The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team
by Wayne Coffey
New York: Crown Publishers, 2005, 263 pp., hardcover.

The 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team stunned the sporting world with their upset of the much older and experienced Russian squad, and then followed that by winning the gold medal against Finland. Coach Herb Brooks molded a team of college players into a group that accomplished the seemingly impossible against what amounted to professional opponents.

The Boys of Winter is a wonderful read, beginning with the funeral of Coach Brooks in 2003 and then taking a creative approach to the back story of the 1980 team. Author Wayne Coffey recounts the game from start to finish, breaking away from the action every few moments to give the detailed background story for a player involved in the current play just described. Naturally Brooks is ever-present in the account, the powerful force of his presence overshadowing every moment.

I enjoyed the book from start to finish, and I don't think you have to be a die-hard hockey fan or player to enjoy The Boys of Winter. If you've seen The Miracle movie starring Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks, this book fleshes out the story, and if not, you'll want to rent the movie afterwards to see how Hollywood depicted the greatest Olympic team story of all time.

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