Audreys Books gets into spirit of playoff hockey
It seemed like such a simple question.
What’s the best hockey book in your bookstore?
Kelly Dyer, the manager of Audreys Books, purses her lips, tilts her head and thinks for a few seconds, letting her gaze slip to the front-window display on Jasper Avenue honouring the Edmonton Oilers and their NHL playoff run.
“Oh, that’s not an easy question to answer,” she said with a smile, as a bright orange sign with the words “Go Oilers: You’re #1 in our books” moves ever so slightly as a customer enters the store.
“How about this?” she continues, “how about I give you the most recent?
“That I can answer.”
Dyer rattles off a list of books — Rob Soria’s recently released Connor McDavid: Hockey’s Next Great One, Marty Klinkenberg’s hugely popular The McDavid Effect and the 2015 release by Mark Spector titled The Battle of Alberta: The Historic Rivalry Between Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames.
“There are a lot of really good hockey books,” she said.
“And you can’t forget 99,” she said, referring to last year’s release by Wayne Gretzky titled 99: Stories of the Game.
“We actually have a cut-out of Wayne that he signed but it didn’t make the cut for the display,” Dyer said with a laugh.
“It would have disappeared pretty quickly.”
As for the display that is garnering a few turned heads and a few smiles, Dyer said store co-owners Steve and Sharon Budnarchuk are big fans of the Oilers and were happy to host the display.
Over the playoff series, staff have been adding bits and pieces, including the latest addition of a pyramid of Orange Crush pop cans.
As long as the team stays in the series, the display will likely grow, Dyer said.
“The display is all about showing our colours and showing our Edmonton pride.”