Hockey Towns

Every Canadian town has a hockey story, and Ron MacLean has a hockey story for every town. A new book by the co-author of the national bestseller Cornered. When you first meet Ron MacLean, he asks where you’re from, and he always comes back with a story. No one has crossed this country more than MacLean. In his 28 years on Hockey Night in Canada and now as host of Rogers’ Hometown Hockey, Ron has met fascinating people from coast to coast and has great stories to tell. Now, in this new book, MacLean is back, with brand new tales from across the country. These are stories you’ve never heard before. From London to Castlegar, Yellowknife to Cole Harbour, Medicine Hat to Trois Rivieres, from Bantam to Junior B to the NHL, our country is full of great characters: Players, coaches, hockey moms and hockey dads; rivalries, practical jokes, careers that grew out of nothing and "can’t lose" prospects who flamed out too soon; spectacular triumphs, heart-breaking tragedies and tales of friendship, betrayal, love and loyalty—all compelling, entertaining and inspiring. Once again working with Kirstie McLellan Day, co-author of the blockbuster bestsellers Playing With Fire, Tough Guy and Cornered, this is MacLean at his finest.

Winning is about more than putting the puck in the net. A team needs to work hard every day, both on and off the ice, to create the strength and determination required to make a run at victory. It also takes a community of people dedicated to helping in any way they can. The Soo Greyhounds have become one of the most dynamic, successful, and exciting teams playing hockey in North America, but they didn’t get there alone. In Sault Ste. Marie, it takes a village to raise a hockey team. Player profiles include some of the Greyhounds’ alumni, such as Wayne Gretzky, Ron Francis, Joe Thornton, Paul Coffey, Adam Foote, John Vanbiesbrouck and Craig Hartsburg as they pursued their hockey and other dreams. Hound Town looks at the relationship between a team and its community as the franchise heads into its forty-fifth season. It also, demystifies the operations of a hockey franchise in the OHL by providing accurate information to assist players, parents, advisors, and fans. Through player profiles, highlights and struggles from each season, and a look behind the scenes at the amazing people who provide support, it shows that the Soo Greyhounds are an integral part of Sault Ste. Marie, and truly the community’s team. From the team’s first season in 1972 to the shifting trends in today’s game, the book provides an insider’s perspective on a seminal OHL hockey club, and what it takes to make Sault Ste. Marie one of the best hockey towns anywhere.

In 1996, Bill Boyd set out on the Trans-Canada highway, taking in a few hockey games along the way. In the year that followed, he travelled from Powell River, British Columbia to Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, stopping in communities such as Nanton, Alberta; Estevan, Saskatchewan; Peterborough, Ontario; Victoriaville, Quebec; and Truro, Nova Scotia. In these towns, Boyd finds the people who care about the game and work to keep it alive. Through the words of the fans, the coaches, the scouts, the ex-NHLers and the young hopefuls, "Hockey Towns presents a vivid, heartwarming portrait of our national pastime.

At a time when Canada's influence in hockey seems to be slipping, Hockey Towns assures us that the spirit of the game will endure in our communities. William Boyd takes us on a journey across Canada -- from Glace Bay, Nova Scotia to Powell River, British Columbia -- for a look at hockey outside the big cities. Visiting places like Truro, Nova Scotia (where there's a run for the Allan Cup, senior hockey's top prize), Bienfait, Saskatchewan, and Stonewall, Manitoba, Boyd finds the people who care about the game and work to keep it alive. He sits in on junior-league coaching sessions, heated playoff games between rival teams, and the coffee-shop conversations that relive the good old days. Hockey Towns paints a vivid picture of where hockey came from and where it is today, from the enthusiastic kids who practice early Saturday mornings to the former NHL players who keep the spirit alive in their late-night oldtimers' games. What emerges is a heartwarming portrait of our national pastime on a small-town level, where its roots have always been.

All Roads Lead to Hockey reflects Bill Boyd's lengthy odyssey across the North American continent in search of hockey's roots. From Barrie, Ontario, where he reflects on one of the best junior hockey teams, all the way to Laredo, Texas, where he investigates a thriving Hispanic hockey program, Boyd vividly portrays a transnational pastime. (Texas, it turns out, has more professional hockey teams than any other U.S. state or Canadian province.) All Roads Lead to Hockey features interviews with fans, current players, retired champions, and coaches, including hockey legend Jim Brophy. Through their words, Boyd captures hockey?s timeless magic.

During the winter of 2019 I drove 9,790 kilometers over 49 days to watch 18 junior hockey league games, eat some great food, and enjoy the scenery and the feel of my car on unfamiliar roads. I documented my trip through snowy Quebec and Canada's scenic Maritime provinces. I hope you enjoy this odd little adventure and road trip.

What makes a hockey town? It helps that the world's greatest hockey franchise - the Montreal Canadiens - made the Peterborough Petes part of their powerful farm system in the mid-1950s. And it definitely helps that a number of great coaches - from Scotty Bowman to Roger Neilson - have stood behind the Petes' bench. The town's reputation gains lustre, also, from the roster of its player alumni, including such luminaries as Dit Clapper, Stan Jonathan, Barclay Plager, Rick MacLeish, Bob Gainey, Steve Yzerman, Steve Larmer, Mike Ricci, Chris Pronger, and Jamie Langenbrunner - to name just a few. It's worth noting, in passing, that Walter Gretzky wanted young Wayne to play for the Petes. (And Wayne did, too, for three games.) All these factors help to explain how Peterborough achieved pre-eminence among hockey cradles. But there's more to it than this. The story is told thousands of times each winter. It is told by the dads who flood the backyard rinks at three in the morning. It is told by the moms who take their kids to the rink in time for the 6:00 a.m. practice. It is told by the parents who coach and manage the midget teams. Above all, it is told by the players who practise slap shots endlessly in the basement, who play road hockey tirelessly in the spring, and who dream constantly of the day when they will make their mark in the NHL. In telling the stories of Peterborough's parents, coaches, and hockey-mad kids, of the ones who made it big in the professional game, and of a few who tried and failed, Ed Arnold comes close to capturing the magic of the best sport in the world. From the Hardcover edition.