Synopses & Reviews
Hockey Dad? Definitely. Crazy? Maybe. But only if you think that camping out in an arena lobby for 48 hours to register your son for house-league hockey is crazy. Or getting escorted out of an arena by two policemen. Or calling for a stick measurement in a game involving 11-year-olds. Twice.
Hockey Dad is a revealing look at the good, the bad and the ugly of the minor hockey culture as seen through the eyes of a committed parent/hockey coach—or is it a parent/hockey coach who should have been committed?—who also just happens to be one of the most well-known hockey personalities in North America.
As TSN’s Hockey Insider, Bob McKenzie is one of the game’s most recognizable faces and trusted voices. His dedication to the game on the air is matched or surpassed only by his love and passion for his family and his sons’ lives in minor hockey. Hockey Dad is his deeply personal memoir of a life lived in rinks, raising his two boys to play at high levels of competitive hockey—cheering, cringing, coaching and, now and again, acting up.
Hilarious, candid, and at time poignant, Hockey Dad is a true slice of life as thousands live it in the world of minor hockey culture. Bob McKenzie reveals himself—and his entire family—in ways you’ve never seen him before.
These deeply personal stories, and how Hockey Dad dealt with the highs and lows of his son’s hockey careers (sometimes well, sometimes not so well), are a compelling look into the world of minor hockey—a major Canadian passion.
Synopsis
A revealing look at the good, the bad and the ugly of the minor hockey culture as seen through the eyes of a Hockey Dad cum Hockey Coach who just happens to be one of the most recognized hockey personalities in North America. This Hockey Dad, Bob McKenzie, is not afraid to look into the mirror and candidly assess and reveal his own strengths and weaknesses. He has anecdotes that will make you laugh, stories that will bring a tear to your eye, and insights into this minor hockey world that can only come from having lived through the highs and the lows and everything in between with two boys who grew up in an environment where minor hockey was their epicenter.
Michael is now a 22-year-old entering his junior year playing NCAA hockey on scholarship, one step away from the professional ranks. Shawn, now 19, had his competitive minor hockey life cut drastically short at age 14 because of complications from multiple concussions. While Michael has attempted to, and continues to try to, scale the heights within hockey, Shawn has, at times, had to navigate the depths. Their deeply personal stories, and how their father dealt with them (sometimes well, sometimes not so well), are a compelling look into the world of minor hockey--a major Canadian passion.
From hysterically funny anecdotes, to debates on numerous hockey issues, praise and criticism for the system, and personal reflections on the game, this book is an insightful, irreverent, and moving look at a slice of hockey culture that is not so much a recreation as it is a way of life.
Synopsis
A revealing look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of minor hockey culture
Known as TSN's "Hockey Insider," Canada's Bob McKenzie is synonymous with the sport and one of its most respected analysts. In Hockey Dad, McKenzie describes firsthand the joys and heartbreak of raising two sons, with entirely diverging athletic futures. He details their separate paths, describing Michael, a 22-year-old playing NCAA hockey on scholarship, and Shawn, now 19, whose competitive minor hockey life was cut short at age 14 because of multiple concussions. Their deeply personal stories, and the trials and tribulations of a father creating futures for them, offer readers a compelling look into the world and culture of minor hockey.
- Includes funny anecdotes, debates on numerous hockey issues, and personal reflections on the game and its culture
With an unwavering look at his own strengths and weaknesses, as well as the entire system of minor hockey in Canada, Hockey Dad is an honest, irreverent and sometimes moving look at a sporting culture that is not so much a recreation as it is a way of life.
About the Author
Bob McKenzie, the Hockey Insider, has been covering the game for more than 30 years and is one of the most trusted voices and recognized names in hockey journalism. His unparalleled contacts, combined with an abundance of hockey knowledge and a life-long passion for the game, have made McKenzie one of the most respected people in the business. He is annually selected by
The Hockey News as one of hockey’s 100 most powerful and influential people.
The Toronto native joined Canada’s first and number-one all-sports channel, TSN (The Sports Network), in 1987 as a part-time freelance analysts on the NHL on TSN. He has been a fixture on the network ever since, appearing regularly on SportsCentre, That’s Hockey and the NHL on TSN, covering the NHL, IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, NHL Draft, NHL Trade Deadline, NHL Free Agency and the Olympic Winter Games. His written work appears on www.tsn.ca. In addition to his broadcasting career, the graduate of Ryerson Polytechnic Institute’s Journalism Program started in newspapers at The Sault Star in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He was also Editor-in-Chief of The Hockey News for nine years and Hockey Columnist for the Toronto Star for six years.
Table of Contents
PROLOGUE.
1: It was always in the (Hockey) Cards.
2: Breaking the Ice: It’s Never Too Early.
3: Family Expansion and Our Little Nerd.
4: "I hate Larry Marson" and Dissing Mr. Hockey.
5: Big changes and the Grand Deception.
6: "C’mon, Drop the Damn Puck Already".
7: Crossing the Line; Giving Mike the "Tap".
8: The Straight Poop on Playing Up.
9: It’s Fair to Say We’re Not Morning People.
10: Breaking the Golden Rule: "Grab Your Sticks".
11: So, That’s How You Want to Play the Game, Is It?
12: "I Didn’t Realize You Had Only One Son".
13: Was It Commitment or Should I Have Been Committed?
14: Talking the Talk, Walking the Walk: A Coach Is Born.
15: Falling into the Trap, in More Ways Than One.
16: Vengeance Is a Dish Best Served Curved.
17: The Best Reward, Bar None, and Hockey Parents From Hell.
18: The Four-Point Plan: Not as Stupid as I Look.
19: Tough Love and Learning Our Lessons the Hard Way.
20: Of Gun-Shy Dogs and a Crisis of Confidence.
21: No Need for a Coin Toss: ’Twas the Best Year Ever.
22: Rejected: The Parents Always Take It Harder Than the Kid.
23: New-And-Improved Shawn Makes A U-Turn for the Better.
24: Teach Your Children Well On the "Balance" Beam.
25: The Draft Year: Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places.
26: Discretion Isn’t Always The Better Part of Valor.
27: Making the Big Time: Shawn Steps It Up.
28: Turn out the Lights, the Party is Over.
29: Into The Abyss and The Long, Hard Road Back.
30: On the Comeback Trail; This Is No-Contact Hockey?
31: Major Junior Versus College: Making the Right Call.
32: Bada Bing, Bada Boom: Once a Buzzer, Always a Buzzer.
33: Play Every Game Like It’s the Last; It Just Might Be.
34: Crazy Hockey Dad’s Magical Mystery Tour.
35: Blowing the Whistle and Doctor, Doctor.
36: You Try Cutting the Grass of a Quality Control Inspector.
Epilogue.