Journeyman: The Story of NHL Right Winger Jamie Leach

by Anna Rosner

Overview

Journeyman is a first-person biography of Ojibwe rightwinger Jamie Leach, son of the legendary NHL superstar Reggie Leach. Follow the fascinating hockey trajectory from his childhood years watching his father play for the Philadelphia Flyers, to Jamie’s first goal in the NHL. Journeyman touches on Jamie’s summers on Lake Winnipeg, the World Junior Hockey Championships, his life in the minor leagues, and his eventual draft into the NHL as a Pittsburgh Penguin. Discover how some of hockey’s biggest stars such as Bobby Clarke, Jaromir Jagr, and Mario Lemieux influenced Jamie’s life. Written in close consultation with Jamie and his mother, readers will learn about the struggles Jamie conquered, including his father’s alcoholism and his own crippling self-doubt. A story of determination, heartbreak and perseverance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781773370545
Publisher:	Great Plains Publications
Publication date:	10/13/2020
Pages:	104
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.00(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

ANNA ROSNER teaches French at York University, writes children’s stories, and has published short stories and numerous scholarly articles. Dedicated to promoting her love for words, Anna has taught language and literacy to children and adults ages five to seventy-five. Anna is the Director of Books with Wings, which provides brand new, quality picture books for Indigenous children who reside in isolated Canadian communities. This is her first book.

Editorial Reviews

"Jamie is a true journeyman: dedicated and relentless in achieving his goals, and a proud yet humble teammate. I’m sure you’ll enjoy his story, path, and insight.” —Bryan Trottier, Former player for the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins


"Recommended for hockey fans and nonfans alike." —Kirkus Reviews


"This straightforward, inspiring account goes down easy and should appeal to most kids, especially skaters looking for role models." —Booklist

From the Publisher

2020-08-18
Following extensive interviews with her subject and his family, Rosner relays in the first person the story of Ojibwe ice hockey player Jamie Leach from childhood through professional success.

Leach, the son of renowned hockey player Reggie Leach, started skating almost as soon as he could walk. As the son of a professional athlete, he was familiar with a lifestyle of traveling for games, being close with teammates, and moving after being traded. At some point, he realized his father was famous, something that affected the family’s privacy. Jamie’s first step toward his own career in professional hockey came at the age of 16 when he joined a junior team in Vancouver. This work pieces together his memories, his passionate pursuit of a spot in the National Hockey League, and the sometimes random changes that took him between leagues, teams, and towns. This brief overview is written in a personal, open, and conversational tone that invests readers in Leach’s story whether they are already fans of his or not. Cultural aspects of his Ojibwe heritage, integral to his experience, are casually woven into his story with clear explanations. Reggie and Jamie Leach are the only Indigenous father and son to have both won the Stanley Cup. Photos throughout each chapter enhance the work. The depth of Leach’s relationships with his supportive family members and the friends he made through hockey come through in the simplicity of the descriptions and anecdotes.

Recommended for hockey fans and nonfans alike. (Memoir. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews