Global Goals: The International Hockey Life of U.S. Defenseman Eric Weinrich

In Global Goals, author Andy DeRoche carefully examines the life of Eric Weinrich, who played in over 1,000 NHL games and represented the United States in more international hockey tournaments than any other player. Based on thorough research, this book details the actions of Eric "Weino" Weinrich on and off the ice during his over 30 years playing hockey. It also puts his career into the context of the final years of the Cold War in terms of US relations with the USSR. In addition to being a great athlete, "Weino" was a cultural ambassador who befriended former Soviet players such as Alexei Kasatonov. DeRoche is an old-fashioned historian who has written many previous books or articles, but what makes this work unique is that Eric Weinrich himself added considerable commentary in each chapter identified as "Weino's Wisdom." After first playing hockey in Rumford, Maine in the late 1970s, "Weino" led North Yarmouth Academy to a state championship in 1985. He skated for the University of Maine Black Bears for over two full seasons, helping to build the Maine program into a national powerhouse. After he played in the 1988 Olympics for the USA, he went pro with the Utica Devils in the AHL. He moved up to the New Jersey Devils in 1990, and then enjoyed a long and successful career in the NHL in Chicago, Montreal, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and elsewhere. He ended his career on the ice as a player-coach for the Portland (Maine) Pirates and would later be inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame.