The Hot Corner

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What: “In the Bin: Reckless and Rude Stories from the Penalty Boxes of the NHL” by Lloyd Freeberg

Price: $19.95, Triumph Books

These stories aren’t reckless or rude. They’re insightful and told in a breezy manner by Freeberg, an Orange County attorney who has been an off-ice official at Mighty Duck home games since the team’s inception and most often is guardian of the penalty box.

About the rudest he gets is to reveal that Wayne Gretzky can curse a blue streak--horrors! And there’s nothing reckless, either. Just lots of interesting observations on the competitiveness and down-to-earth quality of the players he has met when they visited his penalty box or complained about a call he made as a goal judge.

Duck players provide most of his material, but he includes many anecdotes about players, on-ice officials and the other off-ice officials who catalog penalties, rule on scoring plays and must know when to turn the red goal light on even though the puck is being shot at speeds too fast for the naked eye to pick up.

Part of the charm and authenticity is that Freeberg isn’t afraid to take a jab at the Disney folks when he discusses Dmitri Mironov’s habit of wearing an old pair of skates.

“This could be a very clever move on Dmitri’s part that will not only guarantee him a long career as an NHL player but could also land him a front office job when his playing days are over,” Freeberg writes. “After all, he was saving Disney over $300 a year, and that’s the spirit of economy they admire. This could be a very risky move for the players, however. Once Disney realizes how much money there is to be saved in equipment purchases, the Ducks could become the only team in professional hockey to play their games in street clothes.”

A couple of misspellings crop up, but the tone of his tales rings true. It’s a pleasant read for any hockey fan, easily gobbled between periods of a game.