Mike Leonetti

I rarely read children's books. And by rarely, I mean never. I don't really have a reason due to the fact that I do not have kids. However, a friend of mine gave me this for my birthday and whenever my wife and I have a son/daughter, I will no doubt force upon them a life of depression by becoming hockey's equivalent of a pre-2004 Boston Red Sox fan.

The story basically is about this kid who is voted team captain of his hockey team. At the same time, the 1993 Stanley Cup playoffs are taking show more place and he's unable to decide who to root for - either the LA Kings or the Toronto Maple Leafs. Granted, he is at heart, a Leafs fan, he still has great respect for Wayne Gretzky. Who wouldn't respect The Great One? He's the greatest player to ever play the game.

I my opinion, he's just trying to play both sides. He doesn't want to pick a team because he doesn't want to feel the immense disappointment he was bound to feel as the Leafs were ROBBED of the chance to play the Montreal Canadiens for the Stanley Cup that year.

The book paints a broad stroke of the series without going into too much detail (i.e. the Kerry Fraser incident) or the fact that Wendel Clark nearly caused Marty McSorley's skull to implode after Marty nailed Doug Gilmour with a dirty hit. He also fails to mention the fact that Gretzky cut Gilmour with his stick towards the end of game 6.

Pfft..this kid seems to have a selective memory. I can certainly understand his drive to become a great leader for his team, and Gretzky, for the rest of his career before and after Game 6 of the 1993 Stanley Cup playoffs was nothing less than a class act, but why use this game as your inspiration?

I hate Kerry Fraser. This book made me rage. However, it's about the Leafs so it still gets at least 3 stars. show less

This is a story of a little boy who gets a lesson on teamwork from his baseball hero, Hank Aaron. On his own baseball team, he struggles with doing what is best for the team instead of attempting to reach his personal dream of hitting a home run, which he has failed at often while sacrificing a win for the team. After meeting with Hank Aaron, he finally realizes that baseball is a team sport and must be played as one. Reaching personal goals will come with time.

This is a great book to show more share with kids whether interested in sports or not. It teaches about good sportsmanship which can be carried into any activities involving groups. With a focus on group work and collaboration being implemented in today's curriculum, this teaches them to put the interest of the whole above their own, an important lesson for all to learn. show less

Marc loves everything about being a goalie. He loves getting dressed before the game, putting on all the special equipment, and he loves being in the middle of the action and making big saves. He wants to play like a real NHL goalie - to come out of the net to handle the puck and pass it to his teammates. But he has to go get better at it before his coach will let him play the way he wants during games. Marc finds, however, that he can learn a lot about playing in goal from his grandfather show more who was also a goalie. He's had a lot of experience, he knows how to play the angles, and he tells Marc a story of goaltending's greatest innovator - the first goalie to play with a mask in the National Hockey League, Jacques Plante. show less

Good for read-aloud and discussion about personal heroes and what it would be like to meet them.