Just in time for the new hockey season, Tom Allen has published his third book, a memoir called The Gift of the Game: a Father, a Son, and the Wisdom of Hockey.
Though at first one might be tempted to mock the title by repeating it with exaggerated feeling, it would not be fair to say that the book is only a sentimental reminiscence about how hockey helped to connect a father with his son. It is also a successful rendering of the role that hockey plays in Canadian communities.
Tom is freshly separated from his wife. The only thing harder than telling his son Wesley and his daughter Melissa that he won’t be living with them anymore is moving into his new, empty apartment, wondering how he can still call himself a parent now that he will only see his children for a couple of afternoons a week.
Desperate to maintain a presence in Wesley’s life, he springs at the opportunity to be an assistant coach of his son’s hockey team. This is a humorous proposition because Tom can hardly skate.
Wesley’s career is contrasted against Tom’s own struggle to learn the game. We laugh with Tom when he, a man in his 40s, relates the humiliating experience of being outplayed by 12-year-olds during a game of shinny.
We applaud him when he finally learns how to pass. We cheer with him when he scores his first goal for his first beer league team, the Vultures.
Through the mouths of parents and coaches that Tom meets along the way, we also hear addressed some of the more serious issues surrounding the game of hockey. Is hockey inherently violent, and should we involve our children in such a sport? Should hitting be introduced earlier or later than it is? What are the politics involved in cutting players at higher levels?
Of course, Tom’s opinion of hockey is overwhelmingly good. His book is full of examples of hockey keeping families together, making immigrants feel included in their new country, and rejuvenating poor communities like Toronto’s Regent Park. If Tom Allen’s book proves one thing, it is that hockey’s centrality in Canadian culture is not just a myth; it’s an observable fact.
