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One to Remember: Stories from 39 Members of the NHL's One Goal Club

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From the national bestselling author of One Night Only comes 39 new stories about what a big-league goal can mean to an NHLer

If you've ever picked up a hockey stick, chances are you've dreamed of scoring in the National Hockey League. Ken Reid interviews and profiles 39 men who did just that: they bulged the twine in the best hockey league in the world . . . but only once. From minor league call-ups to season-long mainstays and even a Hall of Famer, One to Remember brings you the stories of 39 men who scored just a single NHL goal.

What did that one tally mean? Was it enough to satisfy a lifelong ambition, or was it just the smallest taste of success? Is the achievement still cherished years later? Or is it bittersweet, a distant reminder of what could have been? This follow-up to Reid's national bestseller One Night Only: Conversations with the NHL's One-Game Wonders unearths the blood, sweat, tears, and laughs of the journey to and from a single big-league goal.

224 pages, Paperback

Published September 22, 2020

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Ken Reid

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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
Profile Image for Brandon.
1,009 reviews249 followers
June 24, 2020
A follow-up to One Night Only, a book about hockey players who had only played one game in the NHL, One To Remember throws a spotlight on athletes who had the misfortune (or fortune depending on how you look at it) of only scoring a single goal in their entire NHL career.

One To Remember profiles thirty-nine men who lit the lamp just once in the National Hockey League. The lone tally could be for any number of reasons. Maybe they suffered an injury shortly after their moment in the sun? Or maybe they themselves were called up to replace an injured player and were only given a handful of games to attempt to add to that single stat? Or they had career aspirations outside of the game? Reid was able to get into the heads of the men profiled here to examine their big moment on the score sheet.

Rather than just go person by person, author Ken Reid divides the thirty-nine into a few different categories. You had men who had been destined for greatness by being selected in the first round of the draft, tough guys whose job it was to use their hands for fighting rather than putting the puck in the net, men who found their way to the NHL undrafted and career minor leaguers who got their shot at the big leagues. Reid even discusses the select few goalies who got one in the opposing net.

One of my favorite stories surrounded Dave Hanson (of the famed Hanson Brothers showcased in the film Slap Shot!) almost making his way to Nova Scotia to play for the AHL’s Nova Scotia Voyageurs in an effort to continue playing under coach John Brophy. Another involved noted bruiser Dennis Bonvie – a man who played for my hometown Cape Breton Oilers when I was just a kid. He still holds the record for penalty minutes in a professional hockey career. There’s even one about two-sport athlete Hank Lammens; a man who found himself on the men’s sailing team at the 1992 Summer Olympics.

This was a quick, fun book that entertained me for the two days it took me to fly through it. It does tend to get a bit repetitive because really, you’re talking about one subject here but it was interesting nonetheless. Although you won’t see it land near the top of my hockey hall of fame reads, it’s a breezy read about the underdog and the loveable charm that goes along with being one.
Profile Image for Lance.
1,663 reviews164 followers
September 20, 2020
Anyone who has picked up a hockey stick and taken a shot at the net dreams of that shot going into the goal in an NHL game. This book by Ken Reid tells the story of 39 players who accomplished that feat once, then never did so again. It is a follow-up to his previous book about the stories of players who appeared in one NHL game.

Like that book, the stories are entertaining, varied and reflect the personality of the man telling the story. The time frame is wide spread – from the 1960’s to the present and every position is covered. There is a section devoted to goalies who scored a goal (but only one, so Ron Hextall and Martin Brodeur are not included), including the first goalie credited with a goal, Billy Smith of the New York Islanders. Other chapter subjects include first round draft choices and players whose careers were cut short by injury.

One characteristic this book has that is very good is that while reading the stories, they come across as authentic and the reader will feel like he or she is there talking to the man reliving that one goal. Sometimes the goal brings back great memories, sometimes it really doesn’t mean that much to the man. It was interested to learn that several of these players haven’t kept the puck from that first goal. In fact, one of them used the puck unknowingly while playing pond hockey with his son and ended up losing it when it sank to the bottom when an errant shot ended up in a section of the pond that wasn’t frozen.

Something else that one might expect is that none of these players, except possibly for the goalies, are household names. As a result, many of the stories are ones in which they remember their time in juniors, the minor leagues or overseas just as fondly as their time in the NHL and the goal he scored. Sometimes this can be a whirlwind experience, as was the case for Damian Surma, who in just a matter of hours was called up to the NHL, scored a goal, separated his shoulder and was demoted back to the minors. That was one of the better stories in the book to me.

That story is just one example of the type of material one should expect when reading Reid’s collection of interviews of the “one goal club.” As is the case with most collections of stories and interviews, some are much better than others, but they all are told with the memory of an event that these men have in common – that they all scored exactly one goal during their time in the National Hockey League.

I wish to thank ECW Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Profile Image for Laura Freed.
Author 1 book23 followers
September 5, 2020
One To Remember by Ken Reid is a fantastic hockey book!
Though I'm not a sports fan, I love sports stories.
I do love the Philadelphia Flyers though but am not an AVID fan.
This book is inspiring, engaging, full of ups and downs, but mostly it's just a reminder of dreams coming true, and dreams being put to the side and picking yourself up to forge new dreams.
A must for any hockey fan, but honestly, this book is for anyway. Written so well (like a puck floating effortlessly on the ice).
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC.
Publishes in Sep 2020.
Profile Image for ☄k.c.☄.
33 reviews6 followers
December 5, 2020
This was genuinely a really great read! (Mostly) light-hearted and feel good, first goal stories are always fun to read about, and all of these were no different. Loved the variety and hearing it all in their own words? Fantastic. Will easily be one of my go-to non-fiction recommendations for people who like sports!
Profile Image for Andrew.
677 reviews10 followers
July 22, 2020
One to Remember: Stories from 39 Members of the NHL’s One Goal Club
By Ken Reid
Completed: 07/22/2020

Old saying: “What do you call the person who finished last in their class at Medical School? Doctor.”

A similar concept exists for professional athletes. The leatherlungs in the cheap (relative term these days) seats may loudly and sometimes profanely admonish the bench-warmers on their team. However, should they actually have to COMPETE against those players instead of simply pay to watch them, they would find that the worst players on the team could still run or skate circles around the casual fan.

Ken Reid explored some of these people in an earlier book, “One Night Only”, about hockey players who managed to make it into ONE National Hockey League game. He’s written a sequel, “One to Remember: Stories from 39 Members of the NHL’s One Goal Club”, about players who managed to actually score a goal during – in most cases – relatively brief careers.

Most of the players interviewed share some common attributes. They’re happy they were able to have a career in hockey including a call-up to the NHL. They have fond memories of their typically short NHL stints, but they don’t waste their current time reliving it over and over for themselves and for whatever audience might be around – unless asked. AND, regardless of what REALLY happened, their grandchildren will hear about how they skated end-to-end, dodging 12 of the 5 skaters on the opposing team, and put 6 fakes on the opposing goaltender before firing the puck through an opening barely larger than the puck itself. (In reality, most will confess that they had lucky shots, or the puck deflected off them from someone else’s shot, or they were fortunate to be blessed with star players sharing the shift with them, or …)

I stress “most”. There is one special category of player made up of men who had long careers, including a Hall of Famer – goaltenders. Goalies are paid to STOP the puck, not shoot it. However, on rare occasion, a goaltender IS credited with a goal – and a few of them are interviewed for this book, as well.

Perhaps these players were not the greatest ones ever to lace up a pair of skates and set foot on NHL ice. However, unlike almost every hockey fan in the world, they CAN say that they played in the National Hockey League – and have a goal to their credit.

Like all of Ken Reid’s books to this point, I thoroughly enjoyed this read and would recommend it to every hockey fan. (Even those who only like to read about superstars – Ken’s storytelling should help to broaden those narrow horizons if you’d give the book a chance!!)

RATING: 4 ½ stars, rounded up to 5 stars where 1/2 stars are not permitted.



Profile Image for Mylie.
155 reviews
November 4, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley for letting me experience One to Remember as an Audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Any fan or reader of Ken Reid's books will know what they're getting into with this one.... 39 stories, all centered around each player's 1st NHL goal. Each chapter dealt with a different theme of each player's one NHL goal, whether that was 'Hall of Fame Help' (players who had HHOFers assist on a goal), 'First Round Expectations' or ''. The ones that really stood out for me were the ones that had a really memorable perspective, like Dave Hanson's connection with Slap Shot, as well as his getting to watch his own son Christian score his first NHL goal for the Maple Leafs in the 08-09 season. Another notable one was Dennis Bonvie, whose 4,804 PIM are (and likely will remain) a record for professional hockey, accumulated for multiple clubs across the NHL/AHL.

The stories do get a tad repetitive occasionally, but if you're a fan of hockey stories and Ken Reid like I am, you'll enjoy each story and the way Reid finds a way to give each player their own voice. If you're a casual hockey or sports fan, you'll still find a lot of stories you connect with, but a few of the stories might blur together. Personally, I found the goalie stories a strange inclusion, as the only three goalies included (Billy Smith, Chris Mason, Damian Rhodes) were only credited with goals instead of shooting/scoring their goals like Osgood, Theodore, Nabokov, (Mike) Smith or Rinne which would have been more interesting... This meant that in Billy Smith's case, he didn't even know at the time that he'd been credited with a goal.

My first audiobook, One to Remember was a great listen when going out for a walk or doing things around the house; with each player's story being told in its own sub-chapter, it was easy to jump in and jump out of. The narrator, Ivan Sherry (sp?) did a good job of giving each player their own voice, and of intoning when it was the player talking as opposed to the author. More than that, you get the sense that the narrator has played hockey, as each player talked as if they were in a hockey dressing room or at the pub, telling the story of their lone NHL goal.

Overall, 4 stars. A fun read, and a nice palate-cleanser during the wild year that is 2020.
310 reviews
September 24, 2020
Scoring a goal in a game is something to celebrate but when you score a goal in the greatest league in the world, it’s extra special. It’s something to remember & treasure. Especially if you belong to a unique group of men who have only ever scored one goal. For the players featured in One to Remember, they will never forget the plays that got their name on the scoring sheet. Life takes surprising turns and for some players their dreams of a spectacular NHL carer were never truly fulfilled. But a brief stint in the NHL is something to be proud of especially if you can make that red light flash.

This is a satisfying read with a true insight into the emotions of the players than had a chance to briefly shine. Reid’s friendly style brings out the best in the ex-players that are interviewed with admiration and empathy as their dreams morphed into new lifestyles & challenges.

I loved reading about the genuine reactions & camaraderie of the big stars on the teams that understood how important that first goal is and the plaques that the teams made as mementos. Hockey is a purely a business to some but to most people, it’s more than a sport, it’s a way of life.

I received a copy from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a review.
16 reviews
December 15, 2020
This book covers such an interesting idea; the stories of players with a single goal in the NHL. It would be an excellent gift idea for any sports fan; especially those fans who think they already know all the interesting hockey stats!

As someone who isn’t exactly a hockey fan, I also really enjoyed the format of this book. Each story is loosely grouped together by a common section but ultimately stands alone in a short and easy to read chapter. The stories are almost conversational, which is really quite charming and lends itself well to any reader.

I also found it very interesting just how many players that were featured in this collection, and how many met the subject of single goal scorer.

I enjoyed how easy it was to pick up and browse a couple of the anecdotal chapters; the Hank Lammens one was such an interesting read of the balance athletes often make!

Thanks to ECW Press for the free digital ARC.
Profile Image for Jacqui.
190 reviews
July 16, 2022
It's an interesting concept to look at the different stories of members of the NHL's one goal club. That is not necessarily a perspective I would have bothered to consider before this book: what it would be like to make it to the NHL and only score one goal.

I appreciate the range of stories in this book--from the NHL goalies to the career minor leaguers who after years of effort manage to score that NHL goal to the junior stars who flame out in the big league to those whose lone NHL goal was assisted by Hall of Famers--and the various reactions the players have to that one NHL goal they scored. I do, however, think that some of the stories were more compelling than others, and that sometimes the structure of the book, grouping similar stories together instead of separating them, made the stories feel more repetitive and less distinct from one another. I think spreading out the individual stories more might have helped with that feeling of repetition and the stories blurring together that I sometimes got with this book.

Ultimately it is a quick read for hockey fans with an interesting premise and stories that vary in just how compelling they are. Worth a read for hockey fans but unlikely to have an appeal beyond that niche audience.
Profile Image for Katie.
246 reviews14 followers
September 23, 2020
I have received this title via NetGalley and publishers in exchange for an honest review
What a phenomenal sports/hockey book!
This collection of one goal stories was so fun. I loved that Ken Reid went in depth with each story. He told the reader the lead-up to the goal, the call to the NHL, what happened after the goal, where they are now. It was amazing and I loved every second of reading this!
16 reviews
December 6, 2020
Ken Reid continues to bring to light the stories of hockey players you’d never hear about ordinarily. Brings human element to their stories in a fun and applauding way of their truly extraordinary accomplishments. A great way to understand what it took for some of hockey’s less heralded players to get their lone marker in the greatest hockey league in the world. As Ken would say, he got the puck in deep on this one!
306 reviews23 followers
May 20, 2023
Reid interviewed all the players in this book, and had them recount their one NHL goal. Not surprisingly they all said it was one of the highlights of their careers, which varied in length from a few games to several years, mostly in the minor leagues. The way Reid presents the stories really brings it to life, and helps demonstrate that getting that one goal in the NHL is a huge deal, even if it is the only one scored in a career. Overall a really engaging book, much like his other books are.
Profile Image for William.
480 reviews11 followers
March 27, 2021
Saw this book in the local store. Checked the library and placed a hold on it. A few weeks later I had the book. It only took me a couple evenings to finish it. It was so good. Great stories and so many different stories. Really enjoyed the book and will check out his other book. Highly recommend this book to hockey fans!!
Profile Image for Kevin.
235 reviews30 followers
Read
October 29, 2023
What a great book and a great concept for a book. Telling the stories of the "one goal club" wasn't a book I picked up looking for inspiration, but there it was... So inspiring, candid, and a brilliant way to tell the stories of the "also-rans" who, despite not being household names in the hockey world, lived their dreams too... They just didn't happen to be Wayne Gretzky while doing it.
Profile Image for Johnny Brown.
23 reviews1 follower
October 3, 2020
A interesting look at players who have one lone goal in the NHL. The author dives into the circumstances and career of each player. Each player is highlighted and you get a small insight into their career pre and post goal. Perfect for any hockey fan
Profile Image for Benjamin Kahn.
1,733 reviews15 followers
December 20, 2020
A very enjoyable read by Ken Reid. I found most of the stories very interesting - the routes players took to getting their only NHL goal and what they did subsequently. I always find these kind of stories more interesting than the ones that just follow the big stars. Another good book by Reid.
Profile Image for Michael.
620 reviews26 followers
May 16, 2022
Really great Hockey book about players that only had one goal in the NHL. It may not sound like much but it's one more than most of us reading this book would ever have, not to mention even being able to become a professional hockey player. There are some great stories here.
Profile Image for Susan.
429 reviews5 followers
February 27, 2021
Fun if a bit repetitive. Probably best consumed in bits and pieces, rather than in one gulp.
Profile Image for Jason Lavoie.
205 reviews
March 10, 2022
Ken Reid sent out a Tweet saying send $30 to his email account and he'll send you an autographed copy. I sent him the $30 with my address and about a week later, I received my autographed copy.
Profile Image for Scott Wild.
198 reviews
October 13, 2022
They may not be in the category of SuperStar in the NHL, but they have accomplished something that most hockey players only dream of. Loved the stories here.
Profile Image for Dave Cottenie.
325 reviews7 followers
December 31, 2021
Hockey fans will enjoy the light-hearted quick read that is One To Remember. A healthy dose of bruisers with a little mix of goaltenders and skill players keep the variety for the reading. Fans of junior hockey will remember some of the featured players and there are plenty of “I remember him” moments. Fun and light. Worth the time.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews

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