Over the Boards: Lessons from the Ice

by Hayley Wickenheiser

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 of 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.

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

232 pages, Hardcover

First published October 12, 2021

Reviews

[Phil Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story that oscillates between self-help book and memoir. I picked it up for the memoir aspect as Wickenheiser is arguably one of Canada’s greatest athletes. The portions about her transition to med school, her relationship with son and the impact of concussions on her friends like Montador will stay with me. I hope young female athletes will take inspiration from her successful career and well-rounded character.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book. Even if you think you don't like Hayley Wickenheiser. Even if you couldn't care less about hockey. Even if you have never watched a game in your life. The messaging of the lessons she has learned over multiple summer and winter Olympics, living all across the world, going to med school and being a high ranking member of so many organizations is boiled down into short and sweet lessons. The way she describes some of her Olympic moments actually had me in near tears. A definite recommend from me!

[Amanda McGill · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

I was really hoping for more when it came to Hayley Wickenheiser's novel. Her bio speaks for itself - 6 time Olympian, Hockey Hall of Famer and Medical Doctor. I was really excited to read about her life story, especially being a woman in a male dominated industry. What I ended up getting was a self help book with tips and anecdotes that I thought was too preachy. The second half did focus more on her stories - raising her son, playing in Finland and being a doctor/working at a hospital during the early days of COVID - which I did enjoy.

Also was disappointed that there were no pictures and that the biography wasn't in chorological order (a pet peeve of mine!).

[Ian Gillies · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be great at something you have to be obsessed; that rule is proven by Hayley Wickenheiser's story. Many of the familiar anecdotes support the pattern; the backyard rink on the Canadian prairie, eight years old and sneaking out of the house at midnight to play on her rink, endless hours of biking up mountains, lifting in gyms, and then, upping the ante, playing in Finland and Sweden with men's teams and coming back from serious injuries in her thirties thrown in for good measure. Layer on adopting her son at age 21, being there for him as he grows, playing hockey in 5 Olympics and baseball in another, playing University and women's professional hockey, entering med school, interning at a Toronto hospital and serving as a development coach with the Maple Leafs - you have a seriously successful person who must be a world class expert at making best use of her time. Oh yeah, and writing two books. Part of "Wick's" life is motivational speaking; she is good at this as well. I have seen her at an event talking about how to apply her principles to living successfully. Very sincere and natural. The kind of person you would like to have a beer with, but she probably would not have time for that. It sounds like she was not always able to be one of the gang during her playing days because she had a child and a husband at home, so no drinks after the game. Its a good book, well written in a down to earth style. I can't say that the specific principles she offers stick in my mind - that's my problem - but the general sense of her fortitude and prudence are left behind to inspire me.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely find a sports biography/memoir that I don't like and this was no exception. Loved the balance of lived experience and life tips, plus diving into the struggles that came along with being a woman in a male dominated sport. Will read again for sure and will recommend to anyone who loves reading about sports

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't what I expected. I thought that I'd read more about Hayley's personal life. While there was lots of bits the book was primarily about her training and her road to success as an incredible hockey player.
I can't say that I agree with her philosophy but the results prove her right...at least for her.
I recommend this book - get to know an incredible Canadian and hockey player!

[Arianne Bergeron · Rating 5 out of 5]

It could have spent a bit more time in revision, but otherwise it's great to have access to her life that way. It contains a lot of valuable lessons. It's great to have the female perspective of hard work for once. The world needs more books like this one.

[Nicole Blowes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this book.
Especially, because growing up I absolutely idolized players like Hayley Wickenheiser, Jayna Hefford, Cassie Campbell and the players from the women's National team. I am very passionate about this sport and it was my first love from the age of 3 years old as a player and then later on in life as a coach.
There are alot of valuable take aways from this book and from the game in general. It was really interesting to join in on the ride and to learn her perspective as a player on the national women's team.
This book was a really down to earth, filled with passion and an overall enjoyable read about a Canadian Icon..

[Amanda Lefley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this book. I started playing hockey the same year Women’s Hockey was introduced as an Olympic Sport. Hayley is one of many female hockey players I’ve looked up to and I’m a proud fan every time Team Canada steps on to the ice. I’ve watched Hayley live a few times and this book did not disappoint me. It’s a great book and aside from the hockey aspects of her stories there are also many personal lessons shared. She was transparent in talking about her growth as a hockey player and a person. You don’t have to be a hockey fan to read this one. I hope there are great things ahead for Wickenheiser - Hayley is amazing!

[Devon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A self-described “straight shooter”, Wickenheiser’s latest book has some great advice and to-the-point takeaways. Hayley is undoubtedly a Canadian icon and an excellent role models for young girls that are (or may not be) involved in sports, and in this book promotes the importance of teamwork, putting in the work, professionalism, grit and overall character. I really connected with “Over The Boards” and would highly recommend it to anyone (not just sports fans or women).

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! An amazing life to inspire you to aim for the best always! I am not a hockey fan, but could apply all these life lessons to my own life as a mother and student. I enjoyed this immensely.

[Kayla Veldman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really mixed feelings about this one. Hayley was a major role model for me growing up playing hockey & I loved watching her play. I’m also so impressed by her new career as an ER doctor. It was fun being brought along with her as she recalled her experiences at the Olympics & other high level hockey tournaments. It also provided some really interesting insights into playing professional sports as a woman and some of the challenges women face at the elite level.

The parts of the book I struggled with was the life lessons/inspiration parts. She’s an absolute weapon & there’s a reason she achieved so much success throughout her career but a lot of her advice just doesn’t feel relatable for the average person.. I also felt like there was a lot of subtle bragging & patting herself on the back (I feel very guilty saying this). Still love her & look up to her, just not my favourite book.

If you grew up playing hockey, you’ll probably be able to take something valuable from this book but if you aren’t a hockey player it’s probably a skip.

[Regan T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an interesting read!! I really enjoyed learning a bit more about Hayley’s life as she has been a big inspiration for me, for both hockey and medical school. Her book was definitely focused more on the hockey side which was so inspiring to hear how much she really broke barriers down for women in hockey at a young age. I didn’t even know that she played multiple years playing men’s pro hockey in Europe, away from her family & her son all so she could take her game to the next level - absolutely incredible. She touched a bit on medical school as well and her experience during COVID which I would’ve loved to hear even more about. The book ended up being more of a self-help/inspirational book which I did enjoy, however I expected it to be more of a memoir. Still great!! Would definitely recommend to any hockey lover.

[Ryan Eaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. I had no idea she played a woman’s world hockey championship that was played in Ottawa with a bad back, but then neither did her teammates. And then an Olympics with a broken foot. And all she did in her medical field during COVID. It’s no wonder she is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

[Marlise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so well-written. Wickenheiser’s experience in professional sports AND the medical field makes for a unique vantage point for perspectives on success in life. Add in the fact that she’s female AND a mom AND a multiple gold medal earner, this was a joy to read. To the point- no fluff, no BS. I could have highlighted half the book with takeaways. And it’s so refreshing to read new and recent stories rather than old overused historical stories so many people use these days in non-fiction. I loved Wickenheiser’s voice - full of wisdom and compassion and down to earth Canadian lingo. 5 stars for sure!

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! Fun stories, incredible person, lots of life lessons.

[Diva Prestia · Rating 5 out of 5]

imagine the game of hockey without absolute legend dr. hayley wickenheiser. …exactly. you can’t. and you should never want to.

those people, especially men (obviously), who held her back throughout her career tried to make that our reality, but she made herself undeniable

this is probably one of my favourite memoirs i’ve ever read. not only cause i absolutely adore hayley, but also because of how it was written. hayley is an insanely inspirational person, and an honest to god TRAILBLAZER, so i thought this was the perfect book to read for women’s history month. i love that she used it as a way to inspire others, as she does in many endeavours in her life. she used this book as a way to actually go out of her way to highlight her shortcomings and moments of failure and loss in order to emphasize her moments of prosperity and success, as well as help us understand how she was able to grow into the icon she so rightfully is known to be.

hayley is extremely disciplined and has one of the hardest work ethics the world has ever known. talk about someone who has recognized her flaws and took every action to improve upon them and become the best version of herself. she is resilient, stubborn, determined, and driven. she is the epitome of a hard worker. if anyone’s genuinely and gruellingly earned their success, it’s her

i love how she doesn’t try to be overly nice or sugarcoat things, as well as doesn’t try to make light of the bullshit she went through to get to where she got; she tells you how it is and doesn’t waste time with undeserved niceties

she did such a great job of combining general life advice and personal anecdotes, through perfectly applying the anecdotes to the relevant advice. she backs up the point she’s making with a real life example to both drive the point home to the reader and make the reader connect more to hayley and her advice. so it’s like a hybrid of memoir, since she’s telling us about her life, and a self-help/guide sort of thing, since she’s using her own experiences to draw the advice from. and i like that she included all the relevant lessons of each chapter as little bullet points at the end. that helped really tie it all together and allow the reader to takeaway those lessons in ways they can apply to their own life. it helps take advice that may otherwise have come off as slightly cliche and makes it feel authentic, aspirational, and attainable. but there was also a lot of advice that felt very unique and distinct and not like anything i’ve heard before. additionally, she gave a perspective on common advice that made it feel new and fresh and caused me to think about it in a way that makes it feel practical to implement into my own life. there was even stuff in here that i felt i could incorporate into my eventual therapy practice

so yes, loved this! the next time we need a team canada legend to be an honoured guest or whatever at an international tournament, make sure it’s the icon legend queen baddie dr. hayley wickenhesier. she’s the one i want representing us. she’s the one i want my country honouring. tell that traitor wayne he can stay home

“You don’t have to be born with innate talent or skill—that will only take you so far. What you need to achieve your own best, the passion and perseverance, is already inside you.”

“We are capable of doing and achieving so much more than we think. It made me see that the insecurities and fears and all the other limits we create inside our heads are often the only things keeping us stuck in a life that is smaller than we deserve.”

“The road I took is a little more travelled now.” 🥲

[Kelly (miss_kellysbookishcorner) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Over the Boards: Lessons from the Ice
Author: Hayley Wickenheiser
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 4.0
Pub Date: January 1, 2021

T H R E E • W O R D S

Wise • Gritty • Inspiring

📖 S Y N O P S I S

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.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Hayley Wickenheiser's resumé certainly speaks for itself. She is one of Canada's most decorated athletes, a Canadian icon, and a role-model to so many young kids. Over the Boards offers a detailed look into her life inside of and outside of hockey.

It's structured in a way that I got to know her better, yet she also gives some good life advice on how to achieve success. She offers many valuable lessons, and inspires a whole generation with her wisdom. I particularly appreciated her mentioning the importance of rest in our lives. I think this is something that is often forgotten, and for which we often need a reminder.

This isn't just a book about hockey. It explores motherhood, life after hockey, working the frontline during a global pandemic, competing in a male dominated world, etc. Yes, I loved listening to the parts about all of her success on the world stage, but I think I appreciated these aspects even more, as they are the things I didn't know.

I came away from Over the Boards seeing Hayley as a more well-round person, not just a professional athlete. And for me, that's the power of a good memoir. I definitely will be interested in learning more about her new role, and seeing where it leads.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• hockey fans
• sports memoir enthusiasts
• anyone facing a challenge

⚠️ CW: injury/injury detail

[Mairead Corrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Wicks’ book, she shared many great life lessons and take aways based off her experience as an athlete, mother, and physician. Growing up playing ice hockey, I related to a lot of the hockey terms and players she referred to. I also enjoyed reading how she overcame injuries and hardships while being a professional athlete as well as her journey to become a great leader on and off the ice. I will definitely be reading this book again.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lessons From The Ice is a great subtitle for this book because it’s all about teaching moments that anyone can use to lead a more fulfilled and productive life. Fans of Hayley Wickenheiser won’t be surprised to learn how hard she’s worked from a very young age to have accomplished as much as she has. Wickenheiser has much to say about grit, determination, and facing fear, and other tools to achieve one’s goals and dreams.

She uses anecdotes from her life as a world-class hockey player to stress her points. Those who are looking for juicy inside stories won’t find many, as this isn’t a tell-all book. The opening chapter, “Losing Isn’t Failure” and the third, “Rest is a Weapon” especially resonated with me.

What might surprise readers are the mistakes and self doubt Wickenheiser experienced on her path to success. The book’s candid insights show a humble, hardworking woman who’s learned to rely on help to improve personally and professionally.

I wish there’d been more anecdotes and lighter moments, because the book is as serious and intense as its author. Still, it’s also a worthwhile read, especially for girls attempting to take the road less travelled. I read this as an ebook, and there were no photos. Perhaps there is in the print version, but a few pictures would have been a welcome addition.

[Enid Wray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated learning more about a woman who really broke ground in a male dominated sport. She is a role model that young girls will be looking up to for many many years to come.

There is one thing that troubled me as I was reading… I was an athlete - never of the elite class that she was, but I was good enough and connected/involved enough that I turned pro and earned my way through 7 years of university as a professional figure skating coach. And then I spent 30+ years as a secondary school teacher.

Some of the ‘training principles’ she speaks of - indeed enthuses about - amount to little more than abusive behaviour on the part of the coaches/organisations - to bullying. Yes they may have worked for her, but... these give me more than a little pause for concern.

[Kin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hayley is a Canadian female hockey Olympic gold medalist, I don’t watch hockey but liked the book.
This book is to point not long, you can definitely finish the book.
This book is both memoir and self help. She reads her story and shares lessons learned.
After retiring from hockey , she went to med school and became doctor. She treated patients during Covid time there were some heart breaking stories.
How they beat Americans for the first time in 30 something years at salt lake was fantastic.
Finally she shared about her son and her family values, loved it.
Thanks Hayley I have never seen you play but loved reading your journey.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I had known a lot about Hayley before turns out i had learned so more about her while I was reading this book. I loved that not only did she talk about her hockey career, but she also talked a lot about her personal life, life experiences and becoming a doctor. Everything about this book was so good. She is an incredible human being and a wonderful role model for many young girls that want to play hockey. I couldn’t put this book down it was that good.

[McKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

growing up playing hockey and seeing hayley wickenheiser as a role model and then making my own transistor from hockey to the medical field i found this book to be beautiful touching. i hadn’t realized how much i had learned growing up playing hockey and how it prepared me to be a nurse. all the hours of hard work for youth hockey transitioned into my career. forever grateful i had hayley and other strong female role models to look up to as a child but now also as an adult.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an unbelievable read showing the best the world has to offer in Hockey. The book tells of her life but keeps a lot of personal parts out but deals with the mindset of succeeding every day

Truly inspirational

[Nicole Wickenheiser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this book! Her grit and determination to succeed in both professional sport and professional career is powerful. Having very competitive children this book has provided me with a new perspective into their mindset. Highly recommend!

[Brielle Mcinnis · Rating 5 out of 5]

cried reading this

[Laura Kemp · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for female athletes.

[Maddison]

The book Over The Boards by Haley Wickenheiser is a biography and an autobiography. The book takes place in many different places but the chapter I focused on takes place in the Bolshoy Ice Dome, Sochi Russia. This arena held the 2014 winter Olympics. Haley
Wickenheiser is the main character of this book. She played 20 years with the female Canadian hockey team. This book talks about Haley's life, her struggles, and how she overcame difficult situations. Haley talks a lot about her son Noah and how it was hard for her to not spend much time with him, well she was playing hockey and traveling around lots.

Haley is attending her final Olympic games with Team Canada, she has worked her whole life from this moment every sleepless night to every hard training week and all the days, weeks even months she was away from her family. She has pushed herself above and beyond to be the best. Playing her last game as a professional hockey player means the world to her so giving up isn’t an option, the game gets emotional and intense and comes down to the final few minutes.

In difficult situations, finding ways to overcome everything without giving up should be a priority. Haley addresses her approach to mastering techniques to all the challenges that were thrown her way, she explains how putting your mind to something and having commitment goes a long way. She also discussed how having grit and resilience kept her from quitting “grit is putting in the time when no one else is -and when no one else is watching.” ”Resilience is the ability to keep going, to keep doing something again and again -it’s the repetition of grit over time.” whenever Haley was put into a difficult situation she didn’t choose to take the easy way out or be lazy she gave it everything she could. Haley strived to be the best even when no one was watching.

[Maddy Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The autobiography, Over the Boards: Lessons from the Ice by Hayley Wickenheiser shares her experiences from her 23 seasons with Team Canada and motherhood in addition to her road to becoming Dr. Wickenheiser. From her time playing the great game of hockey in both Canada and Europe, Wickenheiser explores the variety of hard-earned lessons from on and off the ice. She reveals the challenges of being a woman in a men’s sport along with her own battles she faced and overcame behind the scenes. Many of these lessons have come from the most important people in her life, such as her parents, coaches, teammates, and especially her son Noah, all of which have made her a better athlete and person in her journey. It was not easy for Wickenheiser to rise from her backyard rink to the world stage, however, she got it done by being relentless, gritty and hard-working, just as she encourages her readers to be.

Quite obviously, this whole novel is truthful as it is non-fiction. However, I find that the majority of the lessons discussed are not necessarily clichés that everyone hears about. A lot of the lessons are new to me and I’m sure are to many other readers. As a female hockey player myself, the strategies and messages hit close to home and can be applied on the ice but I know that each and every lesson in Wickenheiser’s book also relates to life outside of the rink, which to me, makes it even more special and authentic. Anyone who was to read this book would learn an incredible amount of valuable lessons not only in sport but in everyday life. The chapters vary from relationships to grittiness and resiliency to “the road less traveled” that any reader would be lucky to hear about from one of hockey’s greats, Hayley Wickenheiser.