The Gift of the Game: A Father, a Son, and the Wisdom of Hockey

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

Written by the host of CBC Radio 2’s morning show, Music and Company,
The Gift of the Game, despite its inclusion of the word “hockey” in
its full title, is a book in search of its audience. The book’s
subtitle is partly drawn from the fact that when Allen’s son, Wesley,
and daughter, Melissa, were 10 and 8, respectively, Allen separated from
his wife and took an apartment near the family’s Toronto home.
Concerned about maintaining a connection with his children, whom he
would only officially see two afternoons and one night per week, Allen,
then 41, admits to having always been a lousy hockey player;
nevertheless, he became one of two assistant coaches on his son’s
hockey team.

The book uses a chronological structure. The first part deals with
Allen’s helping to coach the Leaside 2002–2003 Atom Select Flames,
and Allen’s own interest in improving his skill level. The second part
covers his year with the Leaside 2003–2004 Minor Peewee Select Flames,
and his joining a non-contact hockey league—a somewhat ironic decision
given that his son’s team has just reached the point where body
checking is allowed.

The book has a number of weaknesses, one being that Allen introduces so
many hockey-playing children and adults that readers can neither keep
track of them nor get to know them well enough to care. Though Allen
provides some points of recognition for hockey parents and for divorced
fathers, there are not enough to sustain interest. Written in a highly
episodic fashion, the book will likely leave readers frequently asking
“Now what?” or “So what?” as Allen abruptly concludes one
happening and skips on to the next. The three black-and-white photos of
Wesley’s teams and Allen’s non-contact team are too small to be
functional. Finally, the subtitle’s promised “wisdom of hockey”
does not really emerge.