The Great Canadian Hockey Phrase Book.

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.

As Arseneault correctly points out, for hockey aficionados, the words cup, saucer, and dish denote more than just items to be found on dining room tables. Alphabetically from all-star game to Zamboni, Arseneault defines some 300 words, such as motor and paddle, and phrases, like last minute of play in the period, that are part of the specialized vocabulary of hockey. In length, definitions run from equalizer’s single line to the almost 20 text lines of dead puck era. Numerous definitions, such as those for donnybrook and sieve are expanded upon via one or more paragraphs that provide concrete examples.

Trivia questions accompany eight definitions with an answer key being provided at the book’s conclusion. Though the volume’s contents are gender-inclusive and include terms like beer league/Rec league, QMJHL, Hobey Baker Award, and IIHF that are associated with amateur and international hockey, many others, including commissioner, Habs, and Rob Ray rule reveal the volume’s NHL bent. Perhaps Arseneault intended the book to be read cover to cover, but browsers of this “dictionary” seeking individual terms sometimes need “see” references. The goon entry, for example, mentions the term enforcer while the Hart Trophy definition compares it with the Lester Patrick Trophy. In neither case is the second term given its own entry. As well, the inclusion of diagrams would have clarified some definitions, like those for the box and the diamond. Obviously, such a slim volume cannot be inclusive, and readers will undoubtedly identify missing terms, such as boards and half boards. Not a first-choice purchase.