The "Down Goes Brown" History of the NHL

The World's Most Beautiful Sport, the World's Most Ridiculous League

By: Sean McIndoe

Narrated by: Sean McIndoe

Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Sean McIndoe of Down Goes Brown, one of hockey's favorite and funniest writers, takes aim at the game's most memorable moments - especially if they're memorable for the wrong reasons - in this warts-and-all history of the NHL.

The NHL is, indisputably, weird. One moment, you're in awe of the speed, skill, and intensity that define the sport, shaking your head as a player makes an impossible play, or shatters a longstanding record, or sobs into his first Stanley Cup. The next, everyone's wearing earmuffs, Mr. Rogers has shown up, and guys in yellow raincoats are officiating playoff games while everyone tries to figure out where the league president went. That's just life in the NHL, a league that often can't seem to get out of its own way. No matter how long you've been a hockey fan, you know that sinking feeling that maybe, just maybe, some of the people in charge here don't actually know what they're doing. And at some point, you've probably wondered: Has it always been this way?

The short answer is yes. As for the longer answer, well, that's this audiobook.

In this fun, irreverent, and fact-filled history, Sean McIndoe relates the flip side to the National Hockey League's storied past. His obsessively detailed memory combines with his keen sense for the absurdities that make you shake your head at the league and yet fanatically love the game, allowing you to laugh even when your team is the butt of the joke (and as a life-long Leafs fan, McIndoe takes the brunt of some of his own best zingers). The "Down Goes Brown" History of the NHL is the weird and wonderful league's story told as only Sean McIndoe can.

©2018 Sean McIndoe (P)2018 Penguin Random House Canada

Critic reviews

“In this fun, irreverent, and fact-filled history, McIndoe writes his obsessively detailed memories, combined with his keen sense for the head-shaking absurdities of the league. All this, while acknowledging the love for the game.” (The New Classical FM)

“McIndoe is definitely in his element writing The Down Goes Brown History of the NHL.... McIndoe’s well-researched look into hockey history covers lots of topics with his humorous, and sometimes sarcastic, view providing an entertaining look at the NHL and how it came to be..... And as interesting as the history chapters are, these sections are fun and funny.... If you are looking for an entertaining hockey book you will want to consider The Down Goes Brown History of the NHL!” (NorthBayNipissing.com)

“Sean McIndoe combines deep knowledge of hockey with the perfect amount of irreverent zaniness. The Down Goes Brown History of the NHL is smart, fun, funny, and incredibly informative. I laughed, I cried, I learned everything a human being could ever hope to know about guys named Newsy.” (Jonah Keri, author of Up, Up, and Away and The Extra 2%)

If you love hockey, you’ll love this.

Great book. Just listening to a few memories that it reminded me of made me smile while I was listening. Love it.

Learning about hockey and lesser known stories...

Very interesting book but the narrator was almost deadpan throughout the reading. That could have added to my enjoyment as I am trying to learn as much as possible and hockey is a fascinating sport. I was able to interpret the stories on my own and feel my own emotions about the book instead of having them given to me in a home-team type broadcast. Very enjoyable and informative!

Such an awesome book! READ THIS, HOCKEY FANS!

I absolutely loved this book! Sean McIndoe's passionate and often whimsical approach to describing the greatest sport in the world really speaks of the deep-rooted love that came upon him, even at a later age than many of the fans around him.

Hearing all the stories of triumph, defeat, and the bizarre made me want to step back in time to "Old Time Hockey" (coming from a Hoosier born in 1991).

Do yourself a favor, hockey fans! Listen to/read this book. McIndoe is so amazing at pulling into a world so vivid and amazing, that you will feel as if you had been there before.

Entertaining Listen

Any casual fan will find this book entertaining. Even with zero knowledge of the NHL.

All the weird, wonderful and what!?

McIndoe has a dry wit that fits the history of the often inexplicable NHL perfectly. “Really? Yes, really, they did that” a couple dozen times.

Couldn't stop listening

I laughed, I cried, I learned a lot. Very entertaining. it was definitely worth listening to

Well written, boring narration

Sean McIndoe’s stories vary wildly in quality (75-25 good-bad ratio). Some of which are witty and sharp while some are buzzfeed-worthy schlock pieces that show his obvious bitterness against southern hockey franchises. This book falls in the former category. It’s extremely well written, and it perfectly describes the NHL’s oddball history. Definitely worth a listen.

A great overview of the fun and madness of the NHL

This is an easy and entertaining read. Plenty of fun trivia throughout makes it worth it forthose new to the game, or lifelongfans..

Amazing stories you won't get elsewhere

Chuck full of #GoodPartyTalk when you have a bunch of "know it all" hockey fans that you can tell the story of something beyond the normal headlines or what has been pushed as being important history. Couldn't stop listening, truly a must for hockey nuts.

Fun, fascinating education in hockey history

As an avid fan of the modern NHL (let’s go Hurricanes!), I admittedly don’t know much about the sport’s olden days. Sean McIndoe did a ton to fill in the huge gaps in my fan knowledge in a highly entertaining way. You got to love his irreverent attitude of “this league has been so weird and stupid over the years, but it’s still the greatest thing in sports.” I enjoyed learning about how the Original Six were not really the Original Six, how the players had to referee their own game one time, how Canada has long been screwed over by NHL expansion, how it was considered scandalous when European players first came into the league, and how dramatically Gary Bettman changed the modern NHL (and became such a hated figure among fans).

An audiobook like this could be really obnoxious and awful if it were performed in a sports talk radio style: loud, know-it-all and constantly cackling at its own cleverness. Much to his credit, McIndoe avoids such pitfalls in reading his own book. Even though he’s opinionated as hell and thoroughly hilarious, his calm deadpan delivery is perfectly delightful. Never condescending or boorish in his vast hockey knowledge, McIndoe is like listening to a smartass buddy tell you interesting tales of the NHL and how it got that way. Great stuff!