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"Fred Sasakamoose played in the NHL before First Nations people had the right to vote in Canada. This page turner…
will have you cheering for "Fast Freddy" as he faces off against huge challenges both on and off the ice—a great gift to every proud hockey fan, Canadian, and Indigenous person." —Wab Kinew, Leader of the Manitoba NDP and author of The Reason You Walk Trailblazer. Residential school Survivor. First Treaty Indigenous player in the NHL. All of these descriptions are true—but none of them tell the whole story. Fred Sasakamoose, torn from his home at the age of seven, endured the horrors of residential school for a decade before becoming one of 120 players in the most elite hockey league in the world. He has been heralded as the first Indigenous player with Treaty status in the NHL, making his official debut as a 1954 Chicago Black Hawks player on Hockey Night in Canada and teaching Foster Hewitt how to pronounce his name. Sasakamoose played against such legends as Gordie Howe, Jean Beliveau, and Maurice Richard. After twelve games, he returned home. When people tell Sasakamoose's story, this is usually where they end it. They say he left the NHL to return to the family and culture that the Canadian government had ripped away from him. That returning to his family and home was more important to him than an NHL career. But there was much more to his decision than that. Understanding Sasakamoose's choice means acknowledging the dislocation and treatment of generations of Indigenous peoples. It means considering how a man who spent his childhood as a ward of the government would hear those supposedly golden words: "You are Black Hawks property." Sasakamoose's story was far from over once his NHL days concluded. He continued to play for another decade in leagues around Western Canada. He became a band councillor, served as Chief, and established athletic programs for kids. He paved a way for youth to find solace and meaning in sports for generations to come. Yet, threaded through these impressive accomplishments were periods of heartbreak and unimaginable tragedy—as well moments of passion and great joy. This isn't just a hockey story; Sasakamoose's groundbreaking memoir sheds piercing light on Canadian history and Indigenous politics, and follows this extraordinary man's journey to reclaim pride in an identity and a heritage that had previously been used against himOver the Boards: Lessons from the Ice
By Hayley Wickenheiser. 2021
The greatest women’s hockey player of all time, Hayley Wickenheiser shares the lessons that won her four Olympic gold medals,…
and hard-earned wisdom distilled from moments when she fell short. There is no one in the world like Hayley Wickenheiser. 13 World Championship appearances. 6 Olympic Games. Hockey Hall of Famer. All while raising a child, earning multiple university degrees, and not benefiting from the financial stability male professional athletes have. She gave the game everything she had—now, Hayley shares what the game gave her. From motherhood to pro leagues to her new career in medicine, Hayley shares the hard-won lessons she learned on and off the ice that helped her not only have a record-breaking hockey career but craft a life filled with joy, growth, and challenges. In her own words, Hayley shares how she rose from the backyard pond and changing in boiler rooms (because girls' dressing rooms didn’t exist) to Olympic MVP (twice). How becoming a parent made her a better athlete. How she learned to thrive under monumental pressure. But she doesn’t stop at revealing the pillars to her tremendous success—Hayley delves into her immense failures and how she grew from them. Like Kobe Bryant, Tom Brady, and Abby Wambach before her, Hayley shares her wisdom through personal stories of triumph, relentlessness, and more than a couple confrontations. Told with humour, compassion, and steadfast optimism, Hayley’s practical advice, coaching, and invaluable perspective inspires readers to never accept "that’s not the way we do things" or "that hasn’t been done before" as limitations. An empowering and pragmatic guide, Hayley encourages readers to not follow in her footsteps, but to carve their own ice.42 is not just a number: the odyssey of Jackie Robinson, American hero
By Doreen Rappaport. 2017
Recounts the life and legacy of Jackie Robinson (1919-1972), the man who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball…
and played for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was named Rookie of the Year, National League MVP, World Series champ, and became an American hero. For grades 5-8. 2017Uppity: my untold story about the games people play
By Bill White, Gordon Dillow. 2012
Memoir of a former first baseman for teams including the St. Louis Cardinals and the Philadelphia Phillies, who went on…
to a successful career as a sportscaster and served as the president of the National League from 1989 to 1994. Discusses his early career, experiences with segregation, and later successes. Some strong language. 2011Tinker to Evers to Chance: the Chicago Cubs and the dawn of modern America
By David Rapp. 2018
At the turn of the twentieth century, the Chicago Cubs were the dominant team in baseball. This history focuses on…
the three infield players responsible for much of their success: Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, and Frank Chance. 2018The shift: the next evolution in baseball thinking
By Russell A. Carleton. 2018
A baseball writer with a background in psychology examines the shift in baseball brought about by analytics systems such as…
sabermetrics. He explains some of the key statistics that drive the game, alongside the idea that numbers should be balanced by the psychological aspects and rituals of the sport. 2018Why baseball matters (Why X Matters Ser.)
By Susan Jacoby. 2018
An historian and fan discusses the sport of baseball and examines whether it is in a state of decline. She…
puts the sport into the context of the modern era of digital distractions, citing its aging fanbase and lower attendance at games and TV viewership. 2018A sportswriter talks with the radio and TV broadcasters who help bring baseball to life. Includes a chapter on each…
major league ballpark, providing background on the teams and oral histories from famous local broadcasters who detail one noteworthy game. 2015Shut out: The game that did not love me black
By Bernie Saunders. 2021
Shut Out is a hockey love story. But it's a love that was unrequited. Bernie Saunders had a passion for…
hockey. His prodigious talent was on display at all levels. But because he was Black, he was stymied at every turn and experienced nothing but taunting from opponents, spectators, coaches and even his own teammates. Despite this malevolence, Saunders continued to play, adopting a style akin to that of the historic house slave: serve but remain invisible. Signed by the Quebec Nordiques, he played with them for two years, but spent most of his career playing collegiately at Western Michigan University and in the minor leagues in Canada and the US. In the end, it was all too much for Saunders. Dogged and overwhelmed by racism, he finally left hockey to work in the corporate sector. This is a memoir about professional hockey by a player who had the potential to become a star but was blocked at almost every opportunity because of his race. In spite of this, Shut Out is a hopeful and uplifting book about facing adversity, overcoming it and moving ahead. Woven throughout the book is Saunders's love of his family, especially his brother, John, who died at age sixty-one. Now retired, Bernie Saunders is still sought out by the hockey community for his observations and adviceBefore the Lights Go Out: A Season Inside a Game on the Brink
By Sean Fitz-Gerald. 2019
A love letter to a sport that's losing itself, from one of Canada's best sports writers.Canadian hockey is approaching a…
state of crisis. It's become more expensive, more exclusive, and effectively off-limits to huge swaths of the potential sports-loving population. Youth registration numbers are stagnant; efforts to appeal to new Canadians are often grim at best; the game, increasingly, does not resemble the country of which it's for so long been an integral part. These signs worried Sean Fitz-Gerald. As a lifelong hockey fan and father of a young mixed-race son falling headlong in love with the game, he wanted to get to the roots of these issues. His entry point: a season with the Peterborough Petes, a storied OHL team far from its former glory in a once-emblematic Canadian city that is finding itself on the wrong side of the country's changing demographics. Fitz-Gerald profiles the players, coaches and front office staff, a mix of world-class talents with NHL aspirations and Peterborough natives happy with more modest dreams. Through their experiences, their widely varied motivations and expectations, we get a rich, colourful understanding of who ends up playing hockey in Canada and why. Fitz-Gerald interweaves the action of the season with portraits of public figures who've shaped and been shaped by the game: authors who captured its spirit, politicians who exploited it, and broadcasters who try to embody and sell it. He finds his way into community meetings full of angry season ticket holders, as well as into sterile boardrooms full of the sport's institutional brain trust, unable to break away from the inertia of tradition and hopelessly at war with itself. Before the Lights Go Out is a moving, funny, yet unsettling picture of a sport at a crossroads. Fitz-Gerald's warm but rigorous journalistic approach reads, in the end, like a letter to a troubled friend: it's not too late to save hockey in this country, but who has the will to do it?Yogi: the life, loves, and language of baseball legend Yogi Berra
By Terry Widener, Barb Rosenstock. 2019
Profiles baseball Hall of Fame catcher and New York Yankees legend Yogi Berra. Describes how Yogi's physical differences challenged his…
baseball prospects and helped motivate him to prove his abilities as a player, coach, and manager. For grades K-3. 2019Inside the empire: the true power behind the New York Yankees
By Paul Solotaroff, Bob Klapisch. 2019
A behind-the-scenes look at the New York Yankees baseball organization, focusing on the 2018 season. Using interviews from players and…
executives, two journalists examine what went into building the team that ended their season by facing off with long-time rivals from the Boston Red Sox. Some strong language. 2019A former pitcher with teams including the New York Mets who went on to a long career in broadcasting and…
writing about baseball shares stories from the game. Includes vignettes about some of the hundreds of players he encountered on and off the field. Some strong language. 2019Investigates the history of the sport and recounts stories about former major league players. Includes activities such as calculating the…
Earned Run Average (ERA) and throwing a palmball. For grades 5-8 and older readers. 2016Oscar Charleston: the life and legend of baseball's greatest forgotten player
By Jeremy Beer. 2019
Biography of the man considered by many to be the best player in the history of the Negro Baseball League.…
Chronicles his long career, from 1915 to 1954, including his time as a player, a manager, and a scout for Major League Baseball. Some strong language. 2019I'm fascinated by sacrifice flies: inside the game we all love
By Tim Kurkjian. 2016
ESPN baseball commentator discusses some of his favorite aspects of the national pastime. He shares quirky statistics, player superstitions, what…
it's like to be hit by a pitch, and various anecdotes from his years following the sport. Some strong language. 2016Papi: my story
By David Ortiz, Michael Holley. 2017
Memoir of Boston Red Sox power hitter. Covers his youth in the Dominican Republic, his early years in the MLB,…
and his success with the Red Sox. Also discusses his role as a spokesperson for "Boston Strong" after the 2013 marathon bombing. Some strong language. Bestseller. 201742 faith: the rest of the Jackie Robinson story
By Ed Henry. 2017
Journalist delves into the faith of Jackie Robinson (1919-1972), the player who broke baseball's racial barrier. Uses sermons, interviews, and…
an unpublished manuscript by Robinson to explore the importance of the Christian faith to Robinson during his playing career and after it. Also covers the faith of Dodgers manager Branch Rickey. 2017The arm: inside the billion-dollar mystery of the most valuable commodity in sports
By Jeff Passan. 2016
A baseball journalist looks at the epidemic of injuries that baseball pitchers experience with their throwing arms. Examines the importance…
to major league baseball teams of keeping their most expensive players healthy, and follows two professional pitchers trying to return to the game after surgery. Some strong language. 2016The streak: Lou Gehrig, Cal Ripken Jr., and baseball's most historic record
By John Eisenberg. 2017
A sportswriter looks at one of the iconic streaks in baseball, that of the largest number of consecutive games played--a…
record once held by Lou Gehrig and subsequently surpassed by Cal Ripken. Looks at why this record matters, and other significant baseball streaks. Some strong language. 2017