Thin Ice: Money, Politics, and the Demise of an NHL Franchise

Halifax: Fernwood, 1996. Paper bound, Pp192. Includes bibliography. Tight and unmarked - a very good or better copy. Multiple copies available. 265 grams. From the rear cover: Jim Silver gives us a richly-detailed expose of power, politics and greed; a hopeful account of a community fightback; and a cautionary tale about the vulnerability of our sympathies and our communities. Incidentally, this Ice is also about hockey...and we're into double overtime folks. ~Heather-Jane Robertson, co-author of Class Warfare: The Assault on Canada's Schools. ""Jim Silver's book brings into clear focus the powerful relationship between right-wing media personalities, conservative city councillors and the city's business elite. Furthermore, it exposes the back room decision-making process of city government that continues to this day to undermine the authority of the city's elected council."" ~Glen Murray, Winnipeg City Councillor. ""Jim Silver has done us all who love the game of hockey an enormous favour. For too many years, Canadians have let the myth of the game shroud the reality of the business. While we think of frozen ponds, what really counts is revenue streams. And his examination of the southward course that stream is taking is a cautionary tale for us all."" ~Roy MacGregor, Sportswriter, Ottawa Citizen and author of Road Games: A Year in the Life of the NHL. ""The flight of the Winnipeg Jets to sunbelt Phoenix, after one of the most generous outpourings of fan support in the history of Canadian sports, is a bitter reminder that hockey traditions count for naught in the harsh economics of continentalist corporate sport. It's also a shocking tale of political manipulation, the greed and betrayal of the business elite, and the self-censorship of the mainstream media. Silver's well researched account is a timely antidote to the self-serving boosterism which conceals professional sport's reckless addiction to public subsidy, and is essential reading for any student of sport and politics."" ~Bruce Kidd, Professor of Physical and Health Education, University of Toronto, and a former Olympic athlete.