Unpopular moves on the ice
For a sports town like Pittsburgh, the desire to keep things the same — to stick with traditions and the classic ways — is a given. With the modern age, however, comes change that not everyone likes or is prepared for. Resistance to change comes with the territory, particularly on the sports field, court or arena ice.
While there have been some Pride Day-type events in hockey, there’s been little else to support queer athletes in the sport. It is this seemingly intolerant world that the new novel “Heading North” occupies. Written by Holly M. Wendt, the novel traces a young player on the verge of an NHL career following his difficult departure from his home in Russia.
Ms. Wendt, an Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pa., writes knowledgably of the hockey world, but sets her story within the confines of a fictional team — the San Francisco Pilots (short for pilot whales, as indicated by its logo on the cover). While there are passing references to real teams competing against the Pilots, the homophobia that is reputedly rampant within the NHL is made even more real.
This is front and center in the story’s protagonist, Viktor Myrnikov, who navigates his closeted existence amid devastating loss just when his big career moment is imminent: His teammate, who is also his lover, is killed in an airplane crash — a flight Viktor was almost on as well. He is pulled out just before departure by a coach who wants him elsewhere.
The fictional version of the NHL in the United States, as is the case with its counterpart in Russia, possesses at least the presumption that no gay player is, or should be, out. Recent events in the real NHL have shed light on its unpopular moves regarding LGBTQ issues. Viktor’s story is compelling, because almost no one is there for him. Viktor and a select few have to resolve their feelings, or suffer ostracism and damage to their careers.
A weak spot in this novel is the fact that Viktor was the lone survivor of a plane crash that killed his entire team — but this aspect of the incident is barely mentioned. It seems like a major point: Coaches and other players would have addressed the fallout, but it’s almost a non-existent element of this narrative.
Viktor’s story is enhanced throughout by supporting characters: Kirill Stepnov, a legendary former player and the father of his teammate/lover Nikolai, and Adie Barnett, an ally and one of the Pilot’s trainers (who’s from Pittsburgh). Adie was outed but suffered no loss of career despite some negative reaction around the hockey world. Viktor’s complex relationship with this man expands the story greatly, and their interactions on and off the ice bring more humanity into the tale as it progresses.
Ms. Wendt’s descriptions of the intricacies of hockey and its violence seem spoton, with slurs and hits and coaches trying to determine what things were said amid language difficulties. Also noteworthy is the adeptness of the author to write with a strong rhythm that captures the mental obsessions that can dominate the mind when it’s filled with powerful emotions and anxieties distracting from the tasks at hand.
Like some Penguins games, this novel picks up pace in its final third, as dialogue between primary characters carries Viktor’s story amid his increased playing time and expanding interactions with his fellow Pilots, particularly Adie Barnett, the outed trainer he’s becoming closer to with each passing day. The repercussions from all the varied revelations involving this young hockey star are jarring at times, but not all that surprising, given the polarization among people today.
The title, “Heading North,” is a reference to progress, be it figurative or literal. The north-south game in hockey, focusing on the drive up the ice, is where Viktor tries to keep his focus, even as he works through his necessary career and personal crises. Ms. Wendt’s novel, despite some shortcomings, is a timely and necessary message to hockey and the sports world.