Understanding B Laderstanding Ken by Peto McCormack, Douglas X Mcintyre 1998, 242 pp., SIS.95 softcover. ro ted THE biggest hockey story in the 1973-74 NHL season was about a player who didn’t even step on the ice. Montreal Canadien goalic Ken Dreden, who backstopped the Habs i the Stantey Cup the previous vear, about the entre 73 compleze his law dezree. For dichard Montreal tans towas nothing short at treason. mtek Benodicr Dryden's setr imposed vear otf has served. as the sembelic hook tor his ge. covel For Vancouver based writer Pete MoCo Underuanding Ken. Dok ASO tO oe AnDRew McCrepie BOOK REVIEWS Serin smalltown British: Columbia, Conderstundiar Kew tollows a vear in the fife ofan P)-vear old boy vom through two angst Hled periods stmultancoushs his par ents are separated and he’s mad about playing, reading about and thinking about hockey, hockey, hockey. For anvone who has gone chrough — or is going through ~- pheht of MeCormack’s voung hero will bring equal measures of cither of these experiences, the pain and pleasure. Combined with the author's gitted story telling ability -- itis. after all, quite an accomphshiment to con vincingly write first person troman PE) year old's perspective -- Understanding Ken is a definite first star selection. Reading the 242 page softcover | couldn't help but wonder why there hasn't been more Canadian fiterature written with hockey asa backdrop. You could till a fockerroom with books published south of the border which have the Great American past time as their setting (Why, even a Canadian author, W.P. Kinsella, has used baseball as a metaphor for fife.) Understanding Ken makes up tor that oversight. The title itself speaks volumes. With nvo parents living in different Interior towns, our young hero is confused about almost everything. When a young boy is killed by 2 truck, our hero struggles to understand. When his parent’s yelling contests and fights seem to get worse rather than better, our hero struggles to understand. When the outdoor rink he dreams of refining his slapshot on refuses to freeze, our hero strug: gies to understand. And when Ken Dryden — “the greatest goalie in the history of the world” according to our young, protagonist — walks away from undoubtedly the greatest game in the world, well, that’s just beyond our voung here's comprehension. There’s even 2 bit of local content in the book. The culmination of eur hero’s Pee Wee season takes place at the provincial championships against the North Shore Winter Club. Hockey columnist’s brush with Bunny THE year — 1973-°74 — Ken Dryden brietly retired to article with a Toronto law firm tol- lowing a pay dispute with the Canadiens, I was still writing a daily sports column for The Vancouver Sun. At the time the newspaper was promoting its columnists on large roadside billboards. One of them featured me, decked out in goalie’s pads. | had a hard time, during the studio camera shoot, keeping them together. Indeed, the finished product showed enough open space to fet a soccer bail through. In Vancouver for a game that season, the so-so Canadiens, trying to get along with Bunny Larocque and a couple of no-name backups, were on the team bus headed for the Pacific Coliseum when coach Scotty Bowman suddenly roared, “Stop the bus!” Bowman ordered his goalies to the front, where he was sitting, and told them to take a good fook at the slightly comical billboard looking down on Hastings Street. “Do you see that?” he told them. “That's the way you guys are playing!” — Jim Kearney Margaret Easton stacks up support for her ocal library in est Vancouver. Margaret Easton loves to read. So it’s no surprise that she’s a big supporter of her local library. The West Vancouver Memorial Library, the busiest in the province, is one of the few in Canada to have its own fund raising Foundation. An annual croquet tournament is one of the Foundation’s biggest fund raising efforts. The Foundatien charges an entry fee for each team and a fee for on-court advertising. In addition, the event includes a silent and live auction. This vear, the Foundation expects to have 24 teams participating and to bring in $24,000 uch as computer labs and children’s reading rooms. ’ r - . +: Some imeht call MoCarmagcs never dark bar Shao othameut enighten both the plot and the fompe: bes evamiete, the tollowing pevaris the com pestien cnr vou here subsits to fis Pnglisiy teacher Kea Daven played tur Montreal Tey call Mantread the aie Renu Devieu quit Mantreal Naw ihe Staley Cap is up tar arabs Somec of ver wiih rind cn fisniy But vou cau Tiwi with a goalie taaied Buuuy. The unemiable job of guarding the Canadiens’ net during Drvden's absence tell ta Michel *Bunav™ Larccque, a goalie with a great nickname but a sus poet glove handy. Cinderstauding Ken could only be watten by semeene whe spent most of their vouth shooting tennis balls off garage doors and dreaming of raising the Stanley Cup above their head. MeCormack did both. Up until the age of TS. he was on trick tor an NHE career, but injuries derailed those plans. Since hanging up his skates he’s moved On to a more creative pursuits. His first novel, Melby, has been optioned tor a screenplay and his play “auks far Coming won the Playwrights Theatre Centre Award for Best New Play. The pro game’s loss was Canadian literature’s gain. — Pete McCormack will be reading fiow Caderstauding Ken and plaving music from his ave CDs next Thursday evening at Presentation House in North Vancouver, Doors open at 7230 pnt, show begins at 8 pan. Call 574-1416 for rickets, PETE McCormack will read from Understanding Ken Thursday evening at Presentation House. Check out our fabulous selection of knitwear, faux furs, accessories & much, much more perfect for that special person. ~Rain Coat Sample Sale Continues~ nonesuch 1447 Lsellevuc Ave. West Vancouver 925-9454 } Besides drumming up two referees for the tournament and four co-workers to enter as a team, Margaret successfully canvassed all of the member companies of Royal Bank Financial Group to co-sponsor the tournament. ~ Margaret works for Royal Bank in West Vancouver. She's just one of many Royal Bank staff across Canada who take time out to help in their communities. And we'd just like to take this opportunity to gb, ROYAL BANK thank them for doing what they do. FINANCIAL GROUP ® Registered trade mark of Royal Bank of Canada