Must-reads for SPORTS JUNKIES
Page-turners run gamut from brain trauma to a legendary Edmonton Oiler
Concussion
Jeanne Marie Laskas Random House This is the book behind what promises to be the most controversial movie of the holiday season: Concussion. The movie opens Dec. 25, starring Will Smith as Dr. Bennet Omalu, the neuropathologist who discovered Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in the brain of Pittsburgh Steelers legend Mike Webster. That led him to posit that the disease was no accident, but linked to the repeated blows to the head Webster received during his days in the National Football League. This is the story of how Omalu came to that point in his career and how his fight to make his findings public pitted him against the NFL and others. Well-told and well-paced, this is a must-read for those who care about the health of professional athletes, and those who prefer books to movies.
Find A Way
Diana Nyad Alfred A. Knopf This is in every way a story of athletic achievement. But it’s also a story about the human spirit, the human drive, and a message that no matter what your age you should never give up. Diana Nyad made headlines in September 2013 when she completed a 180-kilometre swim from Cuba to Florida in 53 hours. She was 64 years old at the time, and had failed to complete the swim four previous times — 30 years earlier. What allowed this woman — who in the 1970s was known as the world’s greatest long-distance swimmer — to finally compete this goal in her 60s? That, really, is the question this book revolves around. Nyad, a former sports broadcaster and journalist, makes it worth the read.
Open Heart, Open Mind
Clara Hughes Simon & Schuster Canada Perhaps the most famous Olympic athlete in Canada, Clara Hughes won hearts across the nation for her athletic achievements — she is the lone Canadian to reach the podium at both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games — and her incredible smile. This is the story behind that smile. Hughes bares all, offering up an insightful look at not only what it takes to become an Olympian but at her own struggles, brought on by her upbringing in Manitoba and her own personal demons. From drugs and alcohol, to eating disorders, to a positive test for a performanceenhancing drug (which she denies having knowingly taken), to emotionally abusive coaches, little is left untouched. Hughes proves with this book she cannot only compete, but she can write.
Golden Oldies: Stories of Hockey’s Heroes
Brian McFarlane ECW Press Former longtime Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster Brian McFarlane digs deep into hockey history to offer fascinating, and candid, insights into such long-ago characters as Sprague Cleghorn, early Canadiens owner Leo Dandurand as well as more recent icons like coach “Badger” Bob Johnson (for whom it was always “a great day for hockey”). But where this 238page book really stands out is shining a light on the personal struggles of such lesser-known figures as goalie Clint Malarchuk and his deep depression in the years following his horrific skate to the throat injury; or (of particular interest to Vancouver Canucks fans) the awful way the team shunned journeyman defenceman Mike Robitaille in the 1970s after he sustained a serious back injury, and which ultimately resulted in him successfully suing the club. These are, in different ways from different eras, heroic figures.
Slaying the Tiger: A year inside the ropes on the new PGA Tour
Shane Ryan Ballantine Books For people of a certain generation, golf was dominated by one player — Tiger Woods — with an odd guest appearance by the likes of Phil Mickelson. All that changed in 2014, when a new generation of golfers played their way into the spotlight: Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Martin Kaymer, Dustin Johnson, Keegan Bradley and others. To tell their stories — and in telling their stories, tell the story of the PGA Tour during a season of change — Shane Ryan embedded himself on the tour, going to every event, every press conference, witnessing all the wins, losses, victory speeches and tirades. The result is a thoughtful and compelling look at the past season, but also of things to come.
100 Things Canadiens Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die
Pat Hickey Triumph Books The Montreal Canadiens may be the most storied team (24 Stanley Cups will do that for you) in NHL history, a franchise whose exploits have been written about multiple times over the years, but author Pat Hickey has hit upon a new concept, a different way of getting at the magic that is Les Habitants. This isn’t just about Canadiens trivia of which many fans are aware (GM Sam Pollock’s draft machinations that landed super junior Guy Lafleur in 1971, or the 1955 Richard riots), but also informed advice on where to get a great pregame meal or the best road cities — and why — if you want to follow the team. Still, it’s the history, the iconic players, coaches and managers who have represented the Canadiens, for which their most well known, and Hickey (a longtime Montreal Gazette sportswriter) spins those stories in a thoroughly entertaining fashion.
Up, Up, & Away: The Kid, The Hawk, Rock, Vladi, Pedro, Le Grand Orange, Youppi!, The Crazy Business of Baseball, & the ill-fated but Unforgettable Montreal Expos
Jonah Keri Vintage Canada A must-read for Expos fans, this book provides an in-depth look at Montreal’s former Major League Baseball team, both the highs and the heartbreaking lows. Broken into eras, it offers enough to satisfy both diehard fans and stats geeks and casual fans who more easily recall Youppi! than Vladi. With some fun illustrations and other elements along the way (including a French-English translation of key baseball lingo), it in most ways lives up to the cover billing as a “rollicking retrospective.” Author Jonah Keri also manages to leave us feeling slightly hopeful that if all things go well, there may yet be another chapter to write.
The Toughest I Ever Faced: Hockey Hall of Fame Players Remember Rivals, Teammates & Heroes
Steve Milton Firefly Books Another novel concept: Ask 33 of hockey’s greatest players through seven decades who their toughest opponent was; or most underrated rival; or, in the case of a Hall of Fame goaltender like the Boston Bruins’ Gerry Cheevers, the defenceman he most loved to play behind (No, it wasn’t Bobby Orr, but you’re “close,” as it were). This is a thoroughly entertaining magazine-sized, 235-page read, complete with glossy photos. It takes us from the 1940s and “Terrible Ted” Lindsay (His ranking of the toughest player? Red Wings’ teammate “Black Jack” Stewart) right through to twotime Stanley Cup champion “Burnaby Joe” Sakic’s take on the opponent “who got the best of me,” fellow B.C. Lower Mainlander Cam Neely. Plus, author Steve Milton profiles each of the 33 players handing out the grades. As for the Cheevers’ answer? Orr’s silent partner, steady Dallas Smith.
Brady vs. Manning: The Untold Story of the Rivalry that transformed the NFL
Gary Myers Crown Archetype They are living legends and fierce rivals. They have also divided NFL fans into two groups: are you Team Brady or Team Peyton? If you’re one of those people who can’t get enough of these two, this book is for you. Veteran NFL correspondent Gary Myers digs into their stories from pretty much every angle — their backgrounds, their rise to the NFL, their wins and losses, their injuries — but also attempts to answer all those other questions fans want to know: What do they think of each other? What are they like away from the field? What do their teammates think of them? Drawing on a huge number of interviews, Myers has crafted a comprehensive and entertaining look at two of the greatest quarterbacks who have ever played the game.
Grant Fuhr: The Story of a Hockey Legend
Grant Fuhr, with Bruce Dowbiggin Vintage Canada Grant Fuhr wasn’t all about the numbers — just the really important ones. A goaltender who compiled career stats of 3.38 goals-against average and a .888 save percentage, he ranks 10th all-time with 403 wins. But Fuhr’s best number: Five Stanley Cup titles with the run-and-gun Edmonton Oilers. Author Bruce Dowbiggin, with recurring first-person comments from Fuhr, traces the Spruce Grove, Alta., native’s life from his adoption and modest upbringing to junior stardom with the WHL’s Victoria Cougars and the Hall of Fame career. We learn about the personal struggles he had with his father’s death in 1986 and his substance abuse issues. A key to Fuhr’s success? Well, other than that lightning-quick, right-hand glove — a laid-back personality. Beneath the calm, though, was fire, and Dowbiggin skilfully brings that to light.