The Russian Five: A Story of Espionage, Defection, Bribery and Courage

I can't say we enough about this book. You do not have to a hockey fan or even a Rec Wings fan to appreciate this book. Gives a lot of deep insight into the Soviet Union. See tge documentary too

If you are a Red Wings fan, this is a great book

enjoyable.

Very enjoyable book. Looks inside to the 5 different personalities of the Russian Five.

This is not just a book for the hockey fan, though if you are one, it is a must read! If you have even a casual interest in things like political intrigue, corruption and bribery, the power of wealth in sports or the heart and mind of the pro athlete, this book will not disappoint. And in the middle of all of that, there are some surprising emotional tugs and pulls as the stories of the individuals involved are told.There are quite a few surprises in this book. The extent to which the Detroit Red Wings and the Ilitch dynasty went to secure some of the world's best hockey players from behind the Iron Curtain was shocking. The KGB was involved, members of the Russian medical establishment were bought off as were numerous other high powered Soviet officials, and Ilitch money was handed out liberally.The accounts of the Stanley Cup runs during the heyday of the Russian Five brought back a ton of memories for us here in Detroit during that time. Most of them are very good, a few of them are awfully bad. Of course, the sudden and tragic end of Vladimir Konstantinov's career only a few days after the Wings brought home their first Cup in 42 years was the saddest. And yep, I got a bit choked up reading about it again. I loved watching that guy play. Being reminded that it only lasted a few years for us was bitter sweet.The book comes out near the time related the documentary film is released. I just purchased tickets and can't wait to see it!By the way, treat yourself and read the epilogue too. The personal stories the author (my brother) relates are insightful and warm, and are a satisfying end to a good story well told!

I am not normally one who reads about sports. I do not study statistics and compare various teams throughout seasons. But I was living in Michigan when Detroit had those Russian 5. I never knew their off-ice stories. This book is so interesting a nd easy to read. I have been recommending it to every hockey fan I meet

This account of the origins of the second golden era of Red Wings hockey is an excellent and remarkable story! That it finally has been shared with fans outside the Detroit fan base is fantastic. I feel very fortunate to have experienced the Fives mastery when it was occurring. Now, because of this enthralling book, I've gotten to experience it again, if only in my minds eye. Many Thanks, Mr. Gave!

I admit, even though I live in the Detroit area and remember the Stanley Cup parades after the ‘97 and ‘98 wins, I’m not big hockey fan. But my book club selected this book and I found it very interesting. It was almost more of an academic read for me. I even wrote notes on the various, long Russian names with notes on each to help keep everything (and everyone) straight as I got thru the book! But it was worth it. My own grandparents were Polish immigrants and their efforts to leave Communist Poland were not easy. It was very interesting to me to read the efforts that went into getting these players out of Russia.I recommend this book on so many levels! You will learn about escapes from Communism, how the various people come together to create a team (GM, VP, Coach, Players, etc.), details of the accident that broke up the Russian 5 ... and most importantly, this book takes you right into the exciting games. I recommend you also see the movie - The Russian 5. It’s more of a documentary and pulls everything in the book together to show you the excitement of the games.

A brilliant read, a must for Ice Hockey Fans

As a fan, I found the revelations interesting. The only reason for not giving a 5 rating are that it can be a bit disjointed at times and might have benefitted from tighter editing. For me the best parts came with the first few chapters describing how the 5 escaped Russia, then again toward the end of the book after the Stanley Cup had been won, with first the disastrous accident, then the ending of their careers and successful retirements. The character of all the participants are well brought out. That aspect made it a more interesting book than if it had been restricted to only the actual hockey.

I liked this book for the most part. The insight into how each of the five became Red Wings is very interesting, as is each one's back story. It was also interesting to learn about the history of the writer, whom I had read for many years in the Detroit Free Press. However, it does start to get a bit monotonous as the book moves along where it seems that all the credit for the Red Wings success was due to the Russian Five, forgetting that there were other Hall of Famers playing and coaching at the same time. All in all it was worth the read.

I fondly recall the moments of hockey history led by Stevey Y and the unstoppable Russian line. This book was a good trip down memory lane. And gave me insights into what it took to build that team. I think it could have benefitted from some more careful editing, as I found pieces of it to be redundant and the writing a bit lazy in parts, lacking more color and imagination. I’m not sure anyone outside Detroit would get all the local references, but then again, if you’re not a Wings fan from the D, you’re probably not buying this book.

Great story and well written. At the end of the book it gets a little repetitive, but it doesn't take away the greatness of these guys and the book itself.