The Night They Stole the Stanley Cup

Screech Owls #2

by Roy MacGregor

Someone is out to steal the Stanley Cup – and only the Screech Owls stand between the thieves and their prize!

Travis, Nish, and the rest of the Screech Owls have come to Toronto for the biggest hockey tournament of their lives – only to find themselves in the biggest mess of their lives. First Nish sprains his ankle falling down the stairs at the CN Tower. Later, key members of the team get caught shoplifting. And during a tour of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Travis overhears two men plotting to swipe the priceless Stanley Cup and hold it for ransom!

Can the Screech Owls do anything to save the most revered trophy in the land? And can the team also rise to the challenge on the ice and play their best hockey ever?

The Night They Stole the Stanley Cup is the second book in the Screech Owls Series.

Check out the Screech Owls’ website at www.screechowls.com

Genres: Sports, Mystery, Canada, Young Adult, Hockey, Childrens, Middle Grade

128 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 18, 1995

About the author

Roy MacGregor is a Canadian author of fiction and non-fiction.

Reviews

[Engel Dreizehn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can very much safely suggest this series for budding young hockey lovers. It has the action and a group of future hockey pro kids with brains + skills both on and off the ice with their own flaws.

[Spencer Dipper · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the second book of the thriller "Screech Owls" series, the team heads to Toronto in "The Night They Stole The Stanley Cup". The tournament that the Screech Owls were playing in was “the Little Stanley Cup” tournament in Toronto during march break, little did the Owls know that there was a criminal planning on stealing the Stanley cup. The Owls were winning all their games in the tournament and during their free time they were also exploring the city of Toronto. They went to the Hockey Hall of Fame and the top of the CN Tower. Nish kept up his usual silly antics and bugging his teammates. While the pee wee hockey teams were playing their games two criminals were organizing a way to steal the Stanley Cup. The Stanley Cup was being kept in a safe room at one of the Toronto hotels waiting to be presented at the end of the tournament. One of the criminals worked at the hotel so he was able to print off a key card that would have access to the room where the Stanley Cup was being stored.

The quality of the book was very good. The author, Roy MacGregor, does a very good job describing the games that the team plays and the events that go on. Characters are well described so it is easy to get a picture of them in your mind. The events in the book made you want to keep reading and were always surprising you. You would think something was going to turn out one way but then it would end up being totally different.

This book is great for anyone who loves hockey or even someone that is just a sports fan in general. You don't even have to like sports to enjoy the book because it has something for everyone. In conclusion this book was very enjoyable to read and i would even read it again. It kept me interested and wanting to read more.

[Tim · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book (and series) is highly inappropriate for children age 9-12. The front covers are deceiving. The books should not be marketed to young hockey fans.
Why does this author often mention sex in childrens books?

Chapter 5, page 31-32

Nish, of course, had tried to turn on the late night sex movies, but all the television screen would say was: "ADULT MOVIES HAVE BEEN BLOCKED BY REQUEST. PLEASE CALL THE FRONT DESK FOR ACCESS." He had tried his old trick of pulling off the cable wires and re-wiring the remote box, but again it hadn't worked. Finally he had called the front desk and in a low voice pretended he was Muck giving the hotel permission for the kids to watch sex movies. That hadn't worked either.

Chapter 6 pages 40-45
Nish(who is a child) points out the Zanzibar strip club, talks about bare-naked women and sneaks inside

[J.B. Mathias · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story definitely benefited from being shorter than the first book. Had a bit of a moral to it and once again the hockey descriptions are accurate. The main plot was a little too goofy and came off like a knock off home alone, honestly think the story would have been better without it. Lots of Toronto fan service with an appearance from Doug Gilmour and Mats Sundin which was cool.

[Quinn E · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a funny mystery. The book is action-paced and a little surprising. In the book there is a kid Nish who is not trust worthy. He stills for a hobby. Watch him.

I recommend this book for hockey and mystery fans.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story. And I like how they incorporate the usual after school life lessons with the hockey and then throw in some crime fighting

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Screech Owls series. The series focuses on the adventures of a traveling teen hockey team (the Screech Owls, natch) and its captain, Travis Lindsay. In this adventure, the team finds itself in Toronto, where they are competing in the Little Stanley Cup tournament. There have been some roster changes since the last book, with a couple of players moving up in the ranks of minor hockey and the team adding a few new players. One of the challenges that Travis has is to integrate the new players into the group socially. A task he really does not succeed at until later in the story...

While in Toronto, the team visits the Hockey Hall of Fame. Travis, while pushing his friend Nish around in a wheelchair because Nish hurt his ankle in a silly prank at the CN Tower, overhears two men speaking about stealing the Stanley Cup. He tries to warn officials, but they do not believe him. On top of that, Nish, one of the team's best defensemen, is out because of an ankle sprain. Then, three other players, two of whom are also defensemen, are sent home because they shoplifted at the Hall of Fame. This leaves the team very short. So, now, Travis has to figure out how to stop the thieves from stealing the Cup, help bring the team together, and, oh by the way, figure out how to win a tournament short four players.

Well, the entire story makes for an interesting read. I keep getting these books (OK, so this one is in the omnibus "The Complete Screech Owls #1," but I would have bought it individually if I had had to) because my son likes to hear about the hockey exploits. However, I keep reading them for him because I like the hockey exploits. So far, Mr. MacGregor has kept the stories fresh and interesting. I was afraid he was going to turn into a homer and have the Owls win the tournament going away; however, that is not how it turned out. I was really impressed with this. Not all teams win all games (or even three out of every four). And to present the Owls as able to overcome extreme adversity with aplomb would have been tempting. However, I think it is more realistic to see that these kids do not win all of the time and it teaches a good lesson to future hockey players on how to handle defeat with class and dignity.

There were a few plot problems. The chaperones for the boys are really poor at keeping an eye on them; this is the second trip where a group of boys was able to sneak out without being seen. I am also leery of the "kids are able to uncover secrets or defeat foes that adults cannot" trope. However, I also realize the age group for whom these stories are written. And, therefore, the child protagonists also have to be the heroes. Otherwise, there would not be a story.

So, even with these flaws, I am looking forward to the third book and starting it tomorrow night.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Night They Stole The Stanley Cup by Roy MacGregor is a mystery novel that was about the Screech Owls hockey team. They are a tournament team that goes to a tournament in Toronto. This was a very tough tournament and to make things worse they ran into several problems along the way. One example is one of their defenseman, Nish, gets hurt. Then, to make things worse three of the better players on the team get caught shoplifting. This makes for a tough game against the already tough Toronto Towers. The night before the championship game Travis overhears two guys talking about stealing the Stanley Cup. So, they start to investigate.
I really like this book because it is very easy to relate to if you play hockey. Also it is a very easy read and the book is a good length. I think that if you play hockey or a sport in general, you would really like this book. If you don't play sports, you may have a harder time relating but I think you still can enjoy book without the connections. I liked that the book doesn't just focus on the games or the adventures. It has a very good mix of both. Also, I did like how MacGregor added Nish getting hurt because all teams that go to tournaments deal with injuries and I think that it was important for the team to go through that. But I didn't like that the kids went shoplifting because the first book the team seemed much better than that and they just had some minor behavior problems. Another thing that I liked was MacGregor’s diction. One good example of this was when he says “Travis had never felt so young and insignificant in all his life” (MacGregor, 57). I could almost feel what the characters in the book were feeling. I would recommend this book to anyone that plays a sport and looking for an easy read.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are great chapter books for kids who like Hockey!! What fun books with mysteries that are appropriate for kids 9 and up!

Each book has a an exciting hockey game and a mystery to solve. The characters in the books are very relateable for kids of this age and engaging. I love that their are both boys and girls on the team and they all contribute!

The stories also contain lessons on teamwork, sportsmanship and friendship! Terrific lessons for all kids!

There are a few times when I thought the content was a bit off for the age, but then when you compare it to modern video games, movies and tv shows, it was mild. Kids today are ages ahead of their past counterparts and these books reflect that.

Hockey fans will find a lot to love here. The play-by-play is really fun to read even for non-sporties like myself.

Cover Art - Eye catching and easy to tell the theme of the books.

Disclosure: This ebook was provided to me free of charge through NetGalley for the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments, and ratings are my own.

[Nathanial · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book is called the night they stole the stanley cup by: Roy MacGregor. this book is about lots and lots and lots and lots of kids

it was a ok book not my favorite but ok. i would recommend this book to people that like adventure books.i enjoyed the ending but I'm not going to say it because you are going to read it by yourself.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second installment in the Screech Owls series. This time the team heads to Toronto and Travis overhears two men plotting to steal the Stanley Cup, the most famous trophy in the world of hockey. Just like the first book it is full of action and also funny.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Brings me back to my childhood!

[Lori-Ann Sawatsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great series for kids who play hockey with some good life lessons thrown into the mix.

[Teebz Hbic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for The Night They Stole the Stanley Cup can be found on Hockey Blog In Canada.

[Zohar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hockey team solving mysteries ? So cool.

[Emily Curran]

I liked the book, I loved how the character were the same from the first book to the second. I liked how it was bringing the fun of hockey into the book, and the mystery aspect too. The characters were relocatable and you were about to learn from their mistakes. I suggest this book series to anyone that likes hockey, but the younger kids as it is not very challenging but it is fun to read and go on the adventure with the crazy team, that is the Screech Owls. Also if the person likes mystery books also because there is that too.