For the Defence

Now for something a little lighter. Bringing out the local flavour is star Montreal Canadiens Defenceman Larry ‘Big Bird’ Robinson’s autobiography. Written at the ripe old age of 37, it was an amusing read for this forlorn Habs fan who remains slightly bitter at having been born too late to have enjoyed the tales of glory he tells.

Throughout the nearly 400 pages, Robinson offers a mainly factual, dry account of his career, the teams he played for and his thoughts on other players – both teammates and opponents. The chapter where he pays his respects to the rival Boston Bruins was a breath of friendly fresh air and his insider descriptions of legendary goalie Ken Dryden and scoring machine Steve Shutt among others were fun to read and show the human side of something inaccessible to most fans.

A few more anecdotes would have been nice as it was hard at times to get a feel for Larry’s true personality, though you do get the impression of a typically reserved Canadian farm boy. A blow by blow account of an important goal or bone crushing hit would have given this book some of the spice it’s missing.