The Goal of My Life: A Memoir

by Paul Henderson, Roger Lajoie, Ron Ellis (Foreword by)

Overview

Paul Henderson will forever be recognized and remembered for his goal with 34 seconds remaining in the 8th game of the 1972 Summit Series. This goal gave Canada the lead and won them the series and with that the team became known as "the Team of the Century." And Paul's goal as, "the Goal of the Century." But there is more to Paul Henderson than just that one goal and in The Goal of My Life, Henderson opens up about scoring both on and off the ice. A family man and man with deep faith, Henderson lives each day with tremendous appreciation for the gifts life has rewarded him and has not allowed his recent diagnosis with cancer to alter his positive demeanor. Henderson takes fans back to the moment 1972 when Canada won the Summit Series, though additionally shares memories from his entire life and his early days playing hockey through to his retirement from the game and his personal challenges with Leukemia. Henderson is a hero and his book is one that all fans of hockey and life will enjoy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780771046513
Publisher:	McClelland & Stewart
Publication date:	09/11/2012
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	344
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

PAUL HENDERSON was born in Lucknow, Ontario. He played his junior hockey with the Hamilton Red Wings and lead the OHL in scoring before moving to the NHL to play for Detroit, then later Toronto, and finally Atlanta. Henderson was chosen to play for the 1972 Canadian Team that competed against the Soviets in the Summit Series. During the series, Henderson accumulated 7 goals, 3 of which were game winners, including his goal in Game 8 that has long been recognized as the "goal of the century." Since retiring from hockey in 1984, Henderson joined the seminary and now runs a Christian ministry. He is a published author and motivational speaker and both he and his wife speak at various marriage conferences to offer guidance and mentoring.

ROGER LAJOIE is well-known to hockey fans as a host of Toronto's The Fan 590. He is also a North American sports correspondent for the Reuters News Agency and has covered the World Series, the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Final. Roger lives with his wife and family in Courtice, Ontario.

Read an Excerpt

Introduction

That’s a question nobody ever asks me because they all think they know the answer when it comes to Paul Henderson. They all just assume that the “goal” of my life was the one I scored on September 28, 1972.
 
I slid a puck past Vladislav Tretiak that day to give Canada the Summit Series win over the Russians in Moscow, and that goal certainly changed my life forever. No doubt it was the biggest goal I ever scored in a hockey game, and because of it, a lot more people know who Paul Henderson is than would have if I hadn’t scored it. It’s been called the Goal of the Century, after all, and being the player who scored it certainly gives me some instant recognition in our wonderful and hockey-mad country.
 
Before that epic series in 1972, you had to be a fairly dedicated hockey fan to know the name Paul Henderson. I had a good, solid career, don’t get me wrong, but that goal gave me a stature in this country that would not have been possible unless I’d converted that rebound in game eight.
 
It certainly was the goal of my life on the ice. When something you did is recognized as the Canadian sports moment of the century, well, it’s very satisfying. When that happens, you can do two things – run away and hide from it or embrace it. I made a conscious decision to embrace it, and I have done just that all of my life. So yes, The Goal certainly was the goal of my life from that standpoint.
 
And I will talk about it later on in this book, as I have talked about it for many years. I never get tired of hearing somebody’s story of where they were when the goal was scored and what the goal meant to them, or being asked yet again what happened leading up to it. I love talking about all aspects of it. Like I said, I embrace it.
 
But if you ask me the question, “What is the goal of your life?” then you might be surprised to hear my answer. That goal was my on-ice highlight, without question – how can it not be? – but I read that question differently. The goal of a person’s life has nothing to do with the kind of goals a hockey player scores on the ice; the goal of a person’s life is their purpose, their personal answer as to why they are on this planet and what they want to do with their life.
 
It took me a long time to answer that question for myself, and a lot of soul-searching. But the goal of my life has nothing to do with any hockey game.


Excerpted from The Goal of My Life: A Memoir. Copyright © 2012 Ficel Marketing. Published by Fenn/McClelland & Stewart, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher, Heritage Hockey and Paul Henderson. All rights reserved