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Ken Reid's Hometown Hockey Heroes
From
Sportsnet Central
host and broadcaster Ken Reid comes an inspiring and entertaining new collection of hockey stories about local legends who define the game and its values.
In many communities across Canada, hockey lives in the nearby arenas and leagues that forge both decades-long rivalries and unbreakable friendships. Fans show up to cheer not for distant NHL superstars, but for the homegrown heroes who define their town. These players don’t always make it to the big leagues, but they inevitably become legends.
In this entertaining collection, Canadian broadcaster and Sportsnet Central host Ken Reid tells their uplifting stories, from Pictou, Nova Scotia, to Kimberley, British Columbia—and everywhere in between.
There’s Robbie Forbes, who arrived in Newfoundland in the mid-eighties still dreaming of the pros and ended up giving the town a dream of its own when he led the Corner Brook Royals to a Canadian Senior Hockey title. He also happens to be Sidney Crosby’s uncle. In a legendary Ontario community, the name Paul Polillo is spoken in the same reverential breath as Wayne Gretzky in their shared hometown of Brantford. There’s also the tragic story of George Pelawa, who may have been the inspiration for Tom Cochrane & Red Rider’s famous song “Big League.” And Tyson Wuttunee, an Indigenous player in Saskatchewan who, through hockey, found the family and home he’d always longed for.
Featuring heartwarming stories of grit, leadership, and lifelong bonds, Ken Reid’s Hometown Hockey Heroes celebrates how hockey, and the values the game teaches, can shape our communities for the better.
In many communities across Canada, hockey lives in the nearby arenas and leagues that forge both decades-long rivalries and unbreakable friendships. Fans show up to cheer not for distant NHL superstars, but for the homegrown heroes who define their town. These players don’t always make it to the big leagues, but they inevitably become legends.
In this entertaining collection, Canadian broadcaster and Sportsnet Central host Ken Reid tells their uplifting stories, from Pictou, Nova Scotia, to Kimberley, British Columbia—and everywhere in between.
There’s Robbie Forbes, who arrived in Newfoundland in the mid-eighties still dreaming of the pros and ended up giving the town a dream of its own when he led the Corner Brook Royals to a Canadian Senior Hockey title. He also happens to be Sidney Crosby’s uncle. In a legendary Ontario community, the name Paul Polillo is spoken in the same reverential breath as Wayne Gretzky in their shared hometown of Brantford. There’s also the tragic story of George Pelawa, who may have been the inspiration for Tom Cochrane & Red Rider’s famous song “Big League.” And Tyson Wuttunee, an Indigenous player in Saskatchewan who, through hockey, found the family and home he’d always longed for.
Featuring heartwarming stories of grit, leadership, and lifelong bonds, Ken Reid’s Hometown Hockey Heroes celebrates how hockey, and the values the game teaches, can shape our communities for the better.
- GenresHockey
252 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 24, 2023
6 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 22, 2024
It's no secret I am a massive hockey fan. I read this one on my way to Toronto to celebrate my 40th birthday alongside my beloved Maple Leafs. Although they lost, I had a wonderful time exploring the arena, the hockey hall of fame and stuffing my face with plates of food.
With the little downtime I had, I spent it with Ken and the many stories he collected surrounding our hometown hockey heroes. This classification belongs to those players who had an impact in their communities through their minor league teams. In a little over two hundred pages, Reid travels coast to coast interviewing players and fans alike to get their memories of those who skated through plumes of smoke in those tiny barns on the outskirts of big cities.
I may be biased, but being a Cape Bretoner, I really enjoyed reading about New Waterford's Bruce Campbell and his heyday thrilling fans in the 70s. The bit about Paul Polillio was a surprise - a man who patterned his play after Gretzky but unfortunately did not make it to show although those who watched him in his prime say he's a comparable player to Wayne.
I'll absolutely be checking out Ken's other books from here on out. A nice snapshot of those who thrilled audiences but are far from household names. If you loved Slap Shot, give this a try.
With the little downtime I had, I spent it with Ken and the many stories he collected surrounding our hometown hockey heroes. This classification belongs to those players who had an impact in their communities through their minor league teams. In a little over two hundred pages, Reid travels coast to coast interviewing players and fans alike to get their memories of those who skated through plumes of smoke in those tiny barns on the outskirts of big cities.
I may be biased, but being a Cape Bretoner, I really enjoyed reading about New Waterford's Bruce Campbell and his heyday thrilling fans in the 70s. The bit about Paul Polillio was a surprise - a man who patterned his play after Gretzky but unfortunately did not make it to show although those who watched him in his prime say he's a comparable player to Wayne.
I'll absolutely be checking out Ken's other books from here on out. A nice snapshot of those who thrilled audiences but are far from household names. If you loved Slap Shot, give this a try.
December 29, 2023
Every town has its own hockey heroes and Ken Reid scores again by highlighting some of the legends that might have flown under your radar unless they were from your hometown. My favourite story was about Paul Polillo, the other “Great One” from Brantford.
August 19, 2025
Really enjoyed the hometown stories. Great book!
February 29, 2024
A natural storyteller is Ken Reid. If you follow Canadian hockey or sports on our channels for same will know Ken and his co-anchor Ivanka. Passionate about hockey is Ken and also, a proud hometown 'kid' from Pictou, Nova Scotia. And that's how he begins this fine collection of well-researched and interviewed hometown heroes of the ice, from coast to coast. About 14 players from the 70's and 80's mostly are featured, players that stayed in their home area for most of their hockey careers. T-Pot is the first in the spotlight and kicks off a fabulous book no hockey loving Canadian will want to miss. The names of countless teams will delight like the Screaming Eagles of Cape Breton, the many fights and fisticuffs on ice, in the stands, the air blue with smoke (we could smoke inside way back when) and 'barns' filled to over capacity as kids cheered their idols, boys not much older than them. This is a feel-good solid read, fluid in narrative, folksy and easy to read, and re-read. I loved this book and hope Ken carries on with more endearing profiles of 'oldtimers' who played when hockey was what we all watched on Saturday night!
October 26, 2023
Title is a collection of short stories that will interest avid hockey players and fans alike. There’s a theme of camaraderie that runs throughout the book. Ken Reid’s Hometown Hockey Heroes will resonate with anyone who has played competitive hockey.
December 5, 2024
A good account about real life minor hockey heroes from small town Canada. It starts out east and covers a wide swath of small towns across the country. For students of Cdn hockey history, it is a must.
January 7, 2024
Excellent read and a great reminder of the impact hockey has on small towns. So many great stories of guys many of us have never heard of, but who made a major impact on so many.
February 9, 2025
Hockey, Canada, and small town legends.
Nobody tells these tales better than Kenny Reid. What a beaut.
Nobody tells these tales better than Kenny Reid. What a beaut.
November 2, 2025
A reminder of why I love hockey in the first place.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews