OPEN ICEIn this new collection of exquisitely crafted essays, veteran sports writer Jack Falla writes about hockey as he has seen and experienced it over the past 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.
Praise for Jack Falla's Previous Collection of Essays, Home Ice
"literary hot chocolate that will warm your heart."
—The New York Times
"While Home Ice may be a book about hockey and the charm of backyard rinks, it is more than that, too. It is a book about relationships—between fathers and sons, husbands and wives—and how the game can bridge the gaps that commonly occur between generations in a family... It's a treasure and one that readers will be happy they searched out. Possibly the best hockey book since Ken Dryden's The Game."
—The Globe & Mail
"A gentle and powerful book."
—Dave Bidini, Author of Tropic of Hockey and The Best Game You Can Name
A new collection of heartwarming essays from one of North America’s foremost hockey writers.
Jack Falla follows up his gem of a book, Home Ice, with this exquisitely crafted collection of essays on hockey as he has seen and experienced it for fifty years. Funny, poignant, joyful, and occasionally melancholy, Open Ice is one man’s witness to fifty years of the game he loves.
Reflections on hockey, its personalities and arenas, and twenty-five years of dedication to his own backyard rink are woven into family memories and other fond remembrances. From the death of Rocket Richard, to skating on the Rideau Canal, contemplating his fantasy hockey team while sitting in the Sistine Chapel, memories of being in all Original Six arenas, and more, Open Ice is a reflective and fond look at hockey for people to whom the sport is more than just a game.
