My Last Fight: The True Story of a Hockey Rock Star

Absolutely love this book!!!

As someone who was a teenager in the 90s in Detroit, this was a great book. I love autobiographies because of books like this. Darren spoke with such candor about his various challenges. I admire the humility that he has developed. I enjoyed learning more the heroes of my youth (I loved the Grind Line- Kirk Maltby was my favorite), though the various anecdotes that Darren presented in this book. Sometimes we forget the professional athletes are people as well. They experience emotional ups and downs like us common people do. They deal with anxiety and depression and have challenges that the rest of us do even though we don’t always see or hear it. While I don’t admire Mr. McCarty for what he did in his personal life when he was playing, I admire him for having the courage to share his stories and the lessons that he learned from them. I’ve been on the ‘straight and narrow’ for my entire life, but I have learned many lessons from his book. I hope and pray that Mr. McCarty will continue on the path that he is currently on. Darren’s story is very much Detroit’s story in terms of getting knocked down and having the humility and determination to come back stronger. In many ways, he personifies the spirit of our city moreso than any other athlete that has played for the 4 major sports teams over the years. I would highly recommend this book to pretty much anyone.

Ok, I admit it. I've been a fan of No. 25 for ages. Used to love watching the Grind line take on the first line of any team and just bottle them up. I've always had respect for the game the played and the hard work they did. So, I must confess I am rating this at five b/c of the feelings of nostalgia and remembered fun it raised. McCarty talks about fights and goals and games and I remember watching those and cheering my head off. The book is well-worth the price of admission for that alone....but....He shares a deep look at his world behind all of this and shares his difficulties, his pain. I respect the words of the man so much b/c he is simply telling it. There's a quiet dignity in him that comes through. He's not looking for pity or even understanding. He just needs to tell it. It is a great reminder that our heroes are just as human as we are and we should never lose sight of this.Why did I originally say 3? At first I was comparing it in a literary sense to other books I've read. I think it lacks a little in organization and it tends to wander a bit, but then I realized that this book is a conversation. McCarty is talking to us, not trying to write a great novel. A lot of his personality comes through in this style and honestly, upon reflection, I appreciate that so much more than a biographical style.I thoroughly enjoyed this book and appreciate how hard it must've been to write.Thank you for doing it, Mr. McCarty....and good luck on your last fight, sir. You are a courageous man to do it.

I just finished this book a few hours ago. To give some background, I've been watching the Wings religiously since the 96-97 season as that put me around 10 years old at the time. I grew up watching McCarty playing as well as all the other legends that have donned with Winged Wheel over the years. It was very insightful and fascinating to hear McCarty's full story as told by him. A lot of it reminded me of Tommy Lee's autobiography with the rock star lifestyle riddled with infidelity, drugs and alcohol abuse. Not comparing the two, but they've led very similar lives despite different career paths. I'm WAY more of a Red Wings fan than a Motley Crue fan, so I found this book a LOT more interesting.This book was everything I expected and hoped it would be. It was funny at times, sad at times and just downright outlandish yet believable at times. I think there are a lot of important lessons to draw from this book on what NOT to do. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone looking to model themselves after the decisions Darren has made but I would heartily recommend this to any tough guy hockey player, aspiring top prospect or hardcore Red Wings fan. The book goes by quick. I read the first 70 pages in one sitting and then the remainder in another sitting. I simply couldn't put it down once I started. I highly recommend this book!

This was a good addition to my Red Wings book collection. Mac goes through his time as a teenager playing hockey in Canada, to his time in the minors and then eventually to the NHL. In between there's a lot of drinking, taking drugs and fighting. Mac was a role player for the Red Wings because of his toughness and willingness to stand up for his teammates. I'm glad that he has taken the steps to sobriety and he's still interesting to listen to during interviews.

I bought this book because I heard Darren on the Radio at 97.1 The Ticket and was charmed by his personality. When I heard about the book I bought it for my myself to read and then my husband took over my kindle and read the book in one sitting. I enjoyed the read, I was stunned to read about the antics of my gender and what extremes they go to-to be with a famous athlete. It is disgusting what they did. As far as Darren goes well his behavior is another story. Wow the things he did, the things he said, the influence of this demon that is addiction! I get that addiction is hard to quit and I pray for his continued sobriety. I have to say that his marital behavioral patterns as a women would make me lose interest in him. God bless his wife Sheryl she sounds like a beautiful person who clearly keeps an open mind and doesn't pass judgement. Women leave him alone, he is a happily married man who has athletic skills and was blessed with the ability and good fortune to play hockey professionally, but at the end of the day he is still a man with a wife and several kids to support. If you owe him money pay your debts people. It is sad that Darren lost most of his money on bad loans to people he cared about who used him and left him broke. That said I enjoyed the book. I was shocked out of my mind! Wow

Amazing read and opens your eyes to what players go through.

Tidy read, not the best hockey book I have read but it's an insightful look in to a tough guy who has fought many battles on and off the ice, personal and physical. Well worth a read.

a great book from one of the true characters in Ice Hockey. He played hockey with an edge and the book is very honest of all the problems he has faced

Great read from start to finish from a very honest man. Real insight into the highs and lows of a professional athlete.

I read ..and I like books about the ones that made a train wreck of their lives and the redemption of it when all the glory is gone