed, but by the end it was clear Avery was a different man than the hard playing, hard partying person he was in Detroit and Los Angeles.

The aforementioned fans who love Avery will want to pick this book up as will Rangers fans. For those like me who are not big fans of him, the book is still one that is worth the time as it is entertaining, gives an inside look at life both on and off the ice.

I wish to thank Blue Rider Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Shh Moms Love…. watching your husband fall in love with a great book!

Denise here... it was so much fun over the past few days witnessing Mr. Sprung fall in love with a great book! It started with him telling us some of the stories Sean Avery shared in his autobiography and continued as he asked me to show him how to read the book on his iPhone Kindle app when he had a spare moment at the rink. Yes, this time he was the one reading at the rink!

It brought a smile to face to experience my husband truly enjoying a book! I love the example it sets for our boys as I often said Shh Dads Reading!

It should be noted that the photos below were not staged. Larry is a huge NY Rangers fan—his love of the game, the team, and Sean Avery when he played—drew him to accept this early read copy.

And now… Mr Sprung review… Ice Capades: A Memoir of Fast Living and Tough Hockey by Sean Avery

When Sean Avery was a NY Ranger he was a favorite of mine and reading about how he was treated with the team and the league is very disheartening. This book had great personal stories that included some of the NHL greats and future Hall of Famers.

As a hockey player and a big fan of the New York Rangers, I found Ice Capades a fascinating inside look at the NHL. In addition, as the owner of a wealth management firm, I found Sean's ability to always plan for his future after hockey remarkable. Professional athletes have a tendency to live in the moment and not plan for when their career will end. It seems that from the moment he entered professional hockey, he was always aware of what he was spending and working towards a new career. I would imagine based upon his telling in this book that he had prepared himself well financially for retirement. Hopefully he was mentally prepared too.

This is a must read for anyone that plays, watches or is simply a fan of ice hockey and the NHL.

I really enjoyed this book despite me being an Islanders fan. I will recommend it to all the ranger fans I know. Interesting behind the scene view from a much hated villain of hockey