Hockey Towns: Stories of Small Town Hockey in Canada

by William Boyd

At a time when Canada's influence in hockey seems to be slipping, Hockey Towns assures us that the spirit of the game will endure in our communities.

William Boyd takes us on a journey across Canada -- from Glace Bay, Nova Scotia to Powell River, British Columbia -- for a look at hockey outside the big cities. Visiting places like Truro, Nova Scotia (where there's a run for the Allan Cup, senior hockey's top prize), Bienfait, Saskatchewan, and Stonewall, Manitoba, Boyd finds the people who care about the game and work to keep it alive. He sits in on junior-league coaching sessions, heated playoff games between rival teams, and the coffee-shop conversations that relive the good old days. Hockey Towns paints a vivid picture of where hockey came from and where it is today, from the enthusiastic kids who practice early Saturday mornings to the former NHL players who keep the spirit alive in their late-night oldtimers' games. What emerges is a heartwarming portrait of our national pastime on a small-town level, where its roots have always been.

Genres: Hockey, Sports, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.

William 2^ Boyd: Literature & Fiction
William 3^ Boyd: Reader in education in the University of Glasgow
William 4^ Boyd: GR author, YA Fantasy

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I initially planned to rate the book two stars because there were some interesting stories but on the whole this book is very negative (everyone is complaining about something but then the next story will be complaint about the other side of that same viewpoint). It doesn’t really embody the spirit of small town hockey and it is not written very cohesively.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read. Never met any of the people within the book, but actually felt a little emotionally attached to some, especially to the few who unfortunately didn't make it to the NHL.

Any hockey fan, Canadian or sports fan will enjoy this.

[Benn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyable read.