In this new collection of exquisitely crafted essays, veteran sports writer Jack Falla writes about hockey as he has seen and experienced it for fifty years. Reflections on the game, its personalities and arenas, and twenty-five years of commitment to creating his backyard rink are woven into family memories and other fond remembrances. A heartwarming and amusing collection, Open Ice is sure to touch every hockey fan and all those who have grown up loving the game.
In this new collection of exquisitely crafted essays, veteran sports writer Jack Falla writes about hockey as he has seen and experienced it for fifty years. Reflections on the game, its personalities and arenas, and twenty-five years of commitment to creating his backyard rink are woven into family memories and other fond remembrances. A heartwarming and amusing collection, Open Ice is sure to touch every hockey fan and all those who have grown up loving the game.
Jack Falla is the author of five books, most notably Home Ice, a collection of essays and memoirs that the New York Times' Robert Lipsyte called “literary hot chocolate that will warm your heart.”
Jack covered the National Hockey League for Sports Illustrated in the 1980s. During that time he combined with SI photographer Heinz Kluetmeier to produce the book Sports Illustrated Hockey.
Jack and his wife Barbara live in Natick, Massachusetts, where, since 1983, they have built a skating rink—the Bacon Street Omni—in their backyard.
He teaches sports journalism at his alma mater, Boston University.
Table of Contents
Preface xi
A Death in Montreal 1
Short Shifting in Fantasy Land 29
Skating the Rideau Canal 41
New Skates 61
Passing the Torch 75
"Excuse me, Mr. Delvecchio..." 93
Back to the Barns 107
Requiem for the Cucumber 131
Much of What I Know about Life I Learned Tending Goal 151
The Rink Rat 163
Unknockable 179
Searching for Hobey Baker 195
Goodbye to the Backyard Rink? 221
Acknowledgments 235
About the Author 240
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Overview
In this new collection of exquisitely crafted essays, veteran sports writer Jack Falla writes about hockey as he has seen and experienced it for fifty years. Reflections on the game, its personalities and arenas, and twenty-five years of commitment to creating his backyard rink are woven into family memories and other fond remembrances. A heartwarming and amusing collection, Open Ice is sure to touch every hockey fan and all those who have grown up loving the game.