Hockey Strong: Stories of Sacrifice from Inside the NHL

by Todd Smith

This is the story of hockey, one scar at a time.

For the casual enthusiast and hockey fanatic alike comes a brilliant collection of essays and photographs celebrating the grit and dedication of hockey players who regularly and willingly withstand injury and hardship to play the sport they love.

Veteran hockey writer Todd Smith explores a side of the NHL that is rarely seen. Through in-depth player interviews and inside-the-locker-room reportage, Hockey Strong gives readers a behind-the-pads look at the playing in pain ethos that has been woven into the fabric of the game. What separates a hockey player’s toughness from other athletes’ is the fact that being hockey strong is more than a single performance or bout or game or series. Hockey strong is a way of life.

Superstars, muckers, snipers, and enforcers alike: the arduous journey of an NHL player is a story of the human body. It is the cracking left fist of the Philadelphia Flyers’ Dave Brown and the battering ram right hand of the Detroit Red Wings’ Joe Kocur. It is the unbreakable hockey heart of Rob McClanahan during “The Miracle on Ice” at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. It is the smashed face Kris Draper suffered during the bloody rivalry between the Colorado Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings.

Medical clearance to fight. Midgame root canals. Crushed orbital bones. Beer league determination. Legendary beat-downs. Collapsed lungs that go unreported. Unrelenting pain. Recovery and valor. Players refusing to go out because they owe it all to their brothers in uniform.

Includes stories from: Shjon Podein, Dave Brown, Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby, Joe Kocur, Darren McCarty, Chris Nilan, David Clarkson, Rob McClanahan, Herb Brooks, Jack Carlson, Zach Parise, Charlie Coyle, Rick Tocchet, the Playoffs, and more!

Genres: Hockey, Sports, Nonfiction

330 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 27, 2016

About the author

Todd Smith and his wife Karen have served as the senior pastors of Christ Fellowship Church for eight years. Along with serving in pastoring roles for over 25 years, Pastor Todd has preached the Gospel, led crusades, traveled to the missions fields, and participated in pastors conferences in over 25 countries around the world, as well as hosting the outbreak of the North Georgia Revival that began on February 11, 2018. Pastor Todd and Karen are currently traveling all over the world and spreading revival fire wherever they minister.

Reviews

[Alicen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a gritty and real portrayal of the lives of hockey players and the sacrifices they made to play. The writing is very strong and makes you feel like you are right there with them. Highly recommended for all you hockey fans out there, or for those of you interested in learning more about this demanding sport.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book for hockey fans and non-hockey fans alike! The author is a great story teller. You feel like you're there with him during the many interviews. The stories behind the dedicated athletes really make you look at the sport of hockey differently. Highly recommend!

[Michael Croy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure I've read every chapter and every word of this book several times having early 'access' with the author. Todd's written an amazing book on the men behind the helmets and the sticks of the NHL. He personalizes their sacrifices on the ice and gives you a peek behind the clubhouse doors on what it takes to lace'em up and skate in the most brutal and demanding of all professional sports.

Todd's natural enthusiasm for the wonders and glories of the sport translate into an excellent narrative that keeps the pages turning. Told with humor, wit and a bit of wide-eyed awe each chapter brings you closer to the realities of what it takes to play in the NHL than any other book you'll ever read. Excellent from start to finish this is a great book for mighty mites, high school players, bar league dudes and arm chair aficionados of all ages.

[Alicen]

Cannot wait until this book comes out written by my friend, Todd Smith!

[Red Heaven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book was kind of limited in its telling of the various injuries incurred by various tough guy players, I'm giving the extra star for the quality of writing in places - the metaphors, the phrases and expressions that jumped off the page at me.

It was insightful to know just how tough hockey players are. Something that is known without really being known until you read how they jump off the trainer's table with their faces having been smashed in and are ready to go back out in the game until the doctors say no.

[Seth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super work by debut author Smith! Great research, superior hockey knowledge, and awesome stories of hockey's biggest rivalries and hardest fighters. A must read!

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.25

[Marcus Klacke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Im no stranger to hockey and Ive played for most of my life. This book, however, gave me a whole new perspective on the game and what the greatest hockey players endure to get to the top. Some of the stories in this book are so ridiculous that they could easily be disregarded as not possible (although clearly they are). It seems unthinkable that another mortal human could play through injuries like the ones described in this book.

Before reading this book I was of course aware of some of the pains and injuries but I never really understood just how bad it was. Its truly inspiring to read and it makes me feel like a wuss by comparison.

I loved this book and after reading it I love the game of hockey even more

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this on a recommendation from a passionate hockey fan I know. While it suffers from few shortcomings (the writing is lacking at times and the chapters feel a little disjointed, mainly due to the fact that later chapters contain references to players and events that have been discussed in earlier chapters, but mention them as if they're being presented for the first time), overall, this is a fun, easy read that made me want to watch more hockey, which, for this particular book, seems like a pretty solid compliment, right?

[Nicholas Yevoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very powerful book. Former professional players talking about what it is like to play the game and how often you put your body and life on the line for one of the most difficult sports to play in the world.

[James Cardona · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very gruesome explaining the injuries.

[Muriel Otto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being from Minnesota I liked that a lot of it was about Minnesota guys. There were a few guys I would have expected to have a place in the book that weren't mentioned, but there are a LOT of tough guys in hockey

[Eric Proctor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an entertaining book. It was cool to learn about all of the sacrifices that these hockey players did to win the greatest prize of all...the Stanley Cup. On occasion, the book felt like it was a collection of separate essays rather than a connected story. That's not necessarily a bad thing. There were just some repetitive areas where something that had already been mentioned in an earlier chapter was reintroduced as if we hadn't read it. Also, there was a large bias towards Minnesota in the book. Of the players that were discussed, most of them had some tie in with Minnesota. Overall, it was a good book.