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MuNk22 · 04-17-2024, 11:05 PM

Throughout my junior hockey career in the SMJHL, I liked to read books during down time. Whether it was on the road to the next opponent, in the hotel room, after practice, or at home with my billet family there was typically a book in my hands. I feel like reading helps me slow down and refocus. Plus, I just love learning more about this great game.

The following are book reviews / recommendations for each year I played in the SMJHL. But the people are from another universe; you may have heard of them.

S73: Nine Lessons I Learned from My Father by Murray Howe

For my first season in junior hockey, I read this book by Mr. Hockey's son. It's not necessarily a book about hockey but a book about a great person who happened to be a hockey player. We all know that Gordie Howe was the man on the ice but Murray explains why he was a great person and dad. Gordie sets a great example of how a hockey player should act in every day life. It's an inspiration as I start my own hockey career with my eyes on the ultimate goal of the SHL.

Released one year after Gordie passed away, Murray memorializes his father in the way that he knew him. Murray shares stories and lessons passed down to him about the Howe household that were a testament to Gordie's character as a father, husband, and member of the community. Murray Howe was the only son Gordie had that didn't play professional hockey. He actually became a doctor instead. But Gordie loved him just the same and never pressured him to pursue a professional career in hockey. Murray's love for his father and grief for his father's passing pours out in this excellent read.

S74: Mr Hockey: My Story by Gordie Howe

Starting my sophomore season in the SMJHL, this selection was a natural followup to satisfy my growing interest in learning more about Gordie Howe. Unlike the book I read in my rookie season, this one dives into Gordie Howe as a hockey player. And not just any hockey player but Mr. Hockey. The greatest there ever was.

This autobiography covers his youth growing up in the prairies of Saskatchewan, to juniors to his famous career with the Red Wings, to the WHA where he played side by side with his sons, and his retirement from hockey at age 52. His book is filled with gritty stories of old time hockey. It was a page turner and I couldn't put it down. I ignored many of my Colorado Raptors teammates because I was so enthralled with reading this one.

I could only dream of reaching the same heights in the SHL as Gordie reached in the NHL.

S75: Boy on Ice: The Life and Death of Derek Boogaard by John Branch

This chilling book covers the life and tragic death of NHL enforcer Derek Boogaard. It's a book that highlights a darker side to hockey as Derek becomes addicted to painkillers to numb the pain of a career in fighting. As Derek's career spirals downward, his life tragically ends with an accidental overdose. Posthumously, his brain was examined and it was revealed to have severe CTE.

John Branch's book made me rethink how I approach my own hockey career. I'm definitely not an enforcer but I'm not shy about dropping the gloves and Colorado fans certainly are aware of the devastating hits I deliver. I'm young but I need to realize that I'm not invincible. I am mortal and fallible and susceptible to all sorts of injuries. Therefore, I should take better care of my health if I want to have a long and successful career in the SHL.

There's a stark contrast between this book and the book on Gordie Howe I read the season prior. With Gordie Howe, the fighting and the violence he embodied as a personal trademark was glorified. But with Derek Boogaard, it's a cautionary tale on the perils of extreme violence in hockey. Fighting is heavily criticized in this book along with team and league official's indifference to the consequences of it.

Aside from the fighting, I felt that a big take away I learned from this book was the in depth look at modern junior hockey. Early chapters of the book lay out Derek's not-so-glamorous junior career in the Western Hockey League. While I did not move from team to team like he did, I could draw comparisons to some of my teammates that came and went in Colorado. I saw with some of the same issues with billets. I saw others just not make it in the SMJHL, replaced by the never ending pool of better and younger players. I saw teammates homesick and lonely, playing hockey with a bunch of strange teenagers from all across the world. Behind this ultra competitive developmental league, there's a real human toll.

I mostly read this dark disturbing story in the winter, on bus rides along dark snowy highways. It tanked my mental health for awhile as I questioned if pursuing a career in hockey was even worth it. But as the weather warmed up, I finished the book, our team won the Four Star Cup and forgot all about it. I figured I just need to take self-care more seriously, keep my friends close, and realize that there are many people in my corner rooting for my success.

S76: Legacy on Ice: Blake Geoffrion and the Fastest Game on Earth by Sam Jefferies

In my senior season with the Colorado Raptors, I read this book and realized things don't always end up like you expect. Legacy On Ice is a book that focuses primarily on Blake Geoffrion's junior and collegiate career in hockey.

Blake is the grandson of the Montreal Canadiens legend Boom Boom Geoffrion, who invented the slap shot. His great grandfather is the legendary Howie Morenz, who also played for the Canadiens. Although his family is steeped in Quebec greatness, his father (also played for the Habs briefly) moved him to Nashville, Tennessee where nobody knew the name Geoffrion.

In the United States, Blake moved up the ranks in USA hockey. He won gold medals with the US national team. He won the Hobey Baker award as the best player in college hockey. In the NHL draft, he was selected by his hometown team, the Nashville Predators, only to be traded later on....back to Montreal where his ancestors are famous.

He seemed to have everything going for him until his career was ended in a blink of an eye off of a seemingly normal hit in a preseason game. In a freak accident, he caught a hip check from Jean-Philippe Côté that flipped Blake onto his head, fracturing his skull. Blake never played hockey again.

It's a reminder that no matter how well things are going, it could end in an instant. With this season being my final year in the SMJHL, I'm learning to take nothing for granted. Despite my recent success, a long career in the SHL is not guaranteed. I just need to take it day by day, game by game, and enjoy the ride.

Word count: 1205

*slothfacekilla* · 04-17-2024, 11:12 PM

Love this, some good books on the list too!

Canadian_Goose25 · 04-17-2024, 11:55 PM

Books are always goated really

Dextaria · 04-18-2024, 12:29 AM

This is amazing! Would love to hear about the future hockey books that you read!

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