Growing Up Hockey: The Life and Times of Everyone Who Ever Loved the Game

Brian Kennedy's Growing Up Hockey will take you back to the playground, reminding you of the politics of childhood. For Brian, this meant having the right hockey stick and having the rare hockey cards. But do not be fooled. This book is not just for hockey fans. Anyone can relate. As kids, we all wanted to be able to brag to our friends about our possessions or our accomplishments. And those things we loved as children we often take with us as adults. This is what this book is all about. And the writing style? Brian writes in a way that makes it hard to put the book down. He does not waste words, but he gives all the detail needed. I read the book in three days, even after having to steal it back from my wife.

"Growing Up Hockey" is about a little boy, this one a real-life hockey player named Brian Kennedy. If you enjoyed "A Christmas Story" and love hockey, you'll be glad to know that reading Kennedy's account of his love affair with hockey is like listening to Ralphie Parker talk about his obsession for a Red Ryder BB gun. The major difference is that Kennedy schemes for not a rifle to fend off Black Bart but rather a hockey stick with a banana curve and then a Ken Dryden hockey card so that he can boast to his playground pals. You read this story, and you'll boast to your hockey friends that you've read the funniest hockey book you've read in years.

Brian Kennedy's story of the average hockey lover/player growing up in Canada is one I think everyone who loves hockey will enjoy. Growing Up Hockey chronicles Mr. Kennedy's life as he grew up in Canada and later went to the US and England for school or work. Although I grew up in the US, where hockey was not the main sport, I enjoyed reading about what life is like for those who grow up with hockey as an integral part of their lives. It's great that the US has so many options, but I found myself wishing I knew what it was like to be able to discuss hockey with almost anyone around. Since I've been a fan of hockey, I've always had a couple friends who enjoy the game about as much as I do, but it would be something else to experience an environment where those who did not follow hockey were the exception. Mr. Kennedy's detailed account of his life growing up with hockey as a central influence is very interesting. He tells stories about playing hockey, watching hockey, hockey cards, living without being able to see much hockey, the differences between the NHL and ENL (in England), and life in Canada. I couldn't recommend this book more for anyone in your life who loves hockey!

My husband bought this book and I was curious about it when I read the title. I started reading and just couldn't stop. This is a book full of memories and moments that stayed in the mind of the narrator, and they take us (as readers) back to our own memories. These stories made me think about friends in the playground, about that one fleeting moment of athletic success and how it feels to be so close to my dreams of glory. Reading story after story reminded me about that past that we very often take for granted and easily forget, but that will always be a series of defining moments that make us who we are. It's also gratifying to read where the narrator ended up, since he reflects also on his own present life. I am not a hockey fan, but I enjoy good stories, especially when they're written in a way that grabs you.

Life is ultimately about love. We all recognize love, although we do not love in the same way. None understands the logic of our individual passions, but we count ourselves fortunate to be near its mystery. LA Car Editor-at-Large and sports journalist Brian Kennedy writes about his lifelong love and passion in Growing Up Hockey (Folklore Publishing, 2007). The book draws you in at the beginning, with Brian's preschool adventure onto ice in Montreal, and ends with his touching the Duck's Stanley Cup in Los Angeles. The section titles of his book say it well: Learning the Game, Living the Game, Loving the Game. This is a story of a boy who grows up in Canada 's suburbs living for his pee wee league and collecting NHL cards. This is a story of a man who still is the consummate fan watching games over and over so that the video wears thin. He played until it got too rough, he refereed, he bought tickets from scalpers. He finally finds opportunity to worm himself nearer the game by becoming a sports writer. Here is another instance where he writes so he can be closer to his favorite sport. You see, Brian has another passion and love. Brian also writes about cars and car racing. Hockey and cars are about the adrenaline of gliding speed. But why analyze. Growing Up Hockey should be approached in much the same way as Brian's automotive articles: Just sit back, hang on and enjoy the ride.