Stole This from a Hockey Card: A Philosophy of Hockey, Doug Harvey, Identity, and Booze

Bob Forsey is the education officer at the Newfoundland Museum in St.
John’s.

Hall of Fame NHL defenceman Doug Harvey was the leader of the perennial
Stanley Cup Champion Montreal Canadiens. Author Chris Robinson is a
perennial hockey fan, card collector, and street player.

Both subject and biographer were known to be undisciplined,
temperamental nonconformists, and both confronted life’s challenges
outside hockey with the help of alcohol. Robinson endured life in a
dysfunctional home, and engaged in numerous clashes with authority
figures at school and at work. Harvey’s impulsive ways, on and off the
ice, ensured trouble of a different kind.

Robinson characterizes professional hockey as a “cold business,”
with a focus on winning at all costs and ensuring that players conform
to the whims of team owners and coaches. He does not pull his punches as
he recounts how NHL owners ruthlessly crushed an attempt by Harvey and
other players to form a players’ union in the late 1950s.

In the end, both Harvey and Robinson managed to overcome their
addictions and maintain their integrity. Readers can’t help but be
inspired by their respective stories.