Great Canadian Sports Stories

38 pieces that will be remembered for seasons to come For 25 years, sports journalists south of the border have been collected in best-of anthologies. With Best Canadian Sports Writing, editors Stacey May Fowles and Pasha Malla offer a long overdue rejoinder from the North, showcasing top literary sports writing from diverse homegrown talent. This extraordinary anthology of recent writing mixes columns and long-form journalism, profiles and reportage, new voices and well-known favourites such as Stephen Brunt, Rachel Giese, Eric Koreen, Morgan Campbell, and Cathal Kelly. The assembled pieces offer polished prose, unusual perspectives, and rare insight into their subjects, whether itÕs a Filipino basketball league in the Yukon, the rise and fall of ski ballet, or a field trip to the Mexican hometown of the JaysÕ Roberto Osuna. With its many voices and approaches, Best Canadian Sports Writing expands the genre into more democratic and conversational territory, celebrating the perspectives of both fans and experts alike. These remarkable pieces offer lasting insight that, like sport itself, excites, inspires, and never fails to reveal the truth about ourselves.

A good sports debate is easy to find. Every city and town in Canada has hosted lively discussions about which teams made the best moves at the trade deadline. Phone lines burn by the second as friends bicker over who was the greatest of all time. Blogs and discussion forums explode to life when a blockbuster trade is made, or a world record is set. From every corner of the country, they bleed their teams’ colours, dissecting every transaction and highlight, living and dying with every run or goal scored. They come from all walks of life, from the largest metropolises, and the tiniest hamlets. They are of every race and ethnicity, man, woman or child. But when they enter the arena, they are all sports fans. They all have a voice, and an opinion. And they’re begging for someone to challenge them. This book will engage Canadian sports fans in the ultimate debate. The 100 Greatest Canadian Sports Moments will be, first and foremost, a thorough collection of the most celebrated events the country has ever seen. It will provide Canadians with a rare opportunity to see contemporary heroes like Cindy Klassen share the spotlight with classic Canadian icons like George Chuvalo. It will also include fresh new perspectives from the athletes themselves, as well as those whose lives were touched by the performances they witnessed. It’s a wonderful way to shed light on Canada’s most memorable sports achievements. But there’s more: the achievements are ranked. Cue the debate. With the help of a panel of Canadian sports personalities -- including renowned sports broadcaster Chris Cuthbert, national sports columnist Stephen Brunt and reporters from TSN, The Score, the National Post, the Toronto Sun and The Canadian Press -- Canada’s top 100 sports newsmakers have been forged in place, from #100 all the way down to #1. It’s a collection certain to have both casual and die-hard sports fans in agreement -- or argument! This book will feed the hunger Canadian fans have for more -- more animated discussion and healthy debate, more information about some of our country’s most storied achievements, and more from-the-heart testimonials from the architects of these fabulous stories. And most of all, it will get everyone talking -- from coast to coast. This book is the most comprehensive collection of celebrated sports events this country has ever seen. Journalist James Bisson has gone out on a limb to choose and rank the list of the top 100, assisted by a distinguished panel of eighteen sports media personalities from the four largest newspapers in the country and three all–sports television networks, including The Globe and Mail’s Stephen Brunt, the Toronto Star’s Dave Feschuk, TSN’s James Duthie and Chris Cuthbert, the National Post’s Sean Fitzgerald and The Score’s Derek Snider. Agree or disagree, vote for your favourites and join in the debate on the articles page.

Whether it's the sports we invented or the sports we just love, this book examines Canada's role in sports history. Basketball Night in Canada? How about the Synchronized Swimming Playoffs? Perhaps not, but did you know that both basketball and synchronized swimming were invented by Canadians? This new addition to the Canada Close Up series steps up and delivers a fact-filled enjoyable read about sports and sports stars. And the full-colour photos help the reader relive some truly great moments in the action-packed world of sports. The books in the Canada Close Up series are a great reference tool for young readers. Simple explanations, engaging photographs, and a user-friendly table of contents make them the perfect resource for projects, and an informative readfor a curious young mind.

"This anthology collects a wide range of Canada's literary imaginations, telling great stories about the wild and fascinating world of sport ... Written by both men and women, the generations of insights provided in this collection expose some of the most intimate details of sports and sporting life - the hard-earned victories, and the sometimes inevitable tragedies. You will get to know those who play the game, as well as those who watch it, coach it, write about it, dream about it, live and die by it."--Back cover.

In the first ever anthology of its kind, Canada’s premier sportswriter — Globe and Mail columnist and author of the internationally acclaimed bestseller Facing Ali — brings together the best writing on sport in this country, with a strong contemporary flavour. It’s all here: classic reports on Canada’s great sporting triumphs, from Joe Carter’s World Series–winning home run for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993 to the excitement of the back-to-back men’s and women’s hockey gold medals in Salt Lake City. Stephen Brunt gives an entire section to writers who, unlike those covering other beats, must work tightly by the clock, submitting their stories just as soon as the action for the day is over. But he has also chosen our best writers’ more thoughtful pieces on our national obsessions — such as Ed Willes on the WHA’s seven tumultuous years and Wayne Johnston on the Original Six — and a good sampling of the great sportswriters such as Trent Frayne, Peter Gzowski and Milt Dunnell. The net effect is an examination of the deep role sport plays in our lives and imaginations, in our sense of self and nationhood. Stephen Brunt has cast his net widely. He includes superb stories of lower profile Canadian sports such as wrestling and horse racing, even Monster Truck battles, and allows space for his own unequalled and unforgettable profiles of Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, as well as his post-mortem on Ben Johnson’s fall from grace. Full of triumph and heartbreak, great writing and great passions — and a few wonderful surprises — this book will be essential reading for every serious sports fan. Including: • Ian Brown on the stud-horse business • Christie Blatchford on the 2003 Women’s Olympic Hockey Gold • Rosie DiManno on the Men’s • James Christie on Ben Johnson’s 1988 Olympic triumph in Seoul • Michael Faber on Pat Burns • Red Fisher on Lemieux and Gretzky at the 1987 Canada Cup • Trent Frayne on Canadian Open golf champ Ken Green deciding to play Sun City during apartheid • Bruce Grierson on Canada’s best squash player • Peter Gzowski on the Oilers with Gretzky • Tom Hawthorn on John Brophy’s last brawl • Brian Hutchinson on Owen Hart’s widow’s revenge • Wayne Johnston on the Montreal Canadiens • Guy Lawson on curling • Allan Maki on the 1989 Hamilton–Saskatchewan Grey Cup • Dave Perkins on the biggest home run in World Series history • Mordecai Richler on snooker’s Cliff Thorburn • Steve Simmons on Donovan Bailey • Mike Ulmer on Cujo’s charm and more…