2011 Hockey Books

I Hate Hockey by Francois Barcelo

Francois Barcelo, a Governor General's Award winner, is a well established writer, penning more than 40 novels for both adults and young adults. Up until now, all of those books were in French. His first English release (with Peter McCamridge doing the translating) certainly catches the browsing eye with the striking title I Hate Hockey

Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters
You can also purchase the original book in French - J'haïs le hockey
Also Read: Interview With The Translator

Upon cracking the spine, it does not take long for eye brows to raise. The main character is an unlikeable chap (That is far too kind - he's actually a racist, chauvinistic pig). Oh, and he rambles. And rambles. And rambles some more, somehow lengthening the otherwise quick 112 page read into a bit of a chore. At least he has a few occasional humorous lines. Perhaps more contradictory than out right funny, but there was some clever, dark wit.

The story quickly dissolves into uncomfortable story lines of murder, sexual abuse, and teen suicide. Which, in the shadows of Mike Danton, Theo Fleury and Sheldon Kennedy, is fair enough. But it really does not have a lot to do with hockey.

If you are looking for a novel about hockey, don't be intrigued by the words in the title. It really has little to do with hockey other than to serve to lure the prospective buyer's attention. Our main character has a lot of things going wrong in his life - lost his job, lost his wife, you know, the whole Quebecois country song idea. And he somehow blames it all on hockey, a sport he barely played, never watches and, if it wasn't for his son, he would never have anything to do with.

Since I review hockey books, I will withhold judgement on this short novel. Not being much of a fiction reader, this book reminds me a lot of the stories we had to read in high school English class. I know this is a critically acclaimed piece of literature. But I don't really know why.

Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters
You can also purchase the original book in French - J'haïs le hockey

Making Select by Steve Barwin

Author Steve Barwin and publisher James Lorimer and Company have released the 2011 102 page young adult novel Making Select

Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com

This is the pretty normal hockey story for many of us. Most of us don't make it to a high level. Many of us give up the game in our youth, probably a couple years later than we should have. There are other things we begin taking an interest in - video games, girls, schooling, girls, music, girls, etc. We lose the love of playing, but feel the pressure to keep chasing the national dream because that is what we are supposed to do. Especially when that dream is spoon fed to us by a parent.

That is exactly what Tyler faces in Making Select. He achieves every kid's goal of making the select team. But he soon realizes the pressure at this level is more than he bargained for. He would rather return to the fun of house league, but his hockey crazy mom applies as much pressure for him to stay as any coach or teammate.

Hockey burn-out is something many kids feel. As this book is aimed at young readers, specifically young boys who may be reluctant readers, it is a book young boys should read. It is okay to let the game go, or at least stay in house league and play for fun. Life is too short to be doing something you do not really want to be doing anyways. The quicker kids learn that lesson the better off they are.

Author Steve Barwin has an important offering here in Making Select. He understands the target juvenile audience expertly. After all, he is a middle school teacher in Ontario and has written several Sports Stories novels including Fadeaway, Rock Dogs, SK8ER, and Icebreaker, which was chosen as a Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Books for Kids and Teens selection.

All in all, a solid new title from Barwin and Lormier publishing.

Hockey's Original Six by Mike Leonetti with Howard Barkley.

The Original Six are hot these days. The Bruins and Blackhawks have won the last two Stanley Cups. The Red Wings are the class of hockey in recent years. Montreal and Toronto always have undying support, and quietly the Rangers are one of hockey's better teams right now.

That makes for a great time for a book about hockey's glory days when these six teams were the only ones around. Enter Hockey's Original 6. Written by Mike Leonetti, the book really is a beautiful showcase of the late Howard Barkley's hockey photography.

Buy the Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com

Here's more from the publisher: "The hockey stars of the 1950s and '60s—Rocket Richard, Gordie Howe, Dave Keon, Bobby Hull, Jean Beliveau, Terry Sawchuk, Tim Horton, and others—were some of the most passionate players in National Hockey League history. These skillful and often colorful athletes played exhilarating hockey and were national heroes in a time when only six teams and fewer than 150 players battled for the Stanley Cup.

"Hockey's Original Six celebrates the most dynamic players and exciting moments of the era in more than 120 photographs from the legendary Harold Barkley Archives, including a number of never—or rarely seen—images. From 1942 until the early '70s, Barkley was the Toronto Star's leading sports photographer. He pioneered the use of electronic flash to capture stop-action hockey, and his dramatic work—both black and white and vibrant color—define the pre-expansion period.

"Two informative essays by Mike Leonetti-hockey historian, archivist, and prolific sportswriter—set Barkley and the photos in context, and short image captions illuminate the players and their feats. Jean Béliveau—hockey legend and elder statesman—provides a personal and insightful foreword. Combining iconic images and hockey lore, Hockey's Original Six is the perfect gift for sports fans, history buffs, and art collectors."

In many ways this book is a re-presentation of Leonetti's 1998 release HOCKEY'S GOLDEN ERA: Stars of the Original Six. That book featured brief biographies of each featured player, whereas this new release does not. That's okay though, as Barkley's photos are stunning show-stealers. Leonetti's captions wonderfully compliment the photos. Jean Beliveau writes the foreword rather than Frank Selke, Jr.

All in all, a beautiful book that promotes hockey history. You know I like that.

The Puck Hog

Author  (and TV news anchor) Christie Casciano approached me today about her 2010 book release The Puck Hog. Both the story, and the story behind it, are fascinating.

Buy The Book - Amazon.com - Amazon.ca

First, the story. It's about a young girl named Sophia, and her hockey team wants to be the best in the league. But their biggest challenge isn't an opposing team, it’s Eddie, their puck-hogging teammate. A team trip to a Syracuse Crunch game and a pivotal moment on the ice may convince Eddie to become a better teammate, but will it be enough?

Children will enjoy skating along on an emotional journey with this tight-knit group of youth hockey players. The Puck Hog, an early reader chapter book, encourages the values of fair play, playing together as a team, playing hard and having fun!

The story is actually based on her own kids' experiences on the ice.

"When I became a hockey mom I had a lot of free time in the stands," she said. "There is not a lot to do when your children are on the ice practicing. So I took out a pad and started writing stories. I came up with this story, which is a compilation of a lot of what my kids went through."

Also, Ms. Casciano expands the family angle even further by inviting her sister Rose Mary Casciano Moziak to illustrate the book with her pencil sketches.

Now for the story behind the story. The Syracuse Crunch, an American Hockey League team, have teamed with Ms. Casciano. The players head into classrooms to present the book and teach the values of not only sportsmanship, but of reading, too. Their presentation is called "Reading, Writing, and Passing."

It is an admirable undertaking by all involved. You can learn more about the book and the community connections at The Puck Hog blog.

Pond Hockey: Kita Learns To Skate

Erik and Robert Jacobson present their cute 40 page book Pond Hockey: Kita Learns to Skate. The book is aimed at readers aged 3 through 8.

Little Kita can't wait to play ice hockey. But first he must learn to skate. His brother Bobby shows him how by demonstrating the correct movements. Kita practices hard and learns fast. Soon he's ready to play pond hockey with his big brother and new friend, Allie. What could be more fun than that?

Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com

The book is nicely illustrated, certain to capture the imaginations of youngsters. The story is a simple and fun quick read, teaching good lessons and friendship and sportsmanship.

If you know a youngster who is about to learn to skate or to start playing hockey, Pond Hockey: Kita Learns to Skate would be an ideal gift.

Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Championship Books & DVDs