Gino: The Fighting Spirit of Gino Odjick

by Patrick Johnston, Peter Leech

From veteran hockey reporter Patrick Johnston and NHL alumni Peter Leech comes the authorized biography of Gino Odjick.

In the 1980s and ’90s, National Hockey League games were very different from the nimble, skill-focused displays we see today. One of the greatest differences—and one of the sport’s more popular facets at the time—was the widespread presence of “enforcers”: hulking, battle-scarred players whose main task was to police the sport by chasing down and brawling with opponents who had broken unwritten codes determining which aspects of violence counted as dishonorable or unjustified.

When hard-hitting Vancouver Canucks player Gino Odjick emerged in the early 1990s, he quickly became one of the game’s most feared enforcers and revered teammates, a sign of a new era for the team, racking up 296 penalty minutes in the 45 games he played in his rookie season. Hailing from Kitigan Zibi, an Algonquin community near Maniwaki, Quebec, Gino was one of the few Indigenous players in the NHL at the time. But it was Gino’s ferocious play contrasted by his genuinely affable and openhearted personality off the ice that won him a special place in the hearts of Canucks supporters.

Yet legends often obscure the human stories behind them. Hockey journalist Patrick Johnston and Peter Leech look beyond Gino’s legendary persona, drawing on insights from family members, friends, and teammates to recount Gino’s early years in a loving household that was always ready to welcome foster children. Gino’s father, Joe, had suffered the lonely traumas of the residential school system, and the experience had instilled a commitment in the family to those who were less fortunate.

The book also details Gino’s eventual struggles with alcohol abuse, and how he responded by taking on the role of empathetic mentor to young Indigenous people, travelling from community to community to hear their stories and offer hope. He never wavered in this role, even as he confronted serious illnesses, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and the rare blood disorder that he survived for years longer than expected, but that eventually led to his death at age fifty-two.

Gino is a moving tribute to a beloved hockey legend.

Genres: Hockey, Canada, Nonfiction, Biography

288 pages, Hardcover

Published October 7, 2025

Reviews

[Marcy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This doesn't feel like Gino had any hand in any of this book unfortunately. I hope that there are some written words from the legend himself I highly recommend looking for his personal interviews. May he rest in piece.

[Paul Sutter]

Once upon a time back in the sixties, I knew every hockey player on the then six teams in the National Hockey League. Over the years the league has expanded often, and now with more than thirty teams, thirty-two to be exact, fighting for Stanley Cup supremacy, those days of knowing everyone has been replaced with the occasional names here and there.
The book GINO THE FIGHTING SPIRIT OF GINO ODJICK, is a most interesting book that will appeal to any fan of hockey especially with regard to the Vancouver Canucks, where he played seven of his seasons. The most goals he scored in one season for the Canucks was 16 in the 1993-1994 season. But Odjick was not really on the ice to score any highlight reel goals. He was known as an enforcer, a player out there to intimidate and deal out retribution, if a star player on his team got a dirty hit. Odjick was known for his amassed penalty minutes, assessed 371 penalty minutes during the 1996-97 season with the Canucks. That managed to break his earlier record of 370 penalty minutes with the team in 1992-93. In fact during his NHL career he joined the elite 2,000 club, in 17th place of the 56 who had accumulated those 2,000 minutes worth of penalties.
He was proud of his role, protecting others, taking tough punches, while dishing out an all-out assault on the one he was battling. There was another aspect of his career, the fact that Odjick was Indigenous, one of only a handful of Indigenous players in the League. He was the son of a residential school survivor, and he never was ashamed to speak of his heritage and his family. He faced ridicule and discrimination throughout his life, but never backed off, proud of his roots and his beginnings. The authors do an excellent job of showing all sides to his life, and while the focus is on his hockey career, off the ice he was respected by all who knew him, as perhaps a tough man on the ice, but with a heart of gold off it.
He also had his demons, but he did not let them define him. Fans embraced his spirit and dedication to the sport. He was inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 2021. He acquired a rare blood disorder but fought and won more than once, until his heart finally gave out in January 2023. The book truly honors a most complex and respected hockey player and human being, giving his fans another reason to cheer him proudly.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book but it just didn't deliver. I think the main thing working against it was its structure... or lack thereof. I can tell that the authors tried to organize the book into themes in Gino's life rather than having it be purely chronological, and I appreciate the effort. But it just didn't work. the first 3 or 4 chapters are a speed run of his playing career. And then the rest of the book is roughly organized around several aspects of his personal life. Overall it felt very disjointed and confusing to read. The writing style was also quite conversational in places, which means long sentences with lots of commas - another factor that made this hard to read.
I grew up as a fan of Gino and this book does do a good job of capturing those glory days in his time as a Canuck as well as providing behind the scenes details about his life. It's too bad that Gino died before he could sit for interviews for this book because his voice is not as prominent in this as it could be. However, the interviews with family, friends, and teammates do help paint a good picture of his life.
3.5 stars rounded down.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A biography of Gino Odjick, covering his both his hockey career and personal life. Co-written by a hockey reporter and one of Odjick's close friends, it doesn't strictly go in chronological order, but instead is done thematically: his time with the Canucks, his early years in Kitigan Zibi, his post-Canucks career, dealing with indigenous peoples, and his post-hockey life and medical issues at the end of his life. At times it is quite a difficult read, as Odjick led a varied life, but a really solid book to read, and one that really shows the good in Odjick, and how he persevered until his death.

[Enid Wray]

An interesting look at a hockey life lived.

As with just about every hockey memoir, this gets bogged down in the minutiae of detail that would only appeal to a true hard core hockey fan.

If that’s you, then enjoy. It’s not me though.

Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for granting me access to an early digital review copy.

DNF

[Mike Broderick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The step by step remembering of past hockey games ends at the 33 percent mark.

This story is much more than just hockey.



Last year I read a book called From The Rez To The Runway.

This is another From The Rez to…….story.

Why do I like this one more? Hockey might be one reason. But, Gino is far more likeable than Christian and far more giving, especially to the Indigenous community.



It would be easy to see this as another hockey biography about a fighter who battled alcohol and died early.

But, it has more than that,

It is a true Indigenous success story. He battled addiction, mental health and a serious heart condition.

He gave back to anyone in need but especially the Indigenous community. Studying his brain, they found CTE, the story of fighting in the NHL and the effects on the brain still needs airtime. The connection between concussions and mental health is still picking up steam. The connections between concussions and Parkinson’s is particularly intriguing.



I would like to make this a 5, but I have to admit that the writing could be better. I found that in circling back to the story after going through his hockey career, it became somewhat repetitive. I understand that I might be the only one that rates it above a 4…..maybe the only one who finishes it. But, I want to continue to draw attention to the themes that we do appreciate in other books might be present in this hockey book.

[Christina❤️✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ Gi-no! Gi-no! Gino!

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing life of a complex individual. Any true Vancouver Canucks fan will enjoy this book.