The Boys of Winter by Wayne Coffey

Wayne Coffey’s book, The Boys of Winter, is a non-fiction book. There is also a movie based on the same story called Miracle which came out around 2005. If you liked that movie, you will also like this book. 

The Boys of Winter is about the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team overcoming great odds to go on to win the gold that year. It starts off  with a coach, Herb Brooks, who has a lot of hockey knowledge but has never been able to play for a gold medal. He decides he wants to coach a team on to victory and when he chooses his select group of players, he is criticized. Everyone involved with hockey believes Herb Brooks’ team will be overpowered by a lot of other countries. 

They go into the Olympics as underdogs and end up making it to the elimination rounds. In the game before the championship, they get paired up against the hated Soviets. Nobody in the world thought the U.S. should even be on the same ice as the Soviets, let alone play with them. The book tells the story of Herb Brooks’ dream and how the boys on the team came together as one to beat more superior teams. It shows the long, grueling road to win the gold medal in 1980. 

If you have seen the movie Miracle or even have a little bit of passion for hockey, you should read this book . Also, if you would like to see how a team comes together for a main purpose, The Boys of Winter is a must read.

Kyle N.