From the perspective of hockey players, coaches, agents, parents, etc, the readers are pulled into 15 inspiring stories. Each story details the person's childhood, passion for the game, detailing comebacks, injuries, etc. I loved the format of this book, each chapter is someone new however, each is structured similarly. I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I didn't expect to laugh out loud or tear up at the incredible stories. Each chapter being told from the person's perspective and not the authors was my favourite thing about the book, I found it really neat.



Thank you netgalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for this gifted book.

A fantastic collection of hockey stories for fans of all ages. This book is a wonderful companion to the first volume. - celebrating big time and small time hockey. Canada's heart of sport.

I'm not a big fan of hockey but I do like reading stories about real people and that's why this book caught my eye.

This book is a collection of stories about people connected to hockey and some are Canadian ... hockey players, wannabe hockey players, a gay hockey player, a trans hockey player, scouts, referees, statisticians, agents and more.

Though I'd never heard of anyone discussed in this book, I found the stories inspirational. I liked the writing style and found there was just enough enough information. Social media accounts were listed after the stories and I sometimes checked out the Instagram accounts.

Hockey fans will enjoy this book. Non-fans (like me) will also like this book and it deals with real people.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me to opportunity to read this. I’ve read Bob McKenzie before, but not his hockey heroes series. I’m an avid hockey fan, and I love hearing and reading stories that go beyond the ice. Hockey definitely has it fair share of negativity surrounding it. A league that sometimes seems so behind; but then you read stories like the ones shared in this book. From racism, to LGBTQ players, to injuries that cut careers short. I would recommend this to any fan of hockey, any fan who might be feeling that their favourite sport doesn’t always support them; these stories definitely hit all the good spots.

Veteran hockey journalists and broadcasters Bob McKenzie and Jim Lang return with their second volume of Everyday Hockey Heroes.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

In the same style of the first volume, McKenzie and Lang bring you more stories of men and women who contribute to the game of hockey through several different avenues. We get stories of triumphant women like Katie Guay, the first woman to referee a professional men’s hockey game, and Emilie Castonguay, the NHL’s first female agent. McKenzie and Lang also shine a light on some of hockey’s not-so-great areas. For example, Joey Gale, a man who hid his sexuality during his early playing days for fear of repercussions brought on by the homophobia that often runs rampant inside locker rooms (don’t worry, his story has a happy ending). There’s also the inherent racism that lives with a predominantly white sport. Bob sits down with several black players who skated alongside MacKenzie when he was a young man and the obstacles they faced.

There’s some comedy in here as well. If you’ve ever seen the hilarious YouTube videos “Mason Mic’d Up”, Lang and MacKenzie sit down with Mason’s father Jeremy Rupke discussing his instructional hockey videos on YouTube and how he’s hoping to inspire folks to improve their skills on the ice. They also talk about Mason’s hilarious moments that led to him becoming a YouTube sensation.

The story that affected me the most was that of Jack Jablonski, a former player paralyzed after being pushed head-first into the boards from behind. In the face of overwhelming odds, Jake was able to remain positive while continuing to work toward improving his range of motion and ability. I’m not scared to say I had tears in my eyes when Jake made it back onto the ice, in his chair, as his team celebrated their championship victory later that season.

While I wasn’t big on the first volume, I found I enjoyed this second installment much more. I felt the stories were more touching and introspective this go around. Everyday Hockey Heroes Vol. 2 continues to bring more inspirational individuals to the forefront of hockey while entertaining and informing the reader of the many ways the game continues to excel.

Everyday Hockey Heroes: Volume Two is due for release on October 27, 2020