TBC: The Riverton Rifle

We joked about what people can do with all their free time on this past week's episode of The Hockey Show, but these suggestions weren't just random, fanciful wishes thrown out carelessly to the world for things people can do. With professional sports at a complete standstill, I am practicing what I preached because I truly do have a stack of books whose spines need a little exercise. Today, Teebz's Book Club jumps back into the fray as I am proud to review The Riverton Rifle, written by Reggie Leach and published by Greystone Books. I wasn't around when Reggie Leach was lighting the lamp in the NHL, but I heard a great deal of stories of how he was a lethal sniper. Having met the man now, I also know he's genuinely one of the nicest men on the planet while being fiercely proud of his Indigenous heritage. In reading The Riverton Rifle, I have a better understanding of the man, a great sense of why he's a living legend, and an entirely new respect for one of Manitoba's all-time greatest players!

You likely already know Reggie Leach from his incredible scoring abilities at the NHL level where he was a star with the Philadelphia Flyers during the Broad Street Bullies days, but his biography from the back cover of his book reads, "Born in Riverton, Manitoba, Reggie Leach is an NHL legend, an inspirational speakers, and a supporter of youth initiatives. As a member of the famous Broad Street Bullies-era Philadelphia Flyers, he set goal-scoring records that still stand today. Leach is a proud member of the Berens River First Nation and resides on Manitoulin Island, Ontario."

The Riverton Rifle is a look back on Reggie Leach's life, from his humble start in Riverton to his current life where he's involved in motivational speaking and charitable work. Knowing a little more about how Reggie Leach grew up under the watch of his paternal grandparents after his biological mother opted to give him up in order for him to live a better life makes his hockey career even more extraordinary considering how he legitimately beat the odds with some of the challenges he faced. Like most kids in small towns, Leach lost himself in sports as he grew up with hockey being one of his favorite things to do!

We learn in The Riverton Rifle that Leach was cut from the Weyburn team which he viewed as a setback until two people he holds in high regard - Siggi Johnson and Paddy Ginnell - put him on a path that led him to the Flin Flon Bombers where Leach's hockey career really took off. It was there where he met Bobby Clarke among a handful of other talented players who would onto NHL careers, and it was in Flin Flon where Leach's hockey skills would light lamps across western Canada as the Bombers were one of this nation's best teams while Leach was on the roster.

Leach would be drafted by the Boston Bruins after his amazing junior career, spending some time in Oklahoma City with the Blazers, before the Bruins kept him in Boston. The only problem was that he was a young kid on a roster full of superstars, so playing time wasn't exactly given to the kid from Manitoba. After sitting and watching from the bench for most of a season, the Bruins traded Leach to the California Golden Seals in a deal for Carol Vadnais, and Leach got the full Charlie Finley experience for the next couple of years - jersey changes, white skates, kelly-green-and-gold-trimmed everything - as the Seals wrote their way into history. Despite their woeful records, Leach does recall a group of dedicated fans with one group, in particular, being present.

Despite our record, the Seals had some dedicated fans. About six thousand of them showed up to most of our home games. The Hells Angels took a shine to us and, on a game day, you would often see dozens of their choppers parked outside the Oakland Coliseum Arena. We often ran into them at a local watering hole and shot the breeze. They said we could count on them if we ever had problems off the ice. It was never necessary, thankfully.

After the Seals dealt Leach to the Flyers in 1974, it was back to old times for Clarke and Leach as they, along with Bill Barber, formed the LCB line that terrorized the NHL for years as part of the Broad Street Bullies through both scoring and physical play. Leach set all sorts of team and NHL records while with the Flyers, and his efforts on the ice with the Flyers allowed him to win a Stanley Cup, become the only skater from a losing team to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, play in and win a Canada Cup, beat the Soviet Red Army team, and provide him with life-long friendships that he values more than anything else today. There are a ton of great stories about the Flyers in The Riverton Rifle that are not to be missed!

We also learn of the struggles that Leach faced once his career wound down in The Riverton Rifle as he fell into alcoholism while his first marriage fell apart. From his writing, you can tell that Reggie Leach has worked had to repair the various relationships and friendships he strained while struggling with alcoholism and it's a relief to know that not only did he get the help he needed in rehab, but he's stuck with it since being discharged while asking for forgiveness from those he may have hurt or estranged. While the hockey portions of The Riverton Rifle are undoubtedly what Reggie Leach is known for, the amount of time he spends talking about his family and siblings as a youngster and his marriages and kids as an adult in the book make it clear that he understands and values how important family is, and you can tell he has an immense amount of pride in his family based on his writing.

Overall, I have to say that I really enjoyed The Riverton Rifle. Reggie Leach's autobiography talks about all the high points in his life, but doesn't gloss over the low points either. From being on top of the world as a Stanley Cup champion to hitting rock-bottom in fighting alcoholism and losing his wife through that battle with alcoholism, Leach has shown that he's just like anyone else with amazing abilities and tragic flaws. Having had the privilege of meeting Reggie Leach, I can tell you that his adventure in this thing called life has made him into an amazingly generous, wise, and loving soul. And it's through his writing in The Riverton Rifle that you truly get a sense of those qualities. Because of this and the great stories he told within the book, The Riverton Rifle absolutely deserves the Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval!

The Riverton Rifle can be found at most bookstores and libraries, and it's well-worth a read in these uncertain times of self-isolation. Even if you're not a Philadelphia Flyers fan, there's enough in the book to keep you glued to the 194-page tome. I would recommend this book for readers of all ages as there are zero instances of any adult material or language in the book.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!