A FLY ON THE WALL IN THE NHL Book

This is the only hockey book ever written from the perspective of a professional ice skate salesman. Dan Bryndle traveled and worked in the professional hockey dressing rooms fitting pro players in the NHL. The time period this book refers to is from 1972 through 1983 and covers some of the NHLâ??s biggest names and greatest coaches of the time.

The title of the book was formed from a conversation with a coach in the American Hockey League. The team was Adirondack Red Wings in Saratoga, New York, the farm club of the Detroit Red Wings at the time. A player on the NHL Buffalo Sabres that was known for his physical style, and enforcer role as a defense man, announced he would play the game in a mild manner. He no longer wanted to be fighting or known for his physical play. The source of this change in attitude was his new religious view on life. The Adirondack coach said to me upon news of the announcement, â??Iâ??d like to be a Fly on the Wall in that dressing room. Scottie Bowman will never put up with that he continued.â? With that said I realized I was a fly on the wall in his dressing room, thus the title of this book.

This book tells the personal story of a hockey life of skate sales and traveling to teams to fit the skates. It shows and talks about moments in time that changed teams fortunes, like the very first time Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders came to practice as a rookie. Or the insight of Mike Keenan as a young coach and how he motivated one of the games greats to help his team win.

Written in 1994â?? the book is also a tribute as well, to a family and their personal struggle with a tragedy. At itâ??s best this is a community book, about ice hockey, and how it affects lives, and championships.