The Role I Played: Canada's Greatest Olympic Hockey Team

by Sami Jo Small, Chloe Cannon (Narrator)

A three-time Olympic medalist shares behind-the-scenes insight into the beloved Canadian National Women's Hockey Team Men's hockey in Canada may hog the limelight, but interest in women's hockey has never been higher. The Role I Played is a memoir of Sami Jo Small's ten years with Canada's National Women's Hockey Team. Beginning with her experience as a rookie at the first-ever women's Olympic hockey tournament in Nagano in 1998 and culminating with Canada's third straight Olympic gold medal in Vancouver in 2010, the veteran goaltender gives the listener behind-the-scenes insight into one of the most successful teams in sports history. Small offers insider access, writing with unflinching honesty about the triumphs of her greatest games and the anguish of difficult times. This book honors the individuals who sacrificed so much of their lives to represent Canada on a world stage and celebrates their individual contributions to the team's glory. While bringing the personalities of her teammates to life, Small takes the listener into the dressing rooms and onto the ice for an up-close glimpse into the ups and downs of athletes pursuing a sport's highest achievement.

Genres: Sports, Hockey, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography Memoir

Audio CD

First published September 29, 2020

Reviews

[Lex Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Stars. I felt like taking a break from my normal LGBTQ fiction because I enjoy a good memoir. I’m a big woman’s hockey fan so when I saw this book by one of Canada’s goalies, I knew I wanted to read this. I’m a USA hockey fan but I still have respect for Canada’s team. Canada’s team is so dominant that they are kind of like the NY Yankees where it’s easy to love to hate them. They win constantly (except for the last Olympics, YAY) but Small hooked me in enough that I was almost able to feel sorry for a few team Canada losses, well almost.

I expected this to be about hockey and it really is. 95% of the book revolves around hockey either on the ice or off. Luckily, it was good hockey with most of it being very exciting. If you are not much of a hockey fan, this book probably won’t be for you.

It was interesting being in the mind of a back-up goalie and what it is like to feel the need to constantly prove yourself since you are almost always one game away from being picked to start a major game or to being benched. I thought Small was very real and honest about her feeling towards the other goalies who were friends but also her main competition and the coaches that could make or break her. You feel very sympathetic for Small’s constant battle and I found myself shockingly even choking up at times. I was also surprised about how crappy I thought some of the Canada coaches were. With their poor decisions it seemed like Canada won a lot of games in spite of certain coaches and not because of.

I did think this book could have used another editing pass. I found some sentences that seemed out of order and some other issues. I got my ARC copy four months before this book was to be released so I’m sure that the book will be tightened up to flow much better in that time before release.

Another issue I had was with some of the other players. As a hockey fan I knew almost all of the USA players mentioned and a most of the Canada players, but not everyone. There would be times in the middle of a game that someone would shoot the puck and score. The problem was that I didn’t know who actually scored because it was the name of a player that had never been mentioned before. And if it wasn’t a more popular player that I might know, it would take me a while to realize oh that was Canada and not Finland that just scored. I understand with all the players Small played with she can’t introduce us to everyone but sometimes it just wasn’t clear enough.

The book constantly jumped around different time periods. From childhood to Team Canada days, then to being a teenager to team camp again. All the jumps are clearly marked so you know but the time jumps were not always the easiest to follow. I don’t really agree with this jumping around choice, but I did get used to it as the book went on.

This didn’t affect my rating any but I was hoping for a little more about some of the other team Canada players and any hijinks they were up too. The team seemed pretty mellow and less fun than I expected. Maybe it is all that pressure to always win but I think they need to take some tips from the USA Women’s soccer team on how to let loose and be more of a team off the field/ice too.

If you are a hockey fan I would absolutely recommend this. There were some really exciting hockey scenes and even some scenes that will make you a bit emotional. With no summer Olympics it was nice to go to the winter Olympics in this book. This book was very readable and a nice escape from 2020, the crappiest year that just keeps getting worse. RIP Notorious RBG.

An ARC was given to me for a honest review.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received The Role I Played through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and I am so glad I did!

The Role I Played is Sami Jo Small’s story and takes the reader through her experiences as a Canadian hockey goalie. She takes you on a ride from her first National team appearance through three Olympics and onto her life post Olympics.

Before I read The Role I Played, I had never heard of Sami Jo Small, but now I feel like I’ve known her all along. I really enjoyed seeing her insider insights on Team Canada and the struggles of professional women’s hockey. She was around during the most formative years of the sport and made a huge impact. Reading about her dedication to the sport and her life in a professional sport that for years had only been seen as a male sport is very empowering.

I am a huge hockey fan and I have to say this is a must read for any female hockey fan out there who wants to see the behind the scenes of women in the sport. I am so glad I got the chance to read an ARC of The Role I Played! Sami Jo Small’s story is empowering and her dedication is inspirational. She even had me rooting for Team Canada along the way even though I am Team USA all the way!

[Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating:
4 ½ of 5 stars (rounded to five for Goodreads)

Review:
Women’s hockey has grown exponentially in the past 25 years, thanks in no small part to the sport being part of the Winter Olympics in that time frame. The two most dominant teams during that time have been the United States and Canada. One player who was part of the first three Canadian teams, goaltender Sami Jo Small, has written a memoir sharing her experiences at those three Olympics and brings the reader inside the life of a hockey player.

The format of the book is not the typical memoir in that Small will often take the reader back to her youth when a moment during practice with Team Canada or a break in one of the games at the Olympics will connect with something that happened during her formative years. One such occurrence was when she was handling her goalie equipment while on the bench. The next chapter starts when she mentions her equipment when playing hockey with the boys as a young girl. The transition there is fine but the reading of the book seems to be interrupted in these parts, especially when the flashback is done and the narrative returns to the game or practice with Team Canada. There are also some sentences thrown into a paragraph that don’t feel like they belong. One example – when talking about teammate Sari Fisk during a game against Finland, Sari takes a pass from the defense. The next sentence talks about her young daughter running around the rink waiting for Mommy to finish practice. Then in the next sentence Fisk makes a pass to a teammate. How does the sentence about the daughter fit into a nice hockey play? This was the only quibble I had with this book that is otherwise filled with great stories.

It should be noted that while Small was a part of the first three Canadian teams at the Olympics in 1998, 2002, and 2006, she saw playing time in only 2002 as she was listed as the third goalie the other two times and therefore was not officially on the roster for playing nor were third goalies allowed to be on the medal stand should the team win a medal. Canada did win a medal in all three years – silver in 1998 with a heartbreaking loss to the United States in the gold medal game, and gold in 2002 and 2006. Despite the relatively little playing time, Small writes about her time with the national teams with an upbeat, positive vibe and the reader will learn much about the inner workings of a hockey locker room and the routines of a backup goaltender.

Playing with goaltenders such as Kim St. Pierre, Manon Rheaume and Charlene Lebonte, Small writes with a roller coaster of emotions as she works hard to compete for playing time against her teammates but at the same time will support them when they are playing. The two Olympics in which Small doesn’t play shows the gamut of emotions. As a rookie with the 1998 team, Small is thrilled to simply be a part of history as the first women’s Olympic tournament is played. After seeing playing time and having a gold medal draped around her neck in 2002, she is devastated to learn that she had to serve as the third goaltender once again in 2006. Credit should be given to her for fulfilling that role admirably and being the biggest cheerleader for Team Canada as they defended their gold medal.

However, this book is not just about Small’s experiences with the Olympic teams. Small played hockey with men in both Canada and at Stanford University where she graduated with an engineering degree. She also played in the women’s professional leagues that were operating in Canada and even helped ensure the survival of one by doing administrative work for one as well after her Olympic career was finished. Small also talks about her personal life in just the right amount of text and emotion. The reader will feel like he or she knows about Small, but without getting too much information to make it feel intrusive.

While many hockey fans will recognize the contributions to the women’s game by American and Canadian stars such as Cammi Granato, Katie King, Haley Wickenheiser and Danielle Goyette, the contributions of players like Sami Jo Small should be recognized as well and this book will bring a lot of information and enjoyment to hockey fans everywhere.

I wish to thank ECW Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never played anywhere near the level of hockey that Sami Jo Small did, but being part of a successful team while not getting ice time and feeling personally unsuccessful is something I have some experience with, so I related to a lot of this. Also enjoyed learning more about those Team Canada teams of that era - I was always rooting against them, but they were legends who did a great deal to build women’s hockey. It’s a good read, recommend for any women’s hockey fan.

[Courts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small does a wonderful job articulating the struggle that comes with playing a very individualized position in a team sport. It's an honest account of what high performance sports can be like and gives credit to a lot of people who have helped lift women's hockey to where it is today. A must read for anyone who calls themselves a hockey fan.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Life, right now... it's about doing everything I can each day to win a gold medal. Nevertheless, it's a lonely pursuit..."

On @ireadcanadian Day, I purchased this book - The Role I Played by @samijosmall, who was one of Team Canada's Women's Hockey goalies. I bought this memoir for a multitude of reasons, but the main one being I wanted to find solace. Being an elite female athlete is multifaceted and it's nice to know other elite female athletes experience similarity in their sports career and this book did not disappoint.

I didn't know much about hockey before reading this book. Sami Jo wrote this book so well, it was as if I was watching multiple hockey games playing on TV. The imagery she created with her words was extremely impressive.

Did you know the Canadian National Women's Hockey Team is one of the most successful teams in all of sports history? Not just women's history, all of sports history. The Canadian National Women's Hockey Team won 4 straight Olympic golds from 2002 to 2014 and were World Champions for 14 straight years from 1990 to 2004.

The lesson I took away from Sami Jo is to never give up. You may get traded. You may be cut from teams. You won't always be first pick or even second pick. Sporting events may be canceled due to unforeseen circumstances (in Sami's case, this was SARS). You'll miss important family and friend events like weddings, births, holidays, etc. You may age out (which for women in sport is often late 20s/early 30s). Even through all of this, always remember why you're playing the game and just keep thriving, but most importantly remember to have fun.

P.s. I loved seeing my hometown of Mississauga mentioned numerous times throughout this book.

[Craig M · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a bit of a tough read. The information was often interesting, but I did not like the format of the book. There was too much “bouncing” between “present” and past. Small would be describing a memorable game, and get to a pivotal time in the game, then she would put in a chapter about growing up or some other event. It was just frustrating to be wondering about the results of a game, and then to be suddenly turned away from it. I also feel the book should have been edited more carefully. There were some rather simple errors overlooked (the use of “snapshot” for “slapshot” at one point, for example). At the beginning, there seemed to be some verb changes (from present to past) which were a bit confusing. All of these little “quirks” really interrupted the “flow” of reading. The insights into women’s hockey, and what occurred at various Olympics were interesting. Sometimes it felt like I was just reading synopses of one hockey game after another. I never got much of a “feel” for the people involved. Small was complimentary about many of her teammates, but I felt I didn’t “get to know” many players. The “team” feel was lost, and Small seemed to talk more about individuals. The angst she felt when she was not playing an important game, or when she was left off of teams was very evident – understandably so. This did give some good revelations into “the life of a goalie”.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic read.

As an avid hockey fan from Winnipeg, I was well aware of Sami Jo Small and her role as a goalie for Team Canada. I picked this book up to learn more about the behind the scenes life of Team Canada’s Women’s team.

What I found most engaging about this book was Sami Jo being honest and open with her feelings about the competition between goalies at the elite level. She invites readers into meetings with coaches and provides a window for readers to see and feel what she does in the high stress, competitive environment that a national level team player must endure.

Highly recommend this book for all hockey fans. A fantastic read that provides insight to life as an elite goalie in the most elite hockey program in the world.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book isn't just an inside perspective of one of Canadian women's hockey's legendary talents, although it certainly tells Sami's story in a compelling way. At the heart of this book is an invitation into the tensions of experiencing grief and rejection, while desiring to celebrate the success of those around you. Sami's career as a goalie was not only fraught with the tension of wanting to play and being a good teammate to her fellow tendy competitors, but also marked by the friction of learning to embrace the sideline role that no one dreams about. I am inspired by Sami's openness and humility, and how she used the hardest moments of her life and career as an opportunity to empower those around her.

[Louis Skye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read even if you’re not a huge ice hockey fan. I like the flashbacks and how Small makes connections between her childhood as an athlete and her hockey career.

I would have liked to understand the politics of the team selections. The players obviously weren’t given reasons for why they were cut so it’s left a mystery in this book. But it sounds like good players were left out for seemingly no reason and I’d have liked to know why.

A good read and very fast-paced.

[Troy Durrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing. As a journalist/die hard sports fan, I’ve always admired women’s hockey, but you rarely hear the stories of those women due to lack of coverage from major networks outside of World Championships and Olympics. Sami Jo goes into great depth with some outstanding stories about triumph and adversity that surrounded her and her teammates throughout her many years playing pro hockey and for Canada’s national team. A must read for any sports fan!

[Don Bennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. Lots of insights into how hockey works in Canada at the highest levels.

A very honest self examination and story where all the flaws are left out on the table and not covered up or attempted to be justified, they are what they are.

The timeline with flashback stories makes this much more interesting and makes better connections for stories and the overall storyline.

[Julie Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to hear Sami Jo Small speak at a corporate event. Her energy and joy as a speaker are contagious! Her message on the role she played is applicable to all of us at some point in her life. This book is full of facts, dates and names - I feel like
She made a point to acknowledge pretty much every player she could. I will take Sami Jo’s message with me!

[Meg]

I'm not going to pretend that I understand all the on ice hockey parts - but what a tale of athletic grind and resilience in the face of great disappointments.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up.

[Taleisin (Tales of a Bookwyrm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

PopSugar Reading Challenge 2024 - #7 - A book about women’s sports and/or by a woman athlete

[Teebz Hbic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for The Role I Played can be found on Hockey Blog In Canada.

[Calvin Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid 3.5. A fine look inside women's hockey at the highest levels in Canada.

Full Review: https://www.yorktonthisweek.com/opini...