More Hockey Stories: A Novel Perspective


Book Description

Retired NHL players Billy Sinatra and Malcolm Gordon Steven (better known as “Keeper”) have both returned to relatively normal lives after their controversial Stanley Cup win, with Billy now coaching minor-league hockey in Moose Jaw and Keeper working as his team’s goaltending coach. But their ordinary lives are about to take an unexpected turn when an up-and-coming player from Slovakia, Rhobe Otguy, is brought to their attention. Although Rhobe’s hockey skills are undeniable, if he hopes to make it to the NHL, he’ll have to overcome both the language barrier and his persistently bizarre social limitations, which not only alienate his teammates but have an investigative journalist questioning what planet he's even from. With narration and commentary from El Gordo, with whom the characters occasionally share conversation and pun-filled banter, More Hockey Stories: A Novel Perspective—Conversations with El Gordo is the entertaining and cleverly named sequel to Hockey Stories: A Novel Perspective—Conversations with El Gordo. It will bring its readers right back to their favourite local pub, sitting, sipping, and sharing amusing memories and anecdotes about the world of hockey—both on the ice and off—with all its fun, comradery, and sometimes unbelievable drama.




Tales of a First-Round Nothing


Book Description

Terry Ryan was poised to take the hockey world by storm when he was selected eighth overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1995 NHL draft, their highest draft pick in a decade. Expected to go on to become a hockey star, Ryan played a total of eight NHL games for the Canadiens, scoring no goals and no assists: not exactly the career he, or anyone else, was expecting. Though Terry's NHL career wasn't long, he experienced a lot and has no shortage of hilarious and fascinating revelations about life in pro hockey on and off the ice. In Tales of a First-Round Nothing, he recounts fighting with Tie Domi, partying with rock stars, and everything in between. Ryan tells it like it is, detailing his rocky relationship with Michel Therrien, head coach of the Canadiens, and explaining what life is like for a man who was unprepared to have his career over so soon.




The Magician's Secret


Book Description

This action-adventure picture book featuring a grandfather and grandson duo celebrates the power of imagination and the magic of make believe. Charlie loves when Grandpa comes to babysit because he always brings his magical imagination. Grandpa was a magician who knows the most amazing tricks; he can pull a rabbit from a hat and make a coin disappear. But what Charlie loves most are his wonderful adventure stories, and they all begin with something his grandfather has saved in his Magic Story Chest. An hourglass is a reminder of how he defended the treasure in King Tut's tomb from raiders. A long white scarf inspires the story about Grandpa's dogfight with the notorious Red Baron, the great First World War fighter pilot. A coconut shell heralds the story about his encounter with a nasty Tyrannosaurus Rex. Charlie's parents, though, aren't too sure they like Grandpa's stories and warn Charlie that they're just "tall tales." What is Charlie to believe? How can his grandpa convince him that all you need to do is believe and a dream can be turned into something real?




Ice Capades


Book Description

**One of Sports Illustrated's Best Sports Books of 2017** Controversial hockey star Sean Avery's no-holds-barred memoir of high living and bad behavior in the NHL—coupled with the behind-the-scenes glitter of celebrity and media nightlife in New York and LA. As one of the NHL’s most polarizing players, Sean Avery turned the rules of professional hockey on its head. For thirteen seasons, Avery played for some of the toughest, most storied franchises in the league, including the Detroit Red Wings, the Los Angeles Kings, and the New York Rangers, making his mark in each city as a player that was sometimes loved, often despised, but always controversial. In Ice Capades, Avery takes his trademark candidness about the world of pro hockey and does for it what Jim Bouton's game-changing Ball Four did for baseball. Avery goes deep inside the sport to reveal every aspect of an athlete’s life, from what they do with their money and nights off to how they stay sharp and competitive in the league. While playing the talented villain in the NHL, Avery broke far away from his on-ice character in the off-season, and Ice Capades takes the reader inside the other unexpected and unprecedented roles that Avery inhabited—Vogue intern, fashion model, advertising executive, restauranteur, gay rights advocate, and many more. Love him or hate him, Sean Avery changed the way professional hockey is played today. Rollickingly honest and compelling throughout, Ice Capades transcends the “sports book” genre and offers a rare, unvarnished glimpse into the world of 21st century hockey through the eyes of one of its most original and memorable players.




Sports Illustrated The Hockey Book


Book Description

From its earliest days on frozen ponds, hockey has been a sport of speed and elegance, but also one demanding courage and physical will. The Hockey Book goes deep into the heart of the game, celebrating with astounding photographs and insightful words the great players and the inspiring teams, as well as an ethos-robust and selfless-that defines the sport as much in its dynamic present as it did in hockey's hardscrabble (and helmetless) past.




A Great Game


Book Description

Traces the early history of professional hockey in Canada.




Just One Goal!


Book Description

At last — Canada's favourite storyteller takes on Canada's most beloved pastime! Ciara is tired of hauling her hockey gear across town to play on the rink. It makes no sense—there is a perfectly good frozen river in her own backyard! But her dad says it's too jagged, and her mom says it's too bumpy, and her older sisters don't see why she can't keep going all the way across town, just like they did. But Ciara won't let anybody stop her. And with a little help from the neighbourhood, she knows that her team, the River Rink Rats, will finally win a game on their own brand new rink. In classic Robert Munsch style, this warm fun story of community and hockey takes a hilarious turn. With the excitement and pace of a real hockey match, the River Rink Rats play their final game on their new rink. The pressure is on; the crowd is watching; Ciara has the puck; the crowd keeps watching; the ice starts to...CRACK!; Ciara keeps playing; the ice starts to drift; the crowd starts running; Ciara shoots to SCORE and— You can be sure that no matter how the game ends, there will be hot chocolate! This ebook features read-along narration by the author.




Behind the Bench


Book Description

They are motivators, key strategists, tough bosses, and choreographers. They can be branded as heroes, ousted as scapegoats, quietly valued as friends, and everything in between. It's all in the job description for an NHL head coach. In Behind the Bench, ESPN's Craig Custance sits down for film sessions and candid conversations with some of the game's most notable modern luminaries—names like Mike Babcock, Joel Quenneville, Dan Bylsma, Todd McLellan, Ken Hitchcock, and Claude Julien—all of whom share their singular views on topics ranging from leadership secrets to on-ice game plans. Dissect some of hockey's greatest moments with the men who set the pieces in motion. Go straight to the source on what it's like to manage a dressing room full of the league's top stars or execute line changes with everything at stake. Signature games, including Stanley Cup finals, Olympic gold medal clashes, and World Championship contests—both wins and losses—are reflected upon and broken down in detail, making this essential reading for current and aspiring coaches, players, and hockey fans alike.




Hockey Night in Kenya


Book Description

★ “This simple story of discovery, sport, and friendship is filled with likable characters and innocently joyful moments...Delightful.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review Kenyan orphans, Kitoo and Nigosi, spend their days studying, playing soccer, helping their elders with chores around the orphanage and reading from the limited selection of books in their library. When the librarian gives Kitoo a copy of Sports Around the World he becomes fascinated by an image of the Canadian national men's ice hockey team. Then one day the fates align and Kitoo finds a pair of beat up old roller blades, he teaches himself to skate and dreams of one day playing hockey like the men in his book. But you can’t play ice hockey in Kenya, can you?




Hockey Stories: A Novel Perspective


Book Description

Hockey Stories is a fictional tale of two hockey players from rural Saskatchewan who find themselves on a winning NHL team. Billy Sinatra is accused of inappropriately organizing players to achieve the Stanley Cup win. Keeper was the goalie on his team. The story takes us from a confrontation in a first class airplane cabin, to NHL Head Office interviews, and back into the early junior league days of both players. Full of puns and light-hearted banter, the book’s narrator, El Gordo, brings in the tone of a play-by-play commentator. Has Billy overstepped his role as a player, or is the accusation just the trumped up musings of a young columnist who is dating a jealous NHL wannabe? The truth is Billy’s talents and connections extend beyond hockey and charisma.