The Greatest Goal

by Mike Leonetti, Sean Thompson (Illustrations)

In this enduring father-son classic with colorful, evocative illustrations, 10-year-old Paul has just joined the hockey team and loves to practice every day with his dad. When Dad gets a promotion and can no longer play with him, Paul will have to do with watching the exciting Canada vs. Soviet Union series with him at night. Paralleling the play-by-play, goal-by-goal, game-by-game excitement, Paul and his father rally through the series, until finally the tie-breaking final game arrives. It's a day of delight and disappointment, revealing the unbelievable and the unexpected, and setting readers on the edge of their chairs.

32 pages, Paperback

First published May 3, 2002

Reviews

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do not remember the '72 series first hand, but heard stories from those that do. This book captures the spirit of a nation during that incredible series. It is told through the eyes of a young hockey player who looked up to and admired Paul Henderson. It recounts the events of those amazing 8 games and especially Paul Henderson's winning goal. Wonderfully illustrated and written, this will be treasured by hockey fans both old and young.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young boy tells about the 1972 Canadian Soviet hockey series. He learns in the process to be a better team player, passing the puck to others. There is a play by play of the key moments throughout the entire game series, which can be unappealing to those who are not highly interested in the subject.

There is a nice focus on Canada as a country, with a map showing the players’ hometowns. Prime Minister Trudeau is shown dropping the puck as well. T

There are coloured large print words with random uppercase letters thrown into the middle. “-we’re tryiNg our bEst,”he said.” This formatting makes the book less than ideal to give to students who are learning proper punctuation.

There is a team list on the inside cover with each player’s name, position and number. There is a full page bio of Paul Henderson and a page on the 1972 Canada-Soviet series.