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SHATTERED ICE
A story about my hockey odyssey and passion for the game. My compelling journey starts on a schoolyard rink in Kitchener, Ontario. Filled with inspiring memoirs, relationships, players and coaches, including chance childhood meetings with Darryl Sittler and Wayne Gretzky. Along the way, young dreams turn to reality as I play my first NHL game at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, starting on a line with Dale Hunter & John Druce. Impassioned coaches I played for like Bryan Murray, Terry Murray, Barry Trotz, and Doug MacLean influenced my love of the sport and outlook on life. Truthful hockey experience while suffering silently from mental illness I didn't understand, grew in my teen years. Full of entertaining thoughtful stories, SHATTERED ICE is a hockey journey, a Canadian hockey journey, my journey!
- GenresHockey
340 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 2, 2019
2 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 20, 2020
A true reflection of how playing high level sport Creates both highs and lows of life. I enjoyed reading Steve’s book and learning about his past!
October 11, 2020
People seem to like to read books about sports superstars. In hockey, there are several books at all reading levels about Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, before them Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, before them Guy Lafleur etc.
So why would anyone want to read about a career minor leaguer who had a cup of coffee in the NHL like Steve Seftel. Many people have never heard of him, have no idea what brought him from infancy to professional hockey and subsequently out of the sport.
Why? The “complaint” in the prior sentence is actually the answer to the question - THAT lack of knowledge is PRECISELY why “Shattered Ice” should be picked up and read. Steve Seftel, who wrote his own story apparently without the assistance of a ghost-writer, talks about the combination of talent, skill, hard work, and luck that combined to bring him up the ranks in hockey. Those same factors – especially “luck”, the bad luck of some untimely injuries – is also part of how he was held back in his quest for an NHL career.
Steve Seftel tells a story that is probably more common than “young boy grows up to be hockey superstar” – but still much rarer than the experience that most of us lived, where the closest we’ve come to professional sports is to purchase a ticket to a game.
RATING: 4 ½ stars., rounded down to 4 stars where 1/2 stars are not permitted.
So why would anyone want to read about a career minor leaguer who had a cup of coffee in the NHL like Steve Seftel. Many people have never heard of him, have no idea what brought him from infancy to professional hockey and subsequently out of the sport.
Why? The “complaint” in the prior sentence is actually the answer to the question - THAT lack of knowledge is PRECISELY why “Shattered Ice” should be picked up and read. Steve Seftel, who wrote his own story apparently without the assistance of a ghost-writer, talks about the combination of talent, skill, hard work, and luck that combined to bring him up the ranks in hockey. Those same factors – especially “luck”, the bad luck of some untimely injuries – is also part of how he was held back in his quest for an NHL career.
Steve Seftel tells a story that is probably more common than “young boy grows up to be hockey superstar” – but still much rarer than the experience that most of us lived, where the closest we’ve come to professional sports is to purchase a ticket to a game.
RATING: 4 ½ stars., rounded down to 4 stars where 1/2 stars are not permitted.
June 11, 2021
It was a great book as I'm a huge hockey fan and Washington Capitals fan. I listened to the audiobook and the author read it which made it better as he is an ex-jock Hockey player and it comes off as genuine. There were some issues..he talked about listening to Tom Cochrane's "Life is a Highway" in 1987 and if I recall, that song came out about 1992. Also, the previews said that it covers his mental health issues and that really only comes through at the end. But it's a great recap of the hockey journey that Canadian players have starting from youth hockey, major junior level, minor league, and the taste of the NHL itself. Great stories and anecdotes of past players famous and not famous. Awesome old Caps stuff.
September 10, 2023
Thin on content
Unfortunately this book read like a writing assignment more than a book. The book glossed over the author's career, without going into any detail. Each season of hockey was summed up in as little as a paragraph or two. There was not any development of relationships with any of the acquaintances within the book. I often looked to see how close to the end of the book I was. To summarize, the author was injured a lot which resulted in a career ending early. He didn't even go into depth with the final discussion that ultimately led the author to end his career.
Unfortunately this book read like a writing assignment more than a book. The book glossed over the author's career, without going into any detail. Each season of hockey was summed up in as little as a paragraph or two. There was not any development of relationships with any of the acquaintances within the book. I often looked to see how close to the end of the book I was. To summarize, the author was injured a lot which resulted in a career ending early. He didn't even go into depth with the final discussion that ultimately led the author to end his career.
June 27, 2024
This book was about a relatively unknown player on a team that played for a team that I cared little about. Truth be told, I picked up the book because the author was from my hometown. The beginning offered a sense of nostalgia going through Kitchener, Ontario, playing in arenas that I played in. It is a pretty straightforward review of Steve Seftel's hockey career with a few fun anecdotes and no debauchery, which was a refreshing change. "Shattered Ice" became more interesting as it progressed with Seftel delving into his own psyche and offering a window into his anxiety, without it being an over-the-top book on mental illness. Refreshing.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews