Life is much simpler when there is playoff hockey. What are we watching on TV tonight? Hockey. What are you doing this weekend? Hockey.
While it’s hard to get excited this year without a home team to root for, maybe a few of these hockey stories will get you fired up again.
Without James Duthie, NHL coverage just isn’t the same, so I am filling that void with his latest book, The Guy on the Left: Sports Stories from the Best Seat in the House. Reading this amusing account of his broadcasting career and the famous athletes he has met will make you slightly jealous. Who wouldn’t want to be able to strike up a conversation with Tiger Woods at a urinal or sit next to Andy Rooney at the Super Bowl and listen to him rant about juice boxes? Duthie shares lots of hilarious sports mishaps and antics at TSN, and he also talks about the sort of extraordinary things that can happen to anyone on TV. He tells us about how he ended up having a lemur on his head and about the guy who called every night to ask if he was wearing rubber boots. Duthie’s self-deprecating sense of humour makes all his already entertaining stories even more fun to read.
My go-to news source for all things hockey on Twitter is Bob McKenzie, one of Duthie’s “guys on the right.” Even though his book Hockey Confidential isn’t the juicy exposé that the title implies, it still contains many remarkable stories that will satisfy any fan of hockey. We learn about Colin Campbell’s harrowing escape from a frozen pond. We find out we could have easily lost current Islanders’ captain John Tavares to lacrosse. We get a glimpse of the subdued Don Cherry (minus his signature suits) enjoying some minor hockey with his son. And we meet the Subban family from Jamaica, who fully embrace both Canadian culture and the 10,000-hour rule, made famous by author Malcolm Gladwell. From players to coaches to chiropractors, you get the stories of people involved in the game, on and off the ice.
Who better than Hockey Night in Canada’s Ron MacLean to show us our country’s passion for hockey? MacLean is a great storyteller and his Hockey Towns: Untold Stories from the Heart of Canada showcases people from all walks of life in big and small Canadian towns. They best represent the hard work, dedication and sacrifices people make every day to be part of Canada’s game. Many of the stories are quite touching but the ones about the enforcers of the game are especially eye-opening and thought-provoking.
You learn a lot about famous hockey personalities from these three great broadcasters but only Kerry Fraser’s book The Final Call: Hockey Stories from a Legend in Stripes can tell you what exchanges among players, coaches and referees are really like on the ice. Fraser officiated more than 2,000 NHL games in 30-plus seasons and he is candid about what he has learned from years of refereeing. From the mistakes he made to the things he regrets saying or the father-and-son moments with some of the world’s greatest hockey players, he makes you appreciate the art and the skills it take to be an excellent referee. Next time a call goes against your team, you may think twice before chanting “Refs suck!”
These fascinating hockey stories and many more can be found at your local public library. Come chat hockey and books with us, and let’s hope that next year all seven Canadian teams will make it to the playoffs. (Yes, all seven. Be nice.)
A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published on Wednesdays. Virginia McCreedy works at Port Moody Public Library.
