Last-minute gift ideas for people you forgot about until just now

How's your Christmas shopping going? Oh, you say you're all done? Get out of here, you weirdo. Go be thoughtful and organized with your own kind. Freak.

For the rest of us, this about the time of year when you're thinking about getting started, even though it's already too late. If that's you, I'm here to help, with a pair of last-minute gift ideas.

The Down Goes Brown History of the NHL

The book is now available in paperback, and if you order it from Amazon or somewhere with fast shipping, you can still get it in time for Christmas. You could also probably go outside and find a store if that's a thing that people still do. Either way, it's a great gift for any hockey and/or history fans on your list. And it's also available in e-book format, or even as an audiobook. Give the gift of me talking for eight hours in a voice that's been described as somehow both more and less Canadian than you thought it would be.

Here are the links:

• Amazon Canada
  
• Amazon USA
  

(The old Best of DGB book is still available, and in Canada at least it will arrive before Christmas too.)

A gift subscription to The Athletic

If you know somebody who'd like to read my stuff on The Athletic, or the stuff of one of the dozens of other excellent hockey writers on the site, or really the stuff of pretty much any sportswriter these days, consider a gift subscription. You can do as little as three months for $20, or a full year $40, which works out to a 33% discount. You can print off a gift notice, or have one delivered by email on a date of your choosing, so it won't ruin the surprise. Here's the link.

Or you can get everyone socks. I'm not here to tell you how to live your life.

Either way, thanks again for your continued support in 2019, and here's looking forward to 2020.

Book excerpt: How the Broadway Bullies kept Gordie Howe from becoming a Ranger

Gordie Howe played an astounding 25 years for the Detroit Red Wings, easily the longest tenure by any player with a single team. He retired in 1971, having just turned forty-three, and then made a comeback two years later with the Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association. That match made sense — it gave the fledgling WHA a big name to sell while also giving Howe a chance to play with his sons Marty and Mark — but it was jarring for hockey fans. Gordie Howe in anything other than a Red Wings jersey? It seemed plain wrong.

Well, if you think the sight of a silver-haired Howe in Aeros blue (or, later, Whalers green) must’ve been odd, try to imagine him in his prime, wearing the red, white and blue of the New York Rangers. It nearly happened.

The Rangers were the first NHL team to see something in Howe. Specifically, it was scout Fred McCorry who spotted a fifteen-year-old Howe in Saskatoon back in 1943 and convinced him to come to the Rangers’ training camp. In those days, it wasn’t unheard of for teams to sign players that young, locking in their rights well before they would ever skate in the NHL. The invitation represented a fantastic opportunity for Howe, but it made for a different experience. While we remember Howe as one of the most fearsome players ever to take the ice, he was shy and introverted as a teenager, and he struggled with being away from home. To make matters worse, the Rangers’ veterans decided to give the new kid a hard time. They made fun of him for not knowing how to put his equipment on properly (he’d never owned a full set) and stole his food when it was mealtime. Howe was miserable, and eventually he decided he’d had enough. The future Mr. Hockey walked away from camp and headed back home to Saskatoon.

Later that winter, Red Wings scout Fred Pinckney got a look at Howe and invited him to Detroit’s off-season camp in Windsor, Ontario. This time, the veterans left the kid well enough alone, and Detroit coach Jack Adams liked what he saw. The Red Wings offered Howe a contract and he agreed.

How does hockey history change if those 1943 Rangers ease up on a nervous teenager? It makes for another one of those great “what if?” arguments — although in this case, it’s probably one that Red Wings fans would rather not think about.

Ironically, Howe’s younger brother Vic had a brief NHL career of his own in the 1950s, scoring three goals in thirty-three games spread across three seasons … all of them with the New York Rangers.

Excerpted from “The Down Goes Brown History of the NHL”; by Sean McIndoe. Copyright © 2018 Sean McIndoe. Published by Random House Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

>> This excerpt originally appeared at The Athletic

Book update: Shipping any day now, some e-books available right now

It's been a few weeks since I shared the exciting news about The Best Of Down Goes Brown. In that time I've had several people send me questions, and had a few more updates from the people in charge. So with just a few days left before the book becomes officially available, this seems like a good time for an update.

Wait, what? You have a book?
Yes. You can find out all about it here, or just keep reading since I'm going into third-person spam mode starting... now.

Wow, that sounds awesome! Where can I buy it?
Thank you, fictional question-asker who sounds sincere and not like shameless marketing at all! You can pre-order the paperback version today from sites like Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Barnes & Noble, Chapters/Indigo, or directly from Wiley.

It should also be available in bookstores throughout North America, although it will probably be easier to find in hockey markets. If you're outside North America, check your local online store – many of them seem to be stocking it.

I haven't bought an actual book since the 1990s. What about an ebook version?
This was the question I heard most often over the last month, so I'm happy to confirm that there will be various ebook options. I'm told that there will be versions available for the Kindle (Amazon) and the Kobo (Indigo), as well as an ePDF available directly from the publisher. These versions should be appearing on the sites shortly, perhaps before the print version ships.

In fact, Amazon.com appears to have their Kindle version available already and the Apple iBook version is available too. My guess is the other ebooks will start coming online fairly soon. And I'm told the book is also listed as coming to Google Play in September.

I pre-ordered the book from an online store. When will it ship?
The book is being printed pretty much any day now, and will be sent to the resellers shortly. It should start shipping from online stores shortly after, as well as appearing in local bookstores once they have time to shelve their new titles.

I keep getting emails from (insert online bookstore here) that say the release date has changed.
Ignore those. One of the things I'm learning through all of this is that pre-order ship dates are often basically guesses, and as time goes on they get updated often with newer, less accurate guesses. The book should ship early September-ish or maybe sooner, and that's pretty much as specific as anyone seems to be able to get.

Do you make more money based on what version or where people buy it from?
Not really. It varies slightly but not enough to make a difference, so please buy whatever you want from whoever you want.

Can I get an autographed copy?
I will totally sign your book if you run into me in a bar and/or mail your copy to me. However, be warned that I haven't hand-written anything legibly since I first got the internet in 1995, so you could achieve the same effect yourself by just taking a sharpie and scribbling all over the front page.

Hey wait, are you going to turn into one of those people who clogs my Twitter feed with annoying retweets of positive reviews from random people all day?
Probably. Sorry about that in advance.

Which posts are included? What's the new stuff?
Here's a full list of chapters. The new stuff is bolded.

Foreword by Bob McKenzie
Foreword by James Duthie
1. A Complete Transcript of Every NHL Game Ever Broadcast
2. The Ten Greatest Coaches in NHL History
3. The Other Former NHL Stars Who Interviewed for Colin Campbell's Job
4. Know Your Sports: The NHL vs. the NFL
5. A Look Back at Game Seven of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final (which, due to a scheduling error, had to be published twelve hours early)
6. Take the Quiz: Do You Have a Concussion?
7. The Code: Hockey's Unwritten Rules Revealed
8. A Moment with the Guy Who Has to Go Out and Fix the Glass When It Breaks
9. What an Official NHL Trade Call Really Sounds Like
10. The Signs of the Hockey Zodiac
11. The Not-So-Original Six: A Look Back at the NHL's First Expansion Teams
12. The NHL's Top-Secret Flow Chart for Handing Out Suspensions
13. A Brief History of Mats Sundin
14. Signs Your City May Not Be a Viable Hockey Market
15. Behind the Scenes at the Rehearsal for the Presentation of the Stanley Cup
16. You Wanna Go? A History of Hockey Brawls
17. From the Archives: The 1993 Leafs/Kings Game Six Live Blog
18. An In-depth Comparison: Mario Lemieux vs. Patrick Roy
19. The NHL's Plan for Appealing to Video Game Fans
20. A Period-by-Period Recap of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final
21. Know Your Sports: The NHL vs. Soccer
22. Behind the Scenes at an NHL/NHLPA Collective Bargaining Session
23. Other Complaints about Brendan Shanahan
24. Leafs vs. Habs: Hockey's Greatest Rivalry
25. The Details of Don Cherry's Contract
26. An In-depth Comparison: Daniel Alfredsson vs. Zdeno Chara
27. Take the Quiz: How Will Your Team Do this Year?
28. Behind the Scenes at NHL Referee Tryouts
29. Come On Down: A History of NHL Game Show Appearances
30. The Official Map of an NHL Rink
31. A Brief History of Wayne Gretzky
32. How to Spend Your Day with the Stanley Cup
33. Determining Whether a Goal Should Count: The NHL War Room's Top-Secret Flow Chart
34. Know Your Sports: The NHL vs. MLB
35. The Pros and Cons of Fighting In the NHL
36. An NHLer's Guide to Never Saying Anything Interesting
37. Democracy Doesn't Work: A History of All-Star Voting
38. Take the Quiz: Should You Rebuild?
39. A Tale of Two Homecomings
40. The NHL's Hall of Fame Application Form
41. Rating the NHL's Relocation Candidates
42. What an Offi cial NHL Suspension Call Really Sounds Like
43. Other Mario Lemieux Grievances
44. Understanding the New Wave of Advanced Statistics
45. A Brief History of Teemu Selanne
46. Other Ways NHL Teams Use Home Ice Advantage for an Unfair Edge
47. Seventh Heaven: When One Game Decides the Stanley Cup
48. How to Dominate Your Fantasy Hockey League
49. A Period-by-Period Recap of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final
50. NHL Hockey, Then vs. Now
51. An In-depth Comparison: Eric Lindros vs. Peter Forsberg
52. Take the Quiz: Was that a Dive?
53. No Ties Allowed: A History of the Shoot-out
54. So You Want to Be the Commissioner: The NHL's 1993 Job Application Form
55. The NHL's Top-secret Flow Chart for Dealing with Scandals
56. Nobody Remembers Number Two: A History of First Overall Draft Picks
57. How to Become an Ironman
58. Behind the Scenes at NHL Fan Training Camp
59. Signs You May Be Injury Prone
60. Inside the NHL's Legal Brief on the 2011 NFL Work Stoppage
61. An In-depth Comparison: Sidney Crosby vs. Alexander Ovechkin
62. Make His Head Bleed: A History of the NHL in Pop Culture
63. When a Day with the Stanley Cup Goes Wrong
64. Breaking Down the Battles: Inside Canada's Provincial Rivalries
65. Welcome to the Doghouse: A History of Coach vs. Player Feuds
66. Know Your Sports: The NHL vs. UFC
67. A Hockey Fan's Guide to Modern TV Technology
68. Behind the Scenes at the Matt Cooke Suspension Hearing
69. A Complete Transcript of Every Post-game Call-in Show Ever Broadcast
70. Dear Son, Welcome to Life as a Toronto Maple Leafs Fan

I have a short attention span. Remind me again where I can buy this?
Thanks again, ficitonal question-asker who's actually starting to get kind of pushy. Order today from sites like Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Barnes & Noble, Chapters/Indigo, or directly from Wiley.

OK, I read the book. Now what?
If you've read the book and enjoyed it, probably the single biggest way you could help spread the word is by writing a review on one of the major sites. For a relatively unknown author without much marketing budget, a positive review on a major site is priceless. So if you'd like to help spread the word about this book, please take a few minutes to add a review to your favourite book site.

(If you read the book and didn't like it, you can send me a nasty email instead. I promise that it will ruin my day and make me drink too much.)

Announcing "The Best of Down Goes Brown" - In bookstores this fall, available for pre-order now

This is an actual real thing that now exists.

Hi everyone. Today I can finally share some news that's been filed away in the top secret category for the better part of the last year: I wrote a book, and it's coming out soon.

The book, creatively titled The Best of Down Goes Brown, will be released in September by Wiley Publishing. It's a paperback, and will list for about $20.

The book will feature 250+ pages of material, such as:

• 46 old favorites
  (many of which have been revised and updated), including:
  - The suspension flowchart
  - The official map of an NHL rink
  - A detailed look back at game seven of the 2011 Stanley Cup finals, which due to a scheduling error had to be published twelve hours early
  - The Code: Hockey's unwritten rules revealed
  - The other former NHL stars who interviewed for Colin Campbell’s job
  - How the NHL stacks up against the NFL, MLB, UFC and others
  - The 1993 Leafs/Kings liveblog
  - A hockey fan’s guide to modern TV technology
  ... and more.
  
  
• 24 chapters of exclusive brand new material, including:
  - The NHL War Room's top secret flowchart for deciding whether a goal counts
  - What an official suspension call really sounds like
  - A beginner's guide to advanced statistics
  - A history of the NHL in pop culture
  - In-depth comparisons: Eric Lindros vs. Peter Forsberg, and Mario Lemieux vs. Patrick Roy
  - A brief history of Wayne Gretzky
  - A period-by-period look back at the 2012 Stanley Cup final
  - A history of the NHL's greatest rivalry: Canadiens vs. Maple Leafs
  - The ten greatest coaches in NHL history
  - A complete transcript of every postgame call-in show ever broadcast
  ... and more.
  
  
• Forewords by TSN's Bob McKenzie
  and James Duthie.
  
  
• Update: You can now find a sample chapter and full table of contents here.
  

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Here's some additional information about the book in a handy FAQ format, since long-time readers know that I'm incapable of just writing in paragraphs like a normal person:

When will this be in stores?
The date will vary depending on when it ships from publisher's warehouse, but right now it looks like mid-September. Just in time for the lockout that will make everyone not want to read about hockey!

Can I pre-order?
Yes. You can pre-order today from sites like Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Barnes & Noble, Chapters/Indigo, or directly from Wiley.

I'm from the Internet. What is this "paying for things" concept that you speak of?
I was a little hazy on that one too, but I'm told that apparently you can exchange money for things that you feel have value. It's all very confusing, but the accountants at the publishing house seemed to think this part was important.

Will there be an ebook version?
I'm told that there will be. Details to come.

What does "exclusive" new content mean?
It means that the new stuff will only be available in the book. It won't appear on this site or in the National Post, or (except for any excerpts they do for promotional purposes) anywhere else. If you want to read the new stuff, you have to buy the book and/or awkwardly read it in the store aisle while everyone stares at you.

Wait, Bob McKenzie and James Duthie wrote forewords? Do they even know who you are?
Well... not necessarily. Let's just say McKenzie covers this topic in his foreword.

Will there still be typos that I can race to be the first to point out?
Probably. Feel free to write pithy comments about them in the margins.

There will be more detail coming as the release date gets closer. I hope you all get a chance to check out the book and enjoy it. And once again, sincere thanks to everyone who has been reading, forwarding posts, sharing links and just generally helping the site grow over the years. You're the reason this sort of project was possible.

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