Hockeytown Doc

Overview

Fifty years of blood, bones, blades, and ice

Reflecting on nearly five decades with the Detroit Red Wings, Dr. John Finley takes sports fans far beyond closed doors and into the trainer’s room where cuts were bandaged, broken noses were reset, sore muscles were rubbed out, and casts made for broken bones. In this stellar memoir, Dr. Finley recounts his experiences with the stars on the revitalized Red Wings franchise in recent years, including Steve Yzerman and Nicklas Lidstrom, as well as heroes of previous generations, including 1972 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Gordie Howe. Along the way, Dr. Finley shares some of the most vivid accounts ever written on the subject of sports injuries, including the hundreds of stitches he applied to Borje Salming’s face after it was cut by Gerard Gallant’s errant skate blade, as well as his recommendation on the knee injury sustained by a young Steve Yzerman that ultimately helped maintain his Hall of Fame career.

Reviews

“Hockeytown Doc is various parts Dr. Finley's life story, Red Wings history, entertaining lore, medical memoir, coverage of the game's evolution, and essay on the current state of the game … To a Red Wings fan, this book is a great addition to a literary collection.” — "Winging It In Motown," a Red Wings blog affiliated with SB Nation

“You don’t need to be a Red Wings fan to enjoy Hockeytown Doc … [it is] richly illustrated with dozens of photos spanning the decades … entertaining and recommended.” —TheHockeyWriters.com