How Hockey Explains Canada: The Sport That Defines a Country

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The role of hockey in Canada serves as a national identity, a unifying force in a country of 33 million people. So crazed are Canadians for their national sport that they ranked outrageous hockey commentator and high school drop-out Don Cherry ahead of Alexander Graham Bell on a list of the greatest Canadians in history. Penned by hockey star Paul Henderson-famed scorer of Canada's "Greatest Goal" in the 1972 Summit Series-and featuring a foreword by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, 'How Hockey Explains Canada' explores just how deeply engrained this national pastime is in the Canadian psyche. The intelligent discourse on Canada's national sport goes far beyond the sport's most-loved icons, great plays, and notorious brawls by looking into the history and culture of the game to explain why hockey has had such an enigmatic hold on Canadians. Featuring interviews with more than 35 current and former NHL players, coaches, executives, and commentators, this expansive biography of the sport explores hockey's inextricable connection to everything from the Confederation to the Cold War to international perception of Canada and the country's own cultural divide.

Author Bio

Paul Henderson is a geologist whose early career was in the Universities of Glasgow and London, then in the Natural History Museum as Head of Mineralogy and Director of Science until 2003. He received the Honour of CBE in 2003 and is author of books on the earth sciences. He is Honorary Professor at University College London where he currently researches the history of science.