Hockey Dad: True Confessions of a (Crazy) Hockey ParentJohn Wiley & Sons, 2009 M09 15 - 288 pages 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.
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. |
Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS | iv |
PROLOGUE | vi |
Chapter 1 It was always in the Hockey Cards | 1 |
Chapter 2 Breaking the Ice Its Never Too Early | 5 |
Chapter 3 Family Expansion and Our Little Nerd | 8 |
Chapter 4 I hate Larry Marson and Dissing Mr Hockey | 12 |
Chapter 5 Big changes and the Grand Deception | 17 |
Chapter 6 Cmon Drop the Damn Puck Already | 21 |
Chapter 19 Tough Love and Learning Our Lessons the Hard Way | 109 |
Chapter 20 Of GunShy Dogs and a Crisis of Confidence | 119 |
Chapter 21 No Need for a Coin Toss Twas the Best Year Ever | 128 |
Chapter 22 Rejected The Parents Always Take It Harder Than the Kid | 139 |
Chapter 23 NewAndImproved Shawn Makes A UTurn for the Better | 146 |
Chapter 24 Teach Your Children Well On the Balance Beam | 154 |
Chapter 25 The Draft Year Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places | 161 |
Chapter 26 Discretion Isnt Always The Better Part of Valor | 171 |
Chapter 7 Crossing the Line Giving Mike the Tap | 27 |
Chapter 8 The Straight Poop on Playing Up | 33 |
Chapter 9 Its Fair to Say Were Not Morning People | 39 |
Chapter 10 Breaking the Golden Rule Grab Your Sticks | 45 |
Chapter 11 So Thats How You Want to Play the Game Is It? | 52 |
Chapter 12 I Didnt Realize You Had Only One Son | 60 |
Chapter 13 Was It Commitment or Should I Have Been Committed? | 67 |
Chapter 14 Talking the Talk Walking the Walk A Coach Is Born | 73 |
Chapter 15 Falling into the Trap in More Ways Than One | 79 |
Chapter 16 Vengeance Is a Dish Best Served Curved | 86 |
Chapter 17 The Best Reward Bar None and Hockey Parents From Hell | 95 |
Chapter 18 The FourPoint Plan Not as Stupid as I Look | 101 |
Chapter 27 Making the Big Time Shawn Steps It Up | 177 |
Chapter 28 Turn out the Lights the Party is Over | 184 |
Chapter 29 Into The Abyss and The Long Hard Road Back | 196 |
Chapter 30 On the Comeback Trail This Is NoContact Hockey? | 205 |
Chapter 31 Major Junior Versus College Making the Right Call | 216 |
Chapter 32 Bada Bing Bada Boom Once a Buzzer Always a Buzzer | 227 |
Chapter 33 Play Every Game Like Its the Last It Just Might Be | 239 |
Chapter 34 Crazy Hockey Dads Magical Mystery Tour | 246 |
Chapter 35 Blowing the Whistle and Doctor Doctor | 255 |
Chapter 36 You Try Cutting the Grass of a Quality Control Inspector | 263 |
Epilogue | 272 |