I've previously read two of Falla's books... his fictional hockey story "Saved" (which I reviewed here) and "Open Ice" (which I reviewed here).
I enjoyed this book just completed, but probably liked "Open Ice" more as it featured a wider range of hockey writing by Falla (in addition to the really interesting material from "Home Ice" around his backyard hockey rink). To the point of his rink, I believe this story on how to build one is how I first came across the author.
Falla was definitely a hockey guy, but just as much so a writing guy... who wrote for Sports Illustrated. One of the chapters in "Home Ice" is titled "On Rinks and Writing" and contains the below verbiage:
"I think it was now-retired Boston Globe columnist Tim Horgan who said "to be a sportswriter, it is necessary to love the writing as much as the sport." Like most writers I love the 'having written' a lot more than I love the writing. But I've already regarded sportswriting as worth and fulfilling in itself and not a synthetic substitute for playing. When I feel like playing I go out on my rink and play."
Just seemed like a really good guy (as this Facebook memorial page seems to indicate) and such a shame for him to have passed away last year at the young age of 62.
For anyone who loves hockey and good writing about it... I highly recommend "Open Ice" and then perhaps the other Falla books.
