Are you a "Hockey Player For Life"?

With the action on the NHL front slow, slower and slowest during this longest of months for hockey fans, it's a good opportunity to consider the literary side of the game. Howard Shapiro has an entertaining book coming out this fall, "Hockey Player For Life", which chronicles the fictional trials and tribulations of Tom Leonard, a young hotshot defenseman on his local team in Pennsylvania back in the 1980's. When he hears the siren song of opportunity in the form of an invitation to join a team up in Canada, Tom gets caught up in a whirlwind of conflicting pressures from his teammates, coaches, and ultimately, himself. Anyone who played hockey (or really any sport) as a youth will identify with Tom's situation and enjoy the ride. Head on over to the site linked above to find out more.

It was quite timely to have Howard send me an advance copy to review, as the Nashville Predators earlier today opened up registration for the latest round of their GOAL program (Get Out And Learn), which is a FREE opportunity for kids 4-9 with no hockey experience to get out on the ice and work with USA Hockey certified coaches to learn the basics of the game, one night a week for four weeks. All the equipment is provided, so they really make it as easy as possible for kids to try and see if they'd like to start down the road to being a "Hockey Player For Life". I've heard nothing but great things from friends that have had their kids go through the program.

I've already signed up all three of the Little Forecheckers, so if you're interested, head over to the Predators web site today; space is limited.